MLB Player News

Skubal tossed four scoreless innings and did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Blue Jays. He allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five.

Skubal has now made two appearances this season after missing the first three months while rehabbing from flexor tendon surgery, and he's logged four scoreless innings each time. The Tigers are being understandably cautious with his workload, as he tossed 57 pitches in his debut and just 63 on Sunday. With the All-Star break on tap, Skubal will have more time to rest and could be poised to work deeper into the contest his next time out. He's penciled in to start Detroit's second game after the break Saturday.

Giolito allowed two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out five over seven innings in a no-decision versus the Cardinals on Sunday.

Giolito was able to limit the damage to a two-run home run by Willson Contreras in the fourth inning. Since the start of June, Giolito has posted five quality starts across seven outings but managed just two wins in that span. The right-hander finished the first half with a 3.45 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 117:34 K:BB through 112.1 innings through 19 starts. He'll likely face Atlanta on the road coming out of the All-Star break.

Ryan (8-6) allowed five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out 10 over 4.1 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Orioles.

Ryan gave up a solo home run to Austin Hays in the second inning and then was charged with four of the seven runs the Orioles put up in the fifth. Over his last six outings, Ryan has alternated between strong showing and poor performances. The 27-year-old right-hander finished the first half with a solid 3.70 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 124:18 K:BB over 107 innings through 18 starts. His first start after the All-Star break is likely to be on the road, either in Oakland or Seattle.

Eflin (10-4) earned the win Sunday versus Atlanta after he allowed two runs on four hits and no walks over five innings. He struck out five.

The 29-year-old closed out the first half of the season with another strong performance, though it's just the fifth time in 17 starts that he lasted fewer than six innings. The Rays were leading 8-2 when Eflin was lifted with just 77 pitches, and the club may have been opting to limit his workload given he hasn't thrown more than 105.2 frames in a season since 2019. The right-hander is in the midst of the best year of his career with a 3.25 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 105:15 K:BB through 102.1 innings.

Gibson (9-6) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out 11 across seven innings to earn the win Sunday over the Twins.

Gibson had given up 18 runs over his last 19.2 innings during a four-start winless skid. He received ample run support Sunday and did his part with an excellent performance that saw him match his season high in strikeouts. He has a 4.60 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 89:36 K:BB through 109.2 innings over 19 starts this season. He's done better at keeping the ball down this year, allowing just 10 home runs so far, though he's had some struggles allowing too many baserunners.

Rodriguez pitched three scoreless innings Sunday for Triple-A Norfolk in a planned shorter outing heading into the All-Star break, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Rodriguez struck out a career-high 12 batters over six scoreless innings earlier this week against Durham and boasted a 1.83 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 34.1 innings across his six most recent starts prior to Sunday. It would seem that he could rejoin the big-league rotation shortly after the break.

Urquidy (shoulder) completed a simulated game at Minute Maid Park on Sunday, and Astros general manager Dana Brown said afterward that the right-hander will "for sure" begin a rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The Astros will likely see how Urquidy's right shoulder is feeling a few days after the simulated game before determining whether he'll be ready to join a minor-league affiliate later this week or if he'll first need to face hitters in a controlled setting one more time. Since Urquidy has been on the IL since May 1 with an inflamed right shoulder, he'll likely need at least two or three outings on the farm to get fully stretched back out before he slots into the Houston rotation. He could be an option to return from the 60-day injured list in the final week of July if all goes well during his rehab assignment.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Valdez won't be available to pitch in Tuesday's All-Star Game, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano has already been appointed to the American League roster as a replacement for Valdez, who recently overcame a sprained ankle to start in Saturday's 3-2 win. Though Valdez didn't suffer any setbacks with the ankle while covering six innings in the outing, Baker said that the Astros won't take any chances with the left-hander coming off the injury. Since he's skipping out on the Midsummer Classic, Valdez could be ready to start the Astros' first game out of the All-Star break Friday in Anaheim versus the Angels.

Cortes (shoulder) was "totally pain free" during his 20-pitch simulated game Sunday and is scheduled for another session Thursday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

It was the left-hander's first time facing live batters since he landed on the shelf with a shoulder strain in early June, and he should continue building up his workload Thursday. Cortes won't be eligible to be activated until early August since he was recently transferred to the 60-day IL, but he wasn't a likely bet to return much before that regardless since he'll require a multi-outing rehab assignment in the minors.

The Orioles promoted McDermott from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Coming out of the upcoming All-Star break, McDermott will be debuting with the Orioles' top affiliate after an impressive 14-start run at Double-A to begin the 2023 campaign. Over 68.1 innings with Bowie, McDermott submitted a 3.56 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 88:44 K:BB.