MLB Player News

Greinke (undisclosed) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of his start Tuesday against the Rangers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chroniclee reports.

The Astros announced over the weekend that Greinke would return from the COVID IL to start Tuesday, and now the club has made the move official by placing Jake Odorizzi (foot) on the 10-day injured list. It'll mark the right-hander's first start since Aug. 29, when he allowed six runs on nine hits and two walks across four innings against Texas.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said after Monday's 15-1 win over the Rangers that Odorizzi will need to be "analyzed" after the right-hander exited in the second inning with right foot soreness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Baker noted that Odorizzi couldn't put any weight on the foot when the training staff visited him on the mound before pulling him from the contest, so the 31-year-old is seemingly far from a safe bet to make his next turn through the rotation Sunday in Arizona. Houston was prepared to expand its rotation to six men with Zack Greinke returning from the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, so the Astros could simply scale back to five starters if Odorizzi isn't ready to go by the time the weekend arrives.

Dunn (shoulder) threw another simulated game Monday and will likely head out on a short rehab assignment if he experiences no residual effects Tuesday, the team's official site reports.

The right-hander reportedly looked good during his time on the hill Monday, flashing a wicked curveball for a strike early in the outing and impressing throughout. Manager Scott Servais noted that Dunn had more conviction on his pitches than earlier in his rehab process and added he'll likely make at least one rehab appearance with High-A Everett or Triple-A Tacoma before possibly returning to the big-league club as a reliever.

Albers was called up by the Twins on Tuesday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Albers has been a starter in three of his four big-league appearances this season, but it's not clear that he'll fill that role this time around. John Gant (abdomen) landed on the injured list and had been serving as a starter, but his turn isn't due up until the weekend, and the Twins' off day Thursday means they can go with one fewer starter for now if they elect to go that route.

The Tigers list Manning (knee) as their starting pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Manning's inclusion in Detroit's pitching schedule this week implies the team has no concern about the health of his left knee, which was struck by a line drive in his last outing Sept. 8 in Pittsburgh. Though Manning was pulled early from the start as a result, his exit looks to have been precautionary, as he escaped with little more than a bruise on the knee. Since joining the big-league rotation in mid-June, Manning has gone 3-6 with a 6.14 ERA and 1.59 WHIP across 66 innings over 14 starts.

Lyles is listed as the Rangers' starting pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Astros.

For just the second time in 28 appearances on the campaign, Lyles was deployed as a reliever in his most recent outing Sept. 7 in Arizona, and he delivered what was one of his best efforts of a rough season. While piggybacking Spencer Howard, Lyles tied his season high with seven innings, and he permitted only one run on three hits and two walks en route to capturing his eighth win of the season. Due to the heavy workload in relief, Lyles will be stretched out enough to handle a traditional starting role Tuesday, but expecting a repeat performance is a tough ask. Among the 37 pitchers who have covered at least 150 innings this season, Lyles ranks last in ERA (5.43) and WHIP (1.44) and 32nd in strikeout rate (18.4 percent).

Manoah (6-2) picked up the win in Monday's 8-1 rout of the Rays, giving up one hit over eight scoreless innings. He struck out 10 without walking a batter.

The rookie retired 14 straight batters to begin the game before Joey Wendle lined a two-out single in the fifth inning, a knock Manoah avenged by plunking Wendle in the eighth -- the only other baserunner he allowed all night. That HBP may have factored into manager Charlie Montoyo's decision to pull the right-hander after 97 pitches (62 strikes) rather than letting his young ace go for a complete game shutout. Manoah will take a 3.39 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 102:31 K:BB through 93 innings into his next outing.

Giolito (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday against the Angels.

Giolito's hamstring strain wound up costing him two turns in the rotation. His final start of August, in which he suffered the injury, wasn't his best, as he walked four batters in 4.1 innings of work while allowing a pair of runs, but that followed a four-start stretch in which he cruised to a 2.16 ERA and 0.80 WHIP.

Javier (4-1) allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out six over 2.2 relief innings Monday to pick up the win over Texas.

Javier came in for starter Jake Odorizzi, who was removed after 1.1 innings with a foot injury sustained while covering first base. By that time, Houston had built a 7-0 lead, and Javier just needed to get outs. Long relief is familiar to Javier, who served as a starter earlier this season before moving to the bullpen in a multi-inning role.

Rodriguez allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk over six innings in Monday's loss to Seattle. He struck out six and did not factor in the decision.

After he was hammered for six runs in his last outing, Rodriguez turned in a fourth quality start over his last six appearances. He allowed a run-scoring groundout in each of the first two innings but settled in for four shutout frames after that. Rodriguez lowered his season ERA to an even 5.00 with a 165:40 K:BB through 28 starts. He's lined up to face Baltimore at home this weekend.