MLB Player News

Pivetta (2-2) earned the win Sunday, allowing one run on one hit over six innings against the Cardinals. He struck out eight.

A fourth-inning solo homer by Lars Nootbaar was the only blemish against Pivetta, who needed just 72 pitches to retire 18 of the 19 batters he faced. It was the second consecutive start for Pivetta with eight punchouts, as he's struck out 16 over 11.2 innings while allowing only three runs during that stretch. However, it should be noted that all three runs were scored by way of the long ball, and Pivetta has now allowed six homers, including five of the solo variety, over his last three appearances. Pivetta will look to carry the momentum into his next start, tentatively slated to take place next weekend when the Red Sox welcome the Brewers into Fenway for a three-game set.

Schultz was promoted to Double-A Birmingham on Sunday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Schultz has produced a 3.95 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 42 strikeouts over 27.1 innings in seven starts with Single-A Winston-Salem so far this season, and he'll now move up another step in Chicago's farm system. The left-hander was selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the White Sox, and he's considered one of the organization's top pitching prospects.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Sunday that Urquidy (forearm) will make another rehab start in the next few days, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old allowed four earned runs and threw 59 pitches over four innings during his second rehab start Saturday, and he'll require one more start before potentially joining the Astros. If Urquidy remains on a five-day pitching schedule, he could make his season debut as early as May 28 in Seattle.

Bradford (ribs) said Sunday he's been shut down from throwing since he's not recovering as quickly as expected, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander apparently wasn't experiencing any pain since recently starting up a throwing program, but his recovery also wasn't moving forward. It's unclear when Bradford is expected to restart the throwing program, and he should be considered out indefinitely until his status is updated.

Flaherty (1-3) allowed two runs on five hits across six innings to earn the win Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He walked two and struck out nine.

Flaherty was sharp as he lowered his ERA to 3.79 and picked up his first win of the season. Despite having only the one win so far, the righty has had a nice bounceback campaign to this point after posting a 4.99 ERA with the Orioles and Cardinals last year. Flaherty has been buoyed by a rise in strikeouts, as he now has an 11.9 K/9 this season, up from 9.2 in 2023. He'll look to keep rolling in his next scheduled outing, which is is penciled in for Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Garcia (elbow) threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Garcia has been throwing bullpen sessions since April but is purposefully being brought along slowly by the Astros. He'll require a lengthy rehab stint and will remain sidelined until at least halfway through the regular season.

Urquidy (forearm) threw 59 pitches and completed four innings in a rehab appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday.

Urquidy was scheduled to complete four innings in the rehab appearance, and he had a successful outing. He threw 38 of his pitches for strikes and reached 93 mph with his fastball. Urquidy could require one more rehab appearance, but he's expected to be activated from the injured list by late May.

Pepiot (leg) threw a three-inning bullpen session ahead of Friday's game against the Blue Jays, MLB.com reports.

Pepiot continues to make progress toward a return, as he's now thrown three successful bullpen sessions. His activation could come as soon as the Rays' upcoming series against the Red Sox, though no final decision has been reached.

Sandoval allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Saturday.

Sandoval walked multiple batters for just the second time in his last five outings. He was able to limit the damage to an Adolis Garcia solo home run in the sixth inning Saturday, earning his second quality start of 2024. Sandoval has had plenty of ups and downs this year, pitching to a 4.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 53:20 K:BB across 51 innings over 10 starts. The southpaw's next start is projected to be at home versus the Guardians.

Verlander (2-2) took the loss against Milwaukee on Saturday, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 4.2 innings.

Verlander made it through four innings without giving up a run, but things fell apart for him in the fifth. In that frame, he put the first three batters on base via a single and two walks before allowing his first run on a sacrifice fly. Verlander got another out to nearly escape the jam without further damage, but William Contreras sent him to the showers with a three-run blast to center field. Verlander was coming off his best start of the season with seven scoreless innings against Detroit his last time out, though that was preceded by a seven-run, five-inning blowup against the Yankees his previous trip to the mound. He'll try to get back on the right track in his next appearance, which is tentatively lined up to take place in Oakland.