MLB Player News

Valdez (2-2) earned the win Monday, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out three over four innings of relief.

Valdez saved a taxed bullpen when he entered in the fourth inning to replace starter Corbin Martin, who has thrown a combined 10 innings over his last three starts. The 25-year-old left-hander has quietly put together a six-game run during which he's allowed one earned run (0.79 ERA) over 11.1 innings. While he's walking too many (4.5 BB/9), Valdez is a former starter who could emerge in that role if the Astros decide to send Martin (8.41 FIP) back to Triple-A.

Nuno signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Monday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Nuno was cut loose by the Nationals one week ago, but it didn't take him long to find a new home. He'll report to Triple-A Durham after accruing a 7.25 ERA and 1.76 WHIP with a 25:12 K:BB over 22.1 frames while with Triple-A Fresno earlier in the year.

Lynch (arm) is not scheduled to undergo an MRI, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Lynch exited his previous start for High-A Wilmington due to an apparent arm injury, though the issue isn't thought to be anything overly serious. The Royals believe the soreness Lynch is dealing with is "non-disruptive," and the current plan is to let the left-hander recover with rest.

Montgomery (elbow) said he expects to begin incorporating breaking pitches into his bullpen sessions this week, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Montgomery has been throwing 30-pitch bullpen sessions consisting entirely of fastballs for the last three weeks and is apparently ready to move on to the next phase of his rehab by making use of his full arsenal. The Yankees are hopeful that Montgomery will be able to return from the 60-day injured list in August, though it's uncertain if the lefty will factor into the team's rotation plans at that time.

Severino (lat) will travel with the team to continue his throwing program, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Severino has thrown three times in the past week and has apparently remained pain-free as he will continue his throwing program. He's still thrown only off flat ground but will continue to stretch out his arm until he is able to participate in long toss. Severino won't return until after the All-Star break, but this news is still positive for his eventual return this season.

Glasnow (forearm) played catch from 75 feet before Sunday's game and reported that everything "felt good" upon conclusion of the session, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

It's another positive sign for the recovering right-hander, who can't be activated from the 60-day injured list until July 10 at the earliest. Glasnow will presumably continue upping the distance in his catch sessions over the next several days before likely graduating to bullpen sessions.

Odorizzi (8-2) allowed three hits and one walk while striking out nine across six scoreless innings to earn the win Sunday against the Rays.

Odorizzi kept his impressive 2019 campaign going, striking out nine batters in consecutive starts. He also pitched deeper into the game than has been customary for him this season, registering only his fourth quality start of the campaign. Still, his ratios have been outstanding as he now has a 1.96 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 70 strikeouts across 64.1 innings. He hasn't lost a decision since April 10 and has recorded a win in nine of his last 10 outings. Odorizzi will look to keep his strong run of success going in his next start, currently scheduled for Saturday at Detroit.

Bassitt allowed three runs on six hits and one walk across six innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Astros. He recorded one strikeout.

Bassitt allowed a run in the first inning and was perhaps unlucky to be saddled with two more runs on a play that involved an error in the fifth, but he still came away with a quality start before the Athletics lost in extra innings. Despite a recent drop in strikeouts (four over his last 11 frames), this was a nice bounce-back effort for Bassitt, whose ERA sits at a solid 3.42 for the season. He will look to build on this effort in his next scheduled start against the Rangers.

Cole allowed two runs on four hits and two walks across six innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Athletics. He struck out four.

Cole allowed a pair of solo home runs in the second inning, but he was rarely under duress during the rest of the outing as he secured his second straight quality start. He was a bit inefficient and failed to pitch more than six innings for the fifth consecutive appearance. Cole's ERA is an uncharacteristically high 3.94 this season, but he'll draw a favorable matchup in his next scheduled start, which lines up at home against the Orioles.

Gonzales (5-6) surrendered 10 runs on nine hits and three walks across 4.2 innings while taking the loss Sunday against the Angels. He struck out two.

Gonzales was pummeled in the second inning, allowing seven runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batsman. The lefty has rebounded for a couple of innings before he was removed as the Halos added three more runs onto his ledger in the fifth. Gonzales has been dreadful over his last two starts, allowing 16 earned runs across 8.2 innings to raise his ERA to 4.89. He will look to right the ship Friday on the road at this same club.