MLB Player News

Milone is expected to work out of the bullpen to begin the Mariners' second-half schedule, as Seattle intends to call up George Kirby from Triple-A Tacoma to take the hill when a fifth starter is first needed Tuesday against the Rangers, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

The veteran lefty had already made his last appearance before the All-Star break out of the bullpen, though he had been deployed as the primary pitcher behind an opener in a July 13 doubleheader matchup with the Nationals. Milone will now serve in a more traditional relief role following the break, with most of his opportunities likely to come in mop-up situations.

McCullers (forearm) is scheduled to make a rehab start Friday for Double-A Corpus Christi, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reports.

McCullers is expected to toss two innings Friday in San Antonio in what will mark his first game action since October, when he exited in Game 4 of the Astros' ALDS matchup with the White Sox due to forearm discomfort. Given the length of his absence, the right-hander will need to make multiple starts during his rehab assignment while gradually upping his pitch count. He could be ready to make his return from the 60-day injured list at some point around mid-August.

Sale underwent surgery on his broken left pinky finger Monday.

Sale suffered a left fifth finger proximal phalanx fracture after being hit by a comebacker in the first inning Sunday against the Yankees. In other words, he broke his left pinky finger and will now be out at least a month following surgery. Sale believes he will pitch again this season and we've yet to see an official timeline from the Red Sox. Nonetheless, the left-hander won't likely be fantasy relevant until early September at the soonest.

The Athletics confirmed Montas (shoulder) will start the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Tigers in Oakland.

Montas was never forced to the injured list, and he'll make his return to action coming out of the All-Star break having not pitched in 18 days on account of a sore right shoulder. Though Montas' shoulder responded well to an aggressive bullpen session over the weekend, the Athletics could be careful with his workload Thursday with the hope of avoiding any potential setback to his arm ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline. The non-contending Athletics firmly put themselves in the seller camp even before the season began, and Montas currently ranks as the team's most prized trade asset in what is shaping up to be a weak market for starting pitchers. Before the shoulder issue surfaced, Montas had been in the midst of a strong statistical season, having turned in a 3.26 ERA and 1.09 WHIP to go with 100 strikeouts over 96.2 innings.

Manning (biceps/shoulder) was unable to make his scheduled rehab start Sunday for Triple-A Toledo after the affiliate's game against St. Paul was suspended in the top of the first inning.

The Tigers could opt to have Manning throw a simulated game in the next day or two to allow him to remain on schedule with his rehab program, as Toledo won't be back in action again until Friday due to the minor-league All-Star break. Manning is restarting his rehab assignment for a second time after he experienced a biceps injury during a late-May throwing session that kept him out of commission for nearly six weeks. The right-hander returned to action July 12 for Single-A Lakeland, tossing two scoreless innings in his lone appearance before the Tigers cleared him to move his rehab to Toledo. He's projected to return from the 60-day injured list at some point in early August.

Montas (shoulder) responded "really well" to Saturday's aggressive bullpen session according to manager Mark Kotsay, and the right-hander has a chance to make a start in one of the games in Thursday's doubleheader against the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Saturday's bullpen session was expected to have significant bearing on the Athletics' immediate post-All-Star-break plans for Montas, and this latest news certainly seems to indicate the right-hander is trending in the right direction. Montas is likely to test his shoulder out again at some point during the All-Star break in order to facilitate a final decision on whether he can return to action during Thursday's twin bill against Detroit.

The Royals reinstated Singer (personal) from the restricted list Monday.

Singer was one of 10 Royals players who will rejoin the 26-man active roster after being ineligible to play during the four-game weekend series in Toronto due his vaccination status. Since his last start came Wednesday against the Tigers before he was placed on the restricted list Thursday, Singer didn't miss out on a start while he was deactivated. The 25-year-old right-hander finished the first half of the Royals' schedule with a 4-3 record, 4.02 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 69:18 K:BB across 71.2 innings over his 14 appearances (11 starts) for the big club.

The Royals reinstated Keller (personal) from the restricted list Monday.

Keller was one of 10 Royals players who will rejoin the 26-man active roster after being ineligible to play during the four-game weekend series in Toronto due his vaccination status. He had been in line to start a game against the Blue Jays, but his move to the restricted list prompted Kansas City to call up Angel Zerpa from Double-A Northwest Arkansas to make a spot start Thursday. The 26-year-old right-hander closed the Royals' first-half schedule with a 5-9 record, 3.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 67:32 K:BB across 97.2 innings over his 17 starts.

Flexen gave up one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out three over 3.2 innings in a 6-2 win over the Rangers on Sunday. He did not factor into the decision.

Flexen only threw 76 pitches -- the least he had thrown since June 3 -- but he held the Rangers to one run and left the game with the lead in the fourth inning. The 28-year-old right-hander now boasts an excellent 1.10 ERA in July and has only given up two earned runs all month. Flexen has a 70:35 K:BB in 99.2 innings this season. He appears to be in line for a two-start week beginning the Monday after the All-Star break with a rematch at home against the Rangers followed by a trip to Houston.

Odorizzi allowed three runs on five hits and a hit batsman while striking out five in 5.1 innings in a 4-3 loss Sunday against Oakland. He did not factor into the decision.

Odorizzi was excellent through the first five innings, holding Oakland scoreless and retiring the side in order three times. After getting the first batter out in the sixth, he gave up a solo shot to Ramon Laureano and then consecutive singles and was taken out. After walking seven batters in his first three starts, the 32-year-old has issued just seven free passes in his last seven outings, spanning 39 innings. In that time he has a 2.31 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 31 strikeouts.