MLB Player News

Medina (0-4) allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five over 5.1 innings, taking the loss Sunday versus the Astros.

Ken Waldichuk started and pitched the first inning, giving up a solo home run to Yordan Alvarez. The Astros continued their power hitting against Medina, who surrendered three homers that accounted for all five runs on his line in a bulk-relief outing. With four losses in five outings and no fewer than three runs allowed in each of them, Medina has struggled in his first taste of the majors. He has a 6.83 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 24:10 K:BB over 27.2 innings through five appearances (four starts). It's unclear if he'll pitch behind an opener or make a traditional start in his next outing, which is tentatively scheduled for a road matchup against the Marlins over the weekend.

Javier (6-1) allowed a run on four hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings to earn the win Sunday over the Athletics.

Javier gave up a leadoff home run to Ryan Noda in the first inning, but that was the extent of the Athletics' scoring. Despite the damage prevention, Javier was far from dominant -- he threw just 46 of 88 pitches for strikes, and the three walks were a season high. He's won four starts in a row and now has a 2.97 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 67:16 K:BB through 63.2 innings across 11 outings. The right-hander is lined up for a home start versus the Angels for his next outing.

Whitley (lat) was placed on the minor-league injured list Sunday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The Astros announced Sunday that Whitley is out indefinitely due to a right lat strain, so his move to the injured list is a procedural move. The right-hander made eight appearances (six starts) at Triple-A Sugar Land prior to his injury and posted a 5.70 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 30 innings. Manager Dusty Baker recently indicated that Whitley was in consideration to join the major-league club, but the 25-year-old will now shift his focus toward his rehab process.

Cole (6-0) earned the win Sunday, allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits and three walks over six innings against the Padres. He struck out nine.

It wasn't Cole's best outing, as he allowed five earned runs in a second straight start. Still, he pitched well enough to earn the win in the Yankees' 10-7 victory. Despite a pair of tough starts, Cole still sports a strong 2.93 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and 79:28 K:BB through 12 starts (73.2 innings) this season. The 32-year-old ace will look to get back on track in his next outing, tentatively lined up against the Dodgers.

The Yankees reinstated German (suspension) from the restricted list Sunday.

New York cleared a spot on the 26-man active roster for German by optioning right-hander Randy Vasquez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Saturday's 3-2 win over the Padres in 10 innings. Now that he's completed his 10-game suspension, German is slated to move back into the rotation Monday to start the Yankees' series opener in Seattle.

Bradish did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing a run on four hits and a walk over 6.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out four.

Bradish shut out the powerful Rangers' offense for five innings Sunday, allowing his only run on a Marcus Semien RBI double in the sixth. Bradish has logged a quality start in four of his last five outings, allowing one run or fewer in each. The 26-year-old right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.89 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 36:14 K:BB through nine starts (44 innings) this season. Bradish is tentatively lined up to make his next start on the road in San Francisco.

Rodriguez allowed one run on five hits across six innings and did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 10-inning win over the White Sox. He walked two and struck out six.

Rodriguez pitched well and left the game in line for the win with the Tigers up 4-1, but the White Sox scored four times in the seventh inning to saddle him with a no-decision. The lefty still took a step forward after allowing six earned runs across 10 total innings in his last two starts. Rodriguez lowered his ERA to a stellar 2.13 and will look to build on this strong outing his next time out, which will likely come next weekend against this same Chicago squad.

The Astros announced Sunday that Whitley is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a right lat strain, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The injury is the latest in a long string of health-related setbacks for the star-crossed Whitley, who has yet to make his MLB debut despite being a fixture on top prospect lists since he was selected by the Astros in the first round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. Whitley's lat strain comes at an especially inconvenient time for the Astros, as manager Dusty Baker acknowledged that the right-hander was in consideration to join the big club as a potential sixth starter after Houston recently began a stretch of 17 games in as many days, per Lerner. If the Astros do decide to incorporate a sixth starter into the mix, Whitley's Triple-A rotation mate, Ronel Blanco, now looks to be next in line for a call-up.

Medina is scheduled to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Ken Waldichuk in Sunday's game against the Astros, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Though Waldichuk has been a member of Oakland's rotation all season, he'll be returning to the mound on only three days' rest Sunday and thus may not be available to cover more than two or three innings before turning the ball over to Medina. With that in mind, Medina is still the Oakland pitcher most likely to factor into any decision, even though his usage as a bulk reliever could limit his pitch count to some degree compared to if he were operating as a traditional starter.

Waldichuk is scheduled to serve as the Athletics' opener in front of primary pitcher Luis Medina in Sunday's game against the Astros, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Waldichuk worked as a bulk reliever in his last appearance Wednesday in Seattle, but he looks like he could be in line for a lighter innings count Sunday while he pitches on three days' rest ahead of Luis Medina, who is making his usual turn through the rotation. The Athletics haven't indicated that Waldichuk's usage as an opener will foreshadow a move to the bullpen, but it could be a possibility for the young left-hander, who has been shelled to the tune of a 7.40 ERA and 1.97 WHIP through his first 10 outings of the season.