MLB Player News

Chirinos is not likely to return to the starting rotation this season, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

When asked Monday, manager Kevin Cash cast doubt on the prospect of Chirinos being used as anything other than an emergency starter with respect to being a part of the rotation. The 24-year-old has essentially been logging a starter's workload in recent appearances anyhow, as he's worked at least five innings as the long man on "bullpen days" in his last three appearances. Chirinos has had mixed success in that role thus far, looking sharp against the White Sox and Orioles before getting touched up for five earned runs on nine hits and a walk over six innings versus the Red Sox last Friday.

Cole threw five innings in a no-decision against Seattle on Monday, yielding three runs (two earned) on seven hits, striking out seven and walking two in Houston's 7-4 defeat.

Cole wasn't at his most efficient in this contest, as he needed 99 pitches to make it through his five innings, but he did manage to rack up seven strikeouts over that time to bring his total up to a career-high 226 through 164.2 innings. He was in line for his 12th win of the season before his bullpen relinquished a 4-3 lead. Cole continues to post excellent overall numbers in his first year in Houston, as he now boasts a 2.73 ERA and 1.01 WHIP on the season to go along with the gaudy strikeout numbers.

Kluber (16-6) gave up three runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out six in 6.1 innings Monday in Boston. He picked up the win.

He is now tied with Max Scherzer and Luis Severino for the MLB lead with 16 wins. With five-plus weeks remaining, Kluber could realistically reach the 20-win mark for the first time in his career, even though his 8.6 K/9 and 3.26 FIP are his worst such marks since 2013. He lines up to start Saturday in Kansas City.

Giolito (9-9) gave up three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six in six innings Monday against the Twins. He picked up the win.

He now has quality starts in six of his last eight outings, with a couple blowup starts mixed in. Giolito has lowered his ERA from 6.93 to 6.08 over that stretch, and while he is still a pretty risky play, he can be used in strategic spot starts against weaker lineups down the stretch. Such a matchup is on tap when he faces the Tigers in Detroit on Sunday.

Rodriguez (ankle) will make one more rehab start before rejoining the big-league rotation, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The talented southpaw did everything he could in his first rehab start to expedite his return to the majors, throwing four scoreless innings Monday for Double-A Portland, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out eight against Double-A New Hampshire. He threw 63 pitches in this outing and will likely try to up that total in his final tuneup. Assuming this timeline holds, Rodriguez could return to Boston's rotation on Aug. 30 or Aug. 31 on the road against the White Sox, or the team could give him a couple extra days and wait for rosters to expand in September.

Rodriguez (ankle) threw four scoreless innings Monday for Double-A Portland, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out eight against Double-A New Hampshire.

He threw 63 pitches (39 strikes) in this excellent rehab start, and reached the four-inning threshold the team had been targeting. Unless the Red Sox knew internally that Rodriguez would be making more than one rehab start regardless of how he pitched in his first one, it seems like he could be making his next start in the big leagues. He had been shut down since July 14 with a severe right ankle sprain. The Red Sox need a spot starter Friday in Tampa Bay, but Rodriguez wouldn't be ready to start until Saturday at the earliest. When he does return, he will likely take Brian Johnson's spot in the rotation.

Paxton (forearm) played catch from 100 feet Monday and may be able to return for next week's series against the A's, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

It was already reported that Paxton threw from roughly 90-to-100 feet, but the notion that next weekend's series in Oakland is the target date is new information. There is no official plan yet for Paxton's next step, but it sounds like he is less than two weeks away from returning, barring any setbacks.

Paxton (forearm) extended his distance out to 90 feet during Monday's session, TJ Cotterill of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Though Paxton continues to show "good progress" according to manager Scott Servais, he is unlikely to return this weekend since the Mariners will be in a National League ballpark against the Diamondbacks. The next step for Paxton will be a mound session, which will provide a better indication for the left-hander's eventual return date.

Sale (shoulder) has yet to resume throwing and won't return when first eligible Saturday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Sale insisted that he wasn't worried when he was first placed on the disabled list and reportedly remains in "good spirits." Nevertheless, this latest news is certainly not a good sign for the lefty, who hit the disabled list Saturday for the second time in three weeks with the same injury (shoulder inflammation).

Despaigne is listed as the Angels' probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Despaigne was roughed up in his Angels debut over the weekend, letting in five runs on seven hits and a walk in a loss to the Rangers. Despite the unimpressive showing along with his mediocre numbers over 44 career big-league starts, Despaigne will stick in the rotation for another turn with the Angels lacking in healthy alternatives who possess 40-man roster spots. Despaigne will likely shift to the bullpen or head to Triple-A Salt Lake once two of Tyler Skaggs (groin), Nick Tropeano (shoulder), Matt Shoemaker (forearm) or Shohei Ohtani (elbow) are cleared to rejoin the rotation.