MLB Player News

Giolito (hamstring) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list to start Thursday against the Red Sox, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Giolito has been sidelined for almost two weeks due to a left hamstring strain, but it sounds like he's finally ready to rejoin the big-league rotation after completing a 50-pitch bullpen session with no issues earlier in the week. Prior to landing on the shelf, the right-hander compiled a 5.30 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB through four starts (18.2 innings).

Cease limited Triple-A Gwinnett to two runs over six innings while striking out a career-high 11 for Charlotte in a 4-2 loss Tuesday. He gave up five hits and one walk in the outing.

Cease opened the campaign with back-to-back starts of five shutout innings, but had been charged with 11 runs (seven earned) over his subsequent two turns. The right-hander ended the rough spell with a brilliant showing Tuesday, which included three perfect innings to lead off the start. The White Sox will probably want to see Cease string together a few more quality performances in a row before giving him his first big-league callup at some point this summer.

Smyly (arm) said he expects to be activated from the 10-day injured list to start Sunday against the Blue Jays, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Smyly said he felt great after throwing 37 pitches in a two-inning simulated game Wednesday, essentially clearing the way for him to rejoin the big-league rotation over the weekend. Prior to landing on the IL on April 20, the southpaw posted a 7.80 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB through four starts (15 innings).

Manager Chris Woodward said the Rangers plan to activate Smyly (arm) from the 10-day injured list to have him start Sunday against the Blue Jays, Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Smyly will first pitch in a simulated game Wednesday, so the manager's plans could change pending that session. The left-hander has missed two turns through the rotation since being added to the injured list April 20.

Canning didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk over 4.1 innings while striking out six.

The right-hander wasn't particularly efficient in his big-league debut, needing 82 pitches (49 strikes) to record 13 outs, but Canning flashed his upside by generating an impressive 18 swinging strikes. The Angels have yet to announce whether he'll remain in the rotation, but the 22-year-old likely showed enough to stick around for at least one more turn.

Cole (2-4) threw seven shutout innings, allowing just one hit with three walks while striking out 11 in an 11-0 victory against the Twins on Tuesday.

Astros hitting has not given Cole a whole lot of support this season. They certainly did Tuesday, but the right-hander didn't need it. Cole was absolutely dominant, turning in his best outing of the young season. The one hit he allowed set a new season low, and his 11 strikeouts tied a season high. Cole is just 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA, but he's been excellent in the other major categories -- 1.04 WHIP, .190 batting average against and 65 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. His next outing is scheduled for Monday at home against the Royals.

Turnbull (2-2) tossed six innings of one-run ball to earn the win Tuesday against the Phillies. He gave up three hits and two walks while striking out five. He also threw three wild pitches.

Turnbull was effectively wild as he picked up his second straight win. Three wild pitches gets you into trouble on many nights, but the 26-year-old limited the damage elsewhere and held a strong Philadelphia lineup to just a lone run, in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park no less. Turnbull has been a pleasant surprise for the Tigers, as he now has a 2.53 ERA on the year. The righty will look to keep it going in his next turn, which is scheduled for Sunday against a struggling Royals team.

Clevinger (back) played catch at 60 feet Tuesday, Joe Noga of Cleveland.com reports.

This marks the first time that Clevinger has thrown since suffering an upper-back strain. He played catch at around 60 percent out of his delivery, per Noga. The 28-year-old still has a long way to go until he's activated from the 60-day injured list, but he appears to be ahead of schedule at this point.

Snell will start the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Royals after Tuesday's contest was postponed due to inclement weather, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Snell was slated to toe the rubber Tuesday, but he'll get another day of rest before making his next start. Ryne Stanek will serve as the opener in Game 1.

Turnbull is slated to start Tuesday against the Phillies after the Tigers placed Tyson Ross on the paternity list.

Turnbull had been ahead of Ross in the Tigers' pitching order last week, but the team elected to swap the two for the two-game set in Philadelphia, likely due to the impending birth of the latter's child. The change was for naught after Ross ultimately needed to leave the team earlier than anticipated, so Turnbull now tentatively lines up for a two-start week, assuming the Tigers wait until next week to add a fifth rotation member to the mix to replace the injured Jordan Zimmermann (elbow). Turnbull's second turn is set to come Sunday against the Royals in Detroit.