MLB Player News

Rodriguez allowed six runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings during a no-decision versus Houston on Thursday.

A back-and-forth contest saw Rodriguez labor through his start, needing 106 pitches (64 strikes) to complete 4.2 innings. He was spared the loss when Christian Arroyo hit a game-tying, three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Rodriguez continues to struggle this year with a 6.03 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 70;17 K:BB across 62.2 innings. He's expected to make his next start in Atlanta next week.

McCullers (shoulder) threw 64 pitches while completing four innings in a rehab outing for Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers reportedly hit 96 mph with his fastball and also had good feel for his offspeed pitches. He reiterated that he felt ready to return to the big-league rotation after this outing, so he could take the mound at some point during the Astros upcoming series against the Rangers beginning June 15.

Kopech (hamstring) will resume throwing bullpen sessions and likely throw a sim game in the coming days, Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

The 25-year-old was still dealing with discomfort earlier in the week, but will enter "the next phase" of his recovery soon according to GM Rick Hahn. It has yet to be decided whether Kopech will need a rehab assignment, or if he will be able to throw enough as he regains his health to be activated as soon as he is fully healthy.

The Mariners announced that Dunn (shoulder) will start Friday's game against Cleveland.

Seattle will officially activate Dunn from the 10-day injured list a few hours prior to Friday's 7:10 p.m. ET opening pitch. The 25-year-old came out of his bullpen session Wednesday without incident and will end up spending just over the minimum amount of time on the shelf with right shoulder inflammation, so he shouldn't face any major workload restrictions in his return to the rotation.

Garcia (illness) is slated to start Saturday's game against the Twins, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

After Garcia's last start Sunday against the Blue Jays, manager Dusty Baker acknowledged that the right-hander was battling an illness during the outing, but there was never any real concern about his ability to make his next through the rotation. Even while pitching at less than 100 percent, Garcia continued to impress versus a talented lineup, limiting the Blue Jays to one run over six innings en route to capturing his fifth win in as many starts. He'll be seeking a fourth straight quality start when he returns to the mound Saturday.

Maeda (arm) worked four innings of one-run ball in his rehab start Wednesday for Triple-A St. Paul, permitting one hit and one walk while striking out five.

Maeda looked good in his first outing since May 22, pumping in 33 of his 54 pitches for strikes while limiting the damage to a solo home run. The Twins have yet to decide whether Maeda will make his next start on a more limited pitch count as a member of the big-league rotation, or if he'll stick around at Triple-A for another turn. Whenever Maeda returns from the 10-day injured list, Matt Shoemaker or Randy Dobnak will likely be excised from the rotation.

Keller (6-5) took the loss versus the Angels on Wednesday. He allowed five runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out four in 5.1 innings.

Keller kept the ball in the yard Wednesday, but the 12 baserunners he allowed represented a season high. The right-hander has been inconsistent throughout the year with a 5.75 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 59:33 K:BB across 61 innings. While he's upped his K/9 to 8.1, his BB/9 of 4.3 and HR/9 of 1.2 are also elevated compared to a 2.8 BB/9 and 0.3 HR/9 from last year. He also carries a .363 BABIP and 4.61 FIP, so some of Keller's struggles can be pinned on bad luck. He'll line up for a start versus Detroit next week.

Canning (5-4) earned the win over Kansas City on Wednesday, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out six.

The right-hander bounced back from a rough outing his last time on the mound by putting together his longest appearance of the season Wednesday. Canning was efficient over his 6.2 frames, throwing 60 of 89 pitches for strikes while limiting the Royals to a fourth-inning run. He picked up his fifth win of the campaign and lowered his ERA to 5.22 in the process. Canning will try to build upon the strong outing in his next start, which is tentatively slated to come at Oakland on Wednesday.

McCullers (shoulder) will throw in the range of four innings or 65 pitches when he makes a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers said he feels good ahead of the rehab assignment and is confident he'll need only one start before rejoining Houston's rotation. The right-hander added that he has "zero" concerns about the injury. If he only needs the one rehab start, McCullers could return as early as Tuesday at home against Texas.

Lynn did not factor in the decision versus Toronto on Wednesday despite allowing only one run on four hits and no walks over seven innings. He struck out nine.

The right-hander surrendered a second-inning solo homer to Randal Grichuk but otherwise kept Toronto off the board over his seven frames. Lynn has now allowed one or zero earned runs in eight of his 11 starts this season, helping him post a minuscule 1.23 overall ERA that ranks second in baseball behind only Jacob deGrom. He has also registered a 72:17 K:BB across 65.2 innings along with a 0.88 WHIP. Lynn will look to continue his strong start to the season when he faces Tampa Bay at home early next week.