MLB Player News

McCullers (shoulder) struck out three and allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk across four innings Wednesday in a rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land.

McCullers has been stellar through his first two rehab outings at Sugar Land, allowing just one earned run while posting a 7:1 K:BB over seven innings. The right-hander tossed 60 pitches in Wednesday's appearance, so he'll likely need to make at least one more start in the minors before Houston brings him back from the 15-day injured list. McCullers had posted a lowly 6.86 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in eight starts for Houston before being shelved May 19 due to a rotator cuff impingement, and despite the strong form he's showed in the minors, he could face an uphill battle to reclaim a spot in a crowded big-league rotation once activated. Though the Astros have already decided that Cristian Javier (shoulder) will go to the bullpen when he returns from the 60-day IL on Friday, Ronel Blanco (elbow) has also built up to the 60-pitch mark during his rehab assignment and could be prioritized ahead of McCullers for a starting role upon his activation from the IL.

Marquez (forearm) recorded two outs and allowed three earned runs on three hits and one walk during his rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A El Paso.

Marquez kicked off his rehab assignment June 2 and started in each of his first four appearances for El Paso, maxing out at five innings and 73 pitches. While his usage seemed to indicate that the Padres were considering Marquez for a spot in the rotation upon his return from the 15-day injured list, the veteran righty now appears to be preparing for a bullpen role. He's worked in relief in his last two outings for El Paso, striking out three while allowing four runs on six hits and three walks in 2.1 innings between those contests. Marquez's 30-day rehab window officially came to a close Wednesday, so the Padres could look to activate him at some point during their upcoming four-game series with the Dodgers.

Prielipp isn't listed among the Twins' probable starting pitchers for their three-game weekend series versus the Yankees in New York.

The Twins will end up going with a four-man rotation during their six-game week, with Prielipp having his turn skipped after he struck out a career-high 10 batters over six innings in his last outing Sunday against the Rockies. Prielipp has covered six innings and tossed 90-plus pitches in four of his last five starts, so the Twins may simply be looking to manage the workload of the 25-year-old lefty, who previously underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and a UCL repair with an internal brace in July 2023. If he isn't used out of the bullpen over the weekend, Prielipp will likely re-enter the rotation at some point during the Twins' home series with the Guardians that runs Tuesday through Thursday.

Payne has posted a 3.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 95:22 K:BB over 68.2 innings this season between Single-A Jupiter and High-A Beloit.

An 18th-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of a Pennsylvania high school, Payne gave up an offer from George Mason to start his pro career early, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com, and the decision seems to be paying off. While the 20-year-old southpaw sits in the low 90s with his fastball, his velocity has crept up since he was drafted and the pitch comes with significant ride that allows him to work up in the zone. He then turns to a potentially plus curveball and slider for his whiffs. Payne likely still profiles as a back-of-the-rotation option in the majors at best unless he can add more juice to his fastball and improve his changeup, but his development so far has been impressive.

Peterson is slated to start Friday's game against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

The 30-year-old southpaw will be rewarded with another turn through the rotation after excelling in his Cubs debut last Saturday, earning a win over the Brewers while striking out two batters and allowing two earned runs on five hits and no walks across 5.2 innings. Peterson's body of work over a sample of eight starts and eight relief appearances with the Mets this season has been much less impressive (6.09 ERA, 1.65 WHIP in 68 innings), but he looks like he'll have a chance to stick around in a depleted Chicago rotation until the club gets some reinforcements. Among the Cubs' injured starters, Jameson Taillon (hamstring) is the closest to returning and is set to make a rehab start Sunday, but it's unclear if he'll be ready to return from the 15-day injured list before the All-Star break.

Holmes will start Friday's series opener versus the Mets in Atlanta, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Atlanta will plug Holmes back into the rotation after he made his first appearance of the season as a reliever his last time out Saturday, striking out four batters over four shutout innings against the Giants. Per Bowman, Atlanta believes Holmes could prove to be a more valuable asset in the bullpen, where he would be able to work at a higher velocity and lean more heavily on his slider, a pitch that has generated a 41.3 percent whiff rate on the season. A decision on Holmes' role beyond this weekend could hinge on the performance of Hurston Waldrep, who will draw a start Thursday against the Cardinals after Atlanta opted to skip Bryce Elder's turn in the rotation. Elder is expected to rejoin the rotation next week, and if Waldrep fares well against the Cardinals and earns himself an extended leash as a starter, Holmes would likely head back to the bullpen on a more permanent basis.

Early has been diagnosed with left posterior elbow inflammation following an MRI, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

It appears to be a best-case scenario after Early was forced to depart Tuesday's start against the Nationals after four innings and then landed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. The Red Sox have not yet officially determined next steps for the young hurler, but the hope is Early will be able to resume throwing soon. If that happens, it's possible the left-hander could rejoin the rotation not long after the All-Star break.

Gallen (3-8) allowed six runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out four over 5.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday versus the Giants.

Gallen had a decent start going until he allowed a solo home run to Heliot Ramos and a two-run blast to Victor Bericoto in the fifth inning. The Giants went small ball to scrape together three more runs, all charged to Gallen, in the sixth. While the veteran right-hander has struggled for most of the season, he's been particularly bad lately, allowing 20 runs over his last 16.1 innings with a 6:5 K:BB in that span. Overall, he's at a 6.36 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 56:28 K:BB with 17 homers surrendered through 92 innings over 18 starts. His next start is projected to be in San Diego, but Gallen has gotten to the point where it's virtually impossible for fantasy manager's to trust him in any park or matchup.

McDonald (3-6) allowed one hit and struck out five without walking a batter over six scoreless innings to earn the win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

McDonald ended June on a three-game skid and had gone seven games without a win, but he ended the drought Wednesday with his best performance to date in the majors. McDonald now has a 4.42 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 50:19 K:BB across 57 innings through 11 starts this season. The right-hander's next start is projected to be at home versus the Blue Jays.

Ginn (7-4) allowed one run on three hits and five walks while striking out four over six innings to earn the win over the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Ginn's control wasn't great, but he limited the damage to a Freddie Freeman solo home run in the third inning. This was Ginn's fourth win in his last five outings, a span in which he's allowed 14 runs (12 earned) over 29 innings. On the year, he has a 3.04 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 82:41 K:BB over 94.2 innings through 19 appearances (16 starts). While he's allowing a few too many baserunners to be truly dominant, he's getting timely outs to avoid too much damage. Ginn will look to keep rolling on the road versus the Tigers next week.