MLB Player News

Houck (back) was diagnosed with a disc issue Tuesday and will return to Boston for a week of treatment, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Houck will be re-evaluated next Monday before the Red Sox determine his next steps, but at this stage, the right-hander's return from the injured list doesn't look to be imminent. If he responds well to treatment over the next several days, Houck could be back near the end of the month in a best-case scenario, but a return in September seems more likely. The Red Sox should continue to lean on Garrett Whitlock and John Schreiber in higher-leverage spots while their preferred closer is sideilned.

Contreras will be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to start Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Earlier Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Contreras was on the verge of rejoining the Pirates, and the date of his next big-league start has now been set. Contreras has already thrown 20 more innings than he did in 2021, so while he could remain in the rotation the rest of the way, don't expect the Pirates to push him too much.

Greene (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Sunday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Greene played catch over the weekend, and he is now set to advance to the next step in his recovery. It's not clear when Greene will be ready to head out on a rehab assignment, but manager David Bell said Greene will get 1-to-3 starts in the minors before rejoining the big club.

The Rangers selected Arihara's contract from Triple-A Round Rock ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday versus the Athletics.

Arihara will be making his 2022 big-league debut after having thus far spent his entire second season in North America at Triple-A. The righty is fully built up as a starter and isn't expected to face a limited pitch count against a hapless Oakland lineup, but he still may be difficult to trust. Over his 72 innings at Triple-A this season, Arihara produced a 4.88 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.

Bush has a 3.20 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 77:24 K:BB in 76 innings across 16 starts for Double-A Rocket City this season.

The 2021 second-rounder had a tremendous first half, but his workload has been dialed back significantly over the last month-plus -- he's made just four total appearances (pitching just 14.1 innings) in July and August, not counting a scoreless inning in the Futures Game. A big lefty at 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, Bush has shown better command than expected and done a good job keeping the ball in the park. There's relief risk here, but Bush is an intriguing prospect.

The Mets announced Tuesday that Carrasco's MRI earlier in the day revealed a low-grade left oblique strain. He's expected to require 3-to-4 weeks to recover from the injury.

New York didn't immediately place Carrasco on the 15-day injured list, but he'll likely be deactivated prior to Tuesday's game in Atlanta or Wednesday once the Mets find a player to replace him on the 26-man active roster. David Peterson will presumably be called up from Triple-A Syracuse to join the rotation as a replacement for Carrasco beginning with Saturday's doubleheader in Philadelphia, and the team will also need to break in a temporary sixth starter that same day. With Carrasco now likely to remain out until around mid-September, fantasy managers in most redraft leagues are probably best off dropping him for a healthier option rather than waiting out his return. The injury comes at an especially tough time for Carrasco after he'd gotten off to a strong start to the second half with a 2.63 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB over 27.1 innings in his first outings since the All-Star break.

The Blue Jays promoted Carter from the rookie-level Florida Complex League to Single-A Dunedin on Tuesday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

A 2021 fifth-round pick, Carter's professional debut was delayed a year while the Blue Jays deliberately managed his workload coming off his senior season of high school. The 19-year-old right-hander was roughed up for 20 runs (18 earned) over 17.2 innings in his first five FCL starts, but he earned the promotion to Single-A after turning a corner around the minor-league All-Star break. Over his final four outings in rookie ball, Carter pitched to a 2.25 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB across 16 frames.

The Blue Jays promoted Robberse from High-A Vancouver to Double-A New Hampshire on Tuesday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Robberse had been one of Vancouver's top starters this season, logging a 3.81 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 80:24 K:BB across 89.2 innings. The 20-year-old right-hander will be rewarded with a stiffer level of competition over the final weeks of the 2022 campaign.

The Pirates are expected to call up Contreras from Triple-A Indianapolis within the next few days, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Pittsburgh hasn't confirmed any of its starters for this week beyond its series opener with the Red Sox, when Mitch Keller is scheduled to take the hill, so Contreras seems likely to slot into the rotation for either of the other two contests against Boston or at some point during the three-game weekend set against the Reds. Over his previous 12 outings in the big leagues this season spanning 50 innings, Contreras submitted a respectable 3.78 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 50:22 K:BB. Though he's clearly one of the organization's more talented starters, the 22-year-old Contreras is still likely to have some limitations with his pitch and innings counts down the stretch as the Pirates remain cognizant of not overworking him.

Flaherty (shoulder) is scheduled to make the second appearance of his minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Springfield.

Flaherty will be looking for better results Tuesday after he was roughed up for four runs (three earned) on four hits over one inning in his initial rehab start last Thursday with Triple-A Memphis. On a more positive note, Flaherty struck out two and issued no walks while tossing 35 pitches, so he could bring up his pitch count to around 50 on Tuesday. Flaherty will likely require at least one more rehab start beyond Tuesday's outing before potentially making his return from the 60-day injured list.