MLB Player News

Manager Scott Servais confirmed that Milone would likely be deployed behind an opener in the southpaw's next scheduled turn through the rotation July 17 in Oakland, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Milone will cover the bulk of the innings for the Mariners' fifth game of the All-Star break, though he'll likely be out of the bullpen in an emergency in the first game of the second half Friday against the Angels. The Mariners' decision to continue using Milone as a non-traditional starter comes as little surprise, given that he's turned in a 3.21 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .198/.219/.406 slash line over his 28 innings of relief.

Stroman (pectoral) said he'll throw a bullpen session Friday before the Blue Jays determine whether he's fit to start Sunday against the Yankees, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Stroman experienced a pectoral cramp in his left (non-throwing) shoulder during his June 29 start against the Royals, prompting the Blue Jays to skip his final turn in the rotation before the All-Star break. While meeting with reporters Monday, Stroman sounded confident that he would be cleared to return for Sunday's game.

Oaks (hip) started a throwing program Sunday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Oaks underwent hip surgery in March, and he's finally been given the green light to resume throwing. He still has a long road ahead of him, but this is a big step in the right direction.

Suarez allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over 3.1 innings Sunday, though he didn't factor into the decision.

The two runs Suarez allowed came off a two-run shot by Tony Kemp in the second inning. In the fourth, he walked Max Stassi before hitting Kemp, ending his afternoon. The rookie lefty owns a 5.40 ERA with a 30:13 K:BB in 28.1 innings this season. It's unclear if he'll stick with the rotation after the All-Star break or head back to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Urquidy allowed five runs on eight hits while striking out four over 2.1 innings Sunday in Houston's win over the Angels. He did not factor into the decision.

Fortunately for Urquidy, the Astros' offense woke up later in the game to take him off the hook for the loss. All five runs he allowed came in the third inning, including a two-run shot from Shohei Ohtani. After giving up seven runs over six innings in his first two MLB starts, Urquidy's future in the rotation may be murky.

Morton (10-2) struck out 10 while allowing one run on five hits and one walk through 5.2 innings to take the win over the Yankees on Sunday.

Morton found himself in a pitching duel with James Paxton and prevailed by only allowing a solo home run and generating 13 swinging strikes. The right-hander has back-to-back starts with 10 or more strikeouts and has an MLB-leading 83 strikeouts on his curveball. Morton's 2.32 ERA is the best in the American League heading into the All-Star break.

Paxton (5-4) struck out 11 while allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks through six innings to take the loss against the Rays on Sunday.

Paxton allowed a hit to the first three batters he faced and surrendered two runs in the first inning, but afterward he effectively shut down the Rays with 20 swinging strikes, 15 of which came on his fastball. The left-hander has only allowed three runs and has 14 strikeouts in his last two starts. Paxton continues to have trouble at the beginning of games with a 10.20 ERA in the first inning and a 2.49 ERA in all other frames. The 30-year-old has a 5-4 record with a 4.01 ERA through 15 starts heading into the All-Star break.

The Indians announced Sunday that Carrasco has been diagnosed with a treatable form of chronic myeloid leukemia that will allow him to resume strength and conditioning workouts and throwing workouts while he recovers from the illness, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Doctors will continue to regularly re-evaluate Carrasco as he steadily increases his activity, but the Indians aren't putting a timeline on his return to game action. The report nonetheless amounts to a positive development for the right-hander, who remains hopeful to pitch again at some point in 2019.

Heaney (1-3) took the loss Saturday as the Angels fell 4-0 to the Astros, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings while striking out five.

It wasn't a bad outing for the southpaw, but with Gerrit Cole in top form opposite him, Heaney couldn't afford to make any mistakes. He'll carry a 5.18 ERA and 49:17 K:BB through 41.2 innings into the All-Star break.

Cole (9-5) won his fourth straight start, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out nine over seven scoreless innings in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Angels.

Cole allowed a first-inning double and a couple of harmless singles the rest of the way. It was another dominating performance for Cole, who hasn't tasted defeat over nine straight outings, a stretch during which the right-hander's posted a 1.55 ERA while winning six times. Manager AJ Hinch has not yet made official the starting rotation coming out of the break, but fantasy players should expect Cole in one of the first two games, Thursday or Friday, at Texas.