MLB Player News

Whitley was placed on the 7-day injured list with shoulder fatigue Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley has struggled to a 12.21 ERA in 24.1 innings and seen his strikeout rate (which typically sits above 30 percent) fall to 24.4 percent while his walk rate has spiked to 12.6 percent. He'll head to the Astros' spring training facility to rehab and sort himself out, so it sounds as though he could be taken out of action for quite some time. Any plans of him making his big-league debut any time soon appear to have been put on hold, but he's close enough to the majors and talented enough that a late-season debut remains possible if he can return to being healthy and effective.

The Royals optioned Lively to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

After Kansas City's game Monday against the White Sox was suspended due to inclement weather, both teams were afforded a 26th man for the resumption of the game Tuesday along with the normally scheduled contest that followed. Lively wasn't needed for either game and will now head back to the minors. Three of his previous 10 appearances at Omaha came as a starter, but it's unclear how he'll be deployed in his return to the farm.

Smyly will serve as the Rangers' primary pitcher behind opener Jose Leclerc in Wednesday's game against the Mariners, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Manager Chris Woodward is hopeful that deploying a righty (Leclerc) in front of a southpaw (Smyly) will help neutralize a Mariners lineup that ranks 11th in wRC+ (105) versus left-handed pitching this season. Smyly has made only one previous appearance as a primary pitcher, which came May 11 in Houston. In that outing, he served up five runs (four earned) on four hits and four walks over 4.2 innings.

The Yankees reinstated Paxton (knee) from the 10-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Padres.

The transaction was merely a formality with the Yankees indicating a couple days earlier that Paxton would be ready to rejoin the rotation for the series finale with San Diego. According to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, Paxton will likely be limited to 60-to-75 pitches in his first start back from the IL since he didn't have a proper rehab assignment beforehand, perhaps making the lefty a less appealing DFS option than he otherwise would be. He'll likely take on a more normal workload in his outings to follow.

Winn allowed one run on two hits and five walks while striking out one over four innings for Low-A Hickory on Tuesday.

The one run allowed was the fewest in three starts for Winn but he has experienced wayward control. The 19-year-old right-hander has walked 10 batters over 8.1 innings. The Rangers' first-round pick (15th overall) in 2018 has skipped short-season ball for a more advanced placement.

Gonzales (5-5) was roughed up in a loss to Texas on Tuesday, allowing eight runs (six earned) on eight hits in four innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.

Gonzales got off to an unfortunate start when a first-inning throwing error by catcher Omar Narvaez on a strikeout allowed two runs to cross the plate, but most of the damage against him in this outing was the result of poor pitching. Gonzales struggled to keep the ball out of the air all night, inducing only one groundout and giving up a two-run bomb to Nomar Mazara and a two-run double to Hunter Pence. After starting the season 5-0, Gonzales has now lost five consecutive decisions in a six-game span in which he has given up 18 earned runs in 27.2 innings. He'll try to right the ship when he faces the Angels on Sunday in his next start.

Montas allowed four runs on four hits and five walks in four innings while striking out five and taking a no-decision in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Angels.

Montas was uncharacteristically wild, with the five walks a season high through 11 starts. It was also his shortest start of the season. Montas has a 2.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 66 strikeouts in 64 innings. He takes a 6-2 record into next Tuesday's rematch with the Angels in Anaheim.

Giolito (7-1) picked up the win in Tuesday's 4-3 victory over the Royals, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk over eight innings while striking out 10.

The two teams completed Monday's suspended contest earlier in the afternoon Tuesday, and as a result Giolito's usual pre-game routine got disrupted. After serving up a three-run homer to Alex Gordon in the first inning, however, the right-hander slipped into gear and wound up tying his career high in strikeouts en route to his fifth straight win. The 24-year-old is starting to look like a bona fide ace for the White Sox, and he'll take a 2.85 ERA and 69:20 K:BB through 60 innings into his next start Sunday, at home against Cleveland.

Keller (3-6) took the loss Tuesday, giving up four runs on 10 hits and a walk over six innings while striking out three as the Royals fell 4-3 to the White Sox.

The right-hander continues to struggle, getting tagged with at least four runs for the fifth time in his last seven starts, but on the bright side Keller issued fewer than three free passes for the first time since March 28 -- his first outing of the season. He'll carry a 4.56 ERA and 48:42 K:BB through 71 innings into his next start Sunday, on the road against the Rangers.

Boyd (5-4) pitched six scoreless innings to record the win Tuesday against the Orioles. He allowed six hits and a walk while striking out eight.

Boyd went six scoreless innings for the second straight outing, and he's lowered his season ERA to 2.85 in the process. A lack of run support has the lefty stuck with just a 5-4 record, but Boyd has been outstanding to start the season, which is further evidenced by his 88:15 K:BB through 72.2 innings. Boyd will look to keep his scoreless streak intact when he takes the mound again Sunday against the Braves.