MLB Player News

Urquidy (shoulder) is expected to return to the Astros' rotation in early August, MLB.com reports.

Urquidy made his second rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, and he worked three innings while throwing 45 pitches. He'll now head to Double-A Corpus Christi, with his next outing slated for four innings. Urquidy's final rehab outing will come July 30, with the goal of completing five frames. That would put him in line to return to the big-league rotation at some point during Houston's weekend series against the Yankees from Aug. 3-6.

Castillo allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out 11 over six innings in a no-decision during Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Twins.

Castillo's 11 strikeouts were a season high, and he earned his third quality start in his last five outings. He also gave up multiple home runs for the sixth time in eight starts, as Edouard Julien and Max Kepler tagged Castillo for solo shots in the fifth inning. The veteran right-hander is at a 3.04 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 133:30 K:BB through 118.1 innings over 20 starts. He's projected for a rematch with the Twins in Minnesota next week.

Maeda allowed two runs on three hits and struck out nine over 6.1 innings while taking a no-decision in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Mariners.

Maeda allowed just one hit, erased by a double play, over his first five innings. Tom Murphy got to him with a solo home run in the sixth inning, and Maeda was charged with another run in the seventh. This was still one of his best outings of the season, and just his second quality start in nine appearances. Maeda owns a 5.10 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 50:12 K:BB through 42.1 innings overall. He's projected for a rematch with the Mariners at home next week.

Rodriguez (6-5) allowed two runs on four hits across seven innings to earn the win in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Royals. He had no walks and struck out seven.

Rodriguez was sharp as he earned his second straight win, and the lefty had his longest outing since going seven innings back on May 10. He missed some time with a finger injury and had allowed seven runs over nine innings since returning from the injured list earlier this month, but he appeared to get back on track Wednesday. Rodriguez will take a strong 2.69 ERA into his next start, which is tentatively set for Monday against the Giants.

Bello (7-6) took the loss Wednesday, allowing six runs on five hits and two walks over four innings against Oakland. He struck out three.

It was a rough day for Bello, who allowed a season-high six runs on three two-run homers. Wednesday's outing ended a run of seven consecutive quality starts for the 24-year-old right-hander -- he'd posted a 2.51 ERA over that span. Bello's ERA is now up to 3.60 with a 1.22 WHIP and 78:24 K:BB through 16 starts (90 innings) this season. He'll look to get back on track in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week against Atlanta.

Dana has a 0.96 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 25:5 K:BB in 18.2 innings over his last three starts for High-A Tri-City.

Dana, who won't turn 20 until December, was jumped from Single-A Inland Empire after just three starts to High-A, where he is the youngest pitcher to throw 20-plus innings this season. The 6-foot-4 righty was famously given a record-setting $1.5 million signing bonus in the 11th round last year, and it appears to have been money well spent. Dana sits in the mid-90s with his fastball, which has good movement, and he also throws a plus slider. He is an exciting pitching prospect long term, given how good he already is at such a young age and how much better he could be in a few years if he stays healthy.

Valdez (calf) will start Friday in Oakland, Greg Rajan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Valdez had to exit his last outing with a cramp in his left calf, but he got through his normal between-starts bullpen session Wednesday with no issues. The left-hander has posted a 2.76 ERA in 18 starts this season, and his 27.4 percent strikeout rate would be a career best.

Bielak (5-5) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one hit and three walks over 5.2 scoreless innings against the Rockies. He struck out four.

Bielak held the Rockies to one hit in the winning effort, though he ultimately fell an out short of logging a quality start after walking a pair in the sixth inning. Bielak has impressed since returning from Triple-A in early July, going 2-1 with a 1.02 ERA and 0.85 WHIP across three starts (17.2 innings). Overall, the 27-year-old right-hander's ERA is down to 3.46 with a 1.40 WHIP and 50:26 K:BB through 65 innings this season. Bielak should have a safe role in Houston's rotation, at least until Jose Urquidy (shoulder) is ready to return from the IL. The former is lined up for a tough home matchup with the Rangers early next week.

Cortes (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Sunday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

It's not clear which affiliate he'll be assigned to, but the left-hander will finally be ready for game action this weekend. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he expects Cortes to require three rehab outings, likely setting the pitcher up to return when first eligible on Aug. 3 if all goes well. Cortes has been out since late May with a strained rotator cuff.

Gray said Wednesday that he expects to make his next scheduled start after X-rays on his bruised left shin came back negative, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Gray was struck on the leg by a comebacker off the bat of the Rays' Yandy Diaz in the fifth inning of Wednesday's game and had to be removed. He's managed to escape with merely a contusion, though, and doesn't expect taking the ball early next week in Houston to be a problem.