MLB Player News

Sale (shoulder) threw off flat ground prior to Sunday's game against the White Sox, Scot Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Sale completed a bullpen session Saturday and will likely take the mound again in Atlanta over the next couple days. That puts the 29-year-old on track to return next weekend against the Astros, though he may be limited to a few innings to ease him back into the rotation, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Gonzales (neck) could throw a bullpen session Monday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The Mariners will wait until returning from Oakland before fully committing to the bullpen session, but it's still a good progression after the team said such a session was "not on the radar" Friday. A successful bullpen session would set up the 26-year-old for a potential return next weekend against the Yankees.

Paxton (11-5) allowed three earned runs on two hits and four walks while striking out 10 across five innings to earn the win Saturday against the Athletics.

Paxton walked four batters for the third time this season, but three of the free passes came in the fifth inning. Considering it was his first start in nearly three weeks -- he was on the disabled list with a forearm injury -- it's possible that he was tiring as the game wore on, causing him to lose control of his pitches. Otherwise, the start was a success as Paxton generated an impressive 20 swinging strikes despite his fastball velocity being about one tick below his season average.

Berrios (11-10) allowed five earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six across four innings to take the loss against the Rangers on Sunday.

Berrios struggled with his control and the long ball Sunday, with all three of the hits he allowed going for home runs. Homers have become a concern for him of late, as he has now given up seven in his last 21.2 innings, spanning five starts. While his overall numbers still look respectable, Berrios has a 4.71 ERA across 40.1 second-half innings.

Bundy didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Royals, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk over 5.1 innings while striking out eight.

The right-hander threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes in putting together his best start in almost a month -- Bundy has been hammered for 25 runs in 19.1 innings over his previous four outings. He'll carry a 5.36 ERA into his next start Friday in Tampa.

Rodon (6-4) took the loss Saturday as the White Sox fell 6-1 to the Red Sox, getting tagged for five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks over 6.1 innings while striking out four.

The southpaw's quality start streak ended with a thud at nine, as four of the six hits off him Saturday went for extra bases, including homers by Eduardo Nunez and Jackie Bradley Jr. Rodon will still carry an impressive 2.89 ERA into his next outing Friday at home against the Angels.

Rodriguez (12-3) struck out 12 and picked up the win in Saturday's 6-1 victory over the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over 5.2 innings.

The lefty was absolutely dominant in his return from an ankle injury, retiring the first 12 batters he faced -- 10 of them by strikeout -- en route to a season high in K's. Rodriguez will carry a 3.34 ERA into his next start Friday at home against the Astros.

Bieber took his third loss of the season Saturday, allowing nine hits and four runs over 5.1 innings.

This outing was a textbook case of the 'three times through the order' penalty. Bieber was pitching a shutout going into the sixth inning, thanks in part to a number of hard-hit balls that went right into Cleveland gloves. That was not the case in the sixth inning as the Rays had three consecutive hits to start the frame, a productive groundball out, and then a double to chase Bieber. Tyler Olson was unable to strand Tommy Pham, thus saddling Bieber with another earned run. These types of outings are avoidable in September with expanded rosters so it is puzzling why Terry Francona allowed it to happen. Bieber's next outing comes on the road in Toronto.

Snell won his 17th game Saturday against Cleveland, giving up two runs (one earned) and eight hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out nine and walked one.

Snell stumbled a bit early in this outing, allowing a string of extra-base hits after a leadoff throwing error by Matt Duffy in the second. A terrific throw by Kevin Kiermaier gunned Yan Gomes at the plate by a mile to end the inning, and that was the last time Cleveland scored off the southpaw. Since coming off the disabled list last month, he now has a 1.10 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP over six starts. His next outing will come at home against Baltimore.

Sale (shoulder) completed a bullpen session Saturday, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

Sale has thrown from flat ground throughout the week, so his quick progression to mound work is fantastic news. The 29-year-old is still without an official return timetable, and the Red Sox are likely to remain cautious after he suffered a setback following his most-recent return from the disabled list in mid-August.