MLB Player News

Freeland (ankle) is listed as the Rockies' starting pitcher for Saturday's game against Atlanta in Colorado.

Freeland appeared to be at risk of landing on the injured list after he was diagnosed with a left ankle impingement following his most recent outing Sunday in Washington, but he apparently checked out fine following his between-starts bullpen session and looks like he'll be ready to return to the mound on five days' rest this weekend. The southpaw owns a 6.25 ERA and 1.67 WHIP across 31.2 innings at Coors Field this season.

Strider is listed as Atlanta's starting pitcher for Saturday's game in Colorado.

Though Strider failed to escape the fifth inning and allowed five runs -- one shy of the total he surrendered in his first 11 relief appearances -- in his first MLB start Monday in Arizona, the hard-throwing rookie had some positive takeaways from the outing. He retired 11 of the 19 batters he faced via strikeout or groundout, and Mark Bowman of MLB.com notes that defensive misplays by Marcell Ozuna and Adam Duvall that didn't go down in the scorebook as errors contributed to Strider's ERA ballooning from 2.22 to 3.45. A trip to Coors Field isn't ideal for Strider as he attempts to whittle down his ERA, but he still looks like Atlanta's best option for the No. 5 starter role with the team having already cycled through a number of other pitchers at the back end of the rotation, to little success.

Stripling is the most likely candidate to move into the Toronto rotation if Hyun Jin Ryu (forearm) requires a stint on the injured list, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Ryu lasted just four innings in his start Wednesday against the White Sox before departing with left forearm tightness. Stripling came on in long relief behind him and tossed 2.2 scoreless innings, so he would be lined up to fill in for Ryu if a replacement is needed when the Blue Jays next require a fifth starter Monday in Kansas City. For the time being, a decision hasn't been made on whether Ryu will need to go on the IL, as the Blue Jays will first evaluate the results of the MRI he underwent earlier Thursday. Stripling previously made five starts for Toronto earlier this season, logging a 4.29 ERA and striking out 18 over 21 innings in those outings.

Gray was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right pectoral strain Thursday, retroactive to May 30, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Gray exited Sunday's start against the Royals due to a sore right pectoral, but he improved in recent days and played catch Wednesday. However, the right-hander will ultimately be forced to miss several turns through the rotation. It's a discouraging setback for the 32-year-old, who posted a 1.65 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 27.1 innings over five starts in May after returning from a hamstring injury. Yennier Cano was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, but it's not yet clear who will take Gray's place in the rotation.

Ryu is undergoing tests on his left forearm Thursday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Ryu left his start Wednesday against the White Sox due to left forearm tightness, the latest issue in an injury-filled season for the veteran southpaw. He missed over a month early in the year with forearm inflammation and also exited his last start in May due to elbow tightness. It's hard to be confident in his ability to make his next start, but whether or not that's in play should become clear once the results of his tests are known. Ross Stripling is expected to slot into the rotation if Ryu is unable to make his next turn and ends up on the injured list, according to Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Rodriguez (rib cage) will begin a rehab assignment soon, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Rodriguez resumed playing catch one week ago without issue, and he looks like he could be cleared for a bullpen session in the coming days. If all goes well once the left-hander gets back on a mound and faces hitters, he could be sent out on a rehab assignment as soon as next week. Since he's been sidelined for approximately two weeks due to a sprain on the left side of his rib cage, Rodriguez will likely need only one start in the minors before he's ready to return from the 15-day injured list.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Ryan (illness) is "a tick behind" Gilberto Celestino (illness) in the two players' respective recoveries from positive COVID-19 tests, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Celestino has cleared all COVID-19-related protocols and is participating in a workout at Target Field on Thursday, so Baldelli's comments would seem to imply that Ryan needs at least one more negative COVID-19 test before he's able to report to the team facility. Minnesota is uncertain if Ryan will require a rehab start prior to being activated from the COVID-19 injured list, but because he's been away from the team since testing positive for the virus May 25, he'll almost certainly need an extended bullpen outing at the very least before the Twins are comfortable slotting him back in the rotation. With that in mind, Ryan seems unlikely to make a start during the Twins' upcoming three-game series in Toronto that begins Friday.

Denaburg (elbow) has given up four earned runs on four hits and seven walks while striking out seven over five innings across two starts with Single-A Fredericksburg since being activated from the 7-day injured list May 24.

A 2018 first-round pick, Denaburg is back pitching in games again for the first time since 2019 after he underwent shoulder surgery in the winter of 2019 and then had Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2021. Because of his extensive arm injuries, the 21-year-old's workload is expected to be monitored carefully this season.

Whitlock (2-1) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and zero walks over six innings against the Reds. He struck out zero.

Whitlock was dominant and scattered five singles across six innings as he cruised to his second win of the season. However, he failed to record a strikeout for the first time as a starter this year, which limited his overall fantasy output. Regardless, the youngster still sports a 3.02 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP across eight starts and 44.2 total innings. His next outing is tentatively scheduled for next week against the Angels.

Greene (2-7) took the loss Wednesday, allowing four runs on six hits and zero walks over 3.2 innings against Boston. He struck out eight.

After striking out seven and allowing just one baserunner through the first three innings, the rookie got into trouble in the fourth after the first four batters of the inning reached safely. Eventually, all four of those baserunners would come around to score, setting Greene up for his seventh loss of the season. Across 10 starts and 48 innings, the right-hander has 64 strikeouts, but he's allowed 15 home runs and sports a 6.19 ERA.