MLB Player News

Allen (5-4) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks over six innings Friday, striking out five and earning a win against the White Sox.

The only damage against Allen came in the third inning, a nice turnaround after he'd been tagged with nine runs and four homers in his previous two outings before Friday's quality start. However, the four walks tied his season high. The 24-year-old rookie dropped his season ERA to 3.65 with an 85:32 K:BB through 86.1 frames. Allen lines up to face the Blue Jays at home next week.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that Eovaldi (forearm) will be out for another 2-3 weeks, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Bochy had previously expressed optimism that Eovaldi would be able to return from the 15-day injured list when first eligible next weekend, but the 33-year-old right-hander just resumed throwing on flat ground and still has a lot of hurdles to clear in his recovery from a forearm strain. He's now tracking more toward a late August return.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Friday that France is being moved to the bullpen only temporarily, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

France will be available in relief as a piggyback option Sunday behind Jose Urquidy (shoulder), who is returning from the 60-day injured list to start the Astros' series finale with the Yankees. Even though France will move to the bullpen this weekend, the Astros seem willing to roll with a six-man rotation for at least a portion of the stretch run. The 28-year-old France has delivered a sharp 2.85 ERA through 91.2 innings (15 starts) this season with Houston.

Keuchel will make his Twins debut in a start Sunday versus the Diamondbacks, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Keuchel could get a long look in the Minnesota rotation as Joe Ryan spends at least a few weeks on the IL while recovering from a lingering groin strain. It's hard to know what to expect from Keuchel as a fantasy streaming option, but the veteran left-hander had pitched to an impressive 1.13 ERA with 28 strikeouts across 32 innings (six starts) for Triple-A St. Paul since inking a minor-league contract with the Twins on June 22.

Astros manager Dusty Baker confirmed Friday that Urquidy (shoulder) will return from the 60-day injured list and start Sunday versus the Yankees, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

J.P. France is set up for piggyback relief duties and will likely stay in the Astros bullpen moving forward. Urquidy surrendered five earned runs on nine hits over five innings in his final rehab start last Sunday at Triple-A Sugar Land, but he seems fully recovered from the bout of shoulder inflammation that sent him to the injured list in early May.

Houck (face), who is beginning a rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Worcester, will be stretched out and is expected to rejoin the Red Sox as a starter, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Houck has been sidelined since mid-June, so he will likely need multiple rehab appearances to build up his stamina, potentially setting up a mid-August return. Garrett Whitlock (elbow) will return as a multi-inning reliever.

Whitlock (elbow) will likely join Boston's bullpen once he comes off the 15-day injured list, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The expectation is that Whitlock will go on a rehab assignment next week and return as a multi-inning reliever, similar to his role for the club in 2021. Whitlock has never topped 78.1 innings in a big-league season, and may fall shy of that mark again this year as he sits on 51.2 innings. Meanwhile, Tanner Houck (face) is expected to get stretched out and return as a starting pitcher.

Bello will start Monday at home against the Royals, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

He could have started Sunday on normal rest, but the Red Sox will use a pair of openers and primary pitchers, likely Nick Pivetta and Chris Murphy, for the final two games of the series against the Blue Jays. Bello has a 3.73 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 48 strikeouts in 62.2 innings over his last 10 starts.

Syndergaard (leg) will start Saturday's home game against the White Sox, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

He exited his Guardians debut Monday in the bottom of the sixth inning after being struck in the lower right leg by a comebacker, but he apparently suffered little more than a minor bruise. Syndergaard, who struck out zero batters in 5.1 innings Monday, has struck out just 21 batters over his last 44.2 frames. On a positive note, the right-hander did showcase a bump in velocity Monday. Per Bell, his four-seamer averaged 93.5 miles per hour (up 0.9 mph from his season average), his three cutters averaged 91.3 mph (up 2.0 mph) and his sinker averaged 93.9 mph (up 1.6 mph).

Paddack (elbow) is on track to begin facing live hitters in mid-August, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Paddack is about 14 months removed from his second career Tommy John surgery and has been throwing bullpen sessions without issue since the beginning of June. The 27-year-old right-hander could potentially be an option for the Twins' pitching staff sometime in September if all continues to go smoothly with his throwing program.