MLB Player News

Houck isn't expected to make his next start until Friday against the Yankees in New York after manager Alex Cora said Saturday that the right-hander will be pushed to the back of the Red Sox's pitching schedule, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

The Red Sox want to build in some more rest for Houck in advance of his next start while the 28-year-old has largely struggled since the All-Star break. In his nine outings in the second half, Houck has turned in four quality starts while pitching to a 4.78 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 38:21 K:BB over 52.2 innings. In order to facilitate the extended break for Houck, the Red Sox will call up a pitcher from the minors to start Sunday's series finale versus the White Sox, while rotation members Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta and Cooper Criswell all appear set to make their next turns before Houck takes the hill again.

DeGrom (elbow) allowed one hit and struck out five over four scoreless innings in a rehab start for Double-A Frisco on Saturday.

DeGrom made his fourth rehab start, and the four innings were the most he's thrown. The right-hander, who was scheduled to throw 60 pitches, was too efficient, dispatching the opposition on just 49 throws. The Rangers plan to have deGrom return from the 60-day injured list to make his season debut in the majors at some point during Texas' road trip to Arizona and Seattle that begins Tuesday and runs through next Sunday.

Berrios (15-9) picked up the win over Atlanta on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over six innings while striking out five.

Berrios was efficient throughout his time on the mound, allowing just two hits and a walk through the first four innings before surrendering an RBI single to Michael Harris in the bottom of the fifth. That would be the only run he'd allow in the contest while going on to log his sixth consecutive quality start. The right-hander has also won each of his last six starts, posting a 36:6 K:BB over that stretch. His 15 wins on the campaign have him tied for third in the majors with Seth Lugo.

Dingler went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Athletics.

Dingler came into the contest having gone 0-for-19 over his previous six games. The young catcher snapped that streak, though he's still batting just .141 for the season with a 33 percent strikeout rate. Until Dingler can become more consistent at the plate, his fantasy ceiling will remain capped.

Santos (biceps) started his rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma against Albuquerque on Friday, firing a scoreless eighth inning during which he allowed a hit and a walk.

Santos got some good work in during his first game action since July 31, throwing 15 pitches during his one frame. The right-hander may need only a couple more setback-free outings before being deemed ready for activation and potentially assisting the Mariners' bullpen down the final stretch of the regular season.

Soderstrom (wrist) started at first base and played six innings in a rehab game for Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday, going 0-for-3.

Soderstrom had the night off Friday after making his rehab-assignment debut as the designated hitter Thursday and slugging a two-run home run. The rookie took the important step of getting on the field Saturday, and he should continue ramping up his participation level in coming days with Las Vegas as he works to shake the rust from a near two-month layoff.

McFarland (2-2) took the loss and a blown save against the Tigers on Saturday, allowing two unearned runs on a hit and a walk over one-third of an inning.

McFarland authored a messy start to a seventh-inning stint that started with the Athletics up 1-0, allowing a single and a walk to two of the first three batters he faced. Both would eventually come around to score, although McFarland was on the mound only for the first run, and a throwing error by Zack Gelof on the leadoff hit also kept both runs unearned. McFarland had last qualified for a decision -- a victory in that instance -- back on Aug. 7, and he still holds a 1.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over the 14 innings he's pitched in the second half of the season.

McCann went 1-for-2 with an RBI single in a loss to the Tigers on Saturday.

McCann drew one of his infrequent starts behind the plate and drove home the Athletics' only run with a fifth-inning single that plated Zack Gelof. The rookie had last accounted for an RBI on July 28, and he's sporting a .248 average and .705 OPS over his modest 140 plate appearances this season.

Gelof went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run in a loss to the Tigers on Saturday.

Gelof extended his hitting streak to four games while also recording his fourth steal in the last 11 contests. Gelof has picked up the pace at the plate of late, hitting .269 over his last seven games and knocking four of his seven hits during that span for extra bases. Nevertheless, his contact issues persist, with Gelof sitting on a 32.9 percent strikeout rate over the 43 games he's played since the All-Star break.

Butler went 1-for-4 with a double in a loss to the Tigers on Saturday.

Butler's two-bagger extended his hitting streak to 17 games, a career best. The 24-year-old has pushed his batting line to an impressive .270/.325/.526 across 382 plate appearances, and his 45 extra-base hits account for just under half of his 94 total knocks on the season. Butler has recorded 15 XBH overall during his current hit streak, a sample in which he's also striking out at a tiny 8.1 percent clip.