MLB Player News

Rodon (shoulder) allowed one run on three hits without a walk and struck out six over five innings for Low-A Kannapolis on Saturday.

This was the first of what we expect to be several rehabilitation starts for Rodon. He tossed 65 pitches, 42 for strikes and allowed only three balls to leave the infield. The left-hander has been rehabbing his shoulder after undergoing surgery last September.

Hamels (neck) is expected to start Tuesday against the Yankees, Jeff Arnold of MLB.com reports.

Hamels has been dealing with neck stiffness that prevented him from making a scheduled start Thursday. Manager Jeff Banister said the left-hander was doing much better Friday and confirmed he could likely return for the series against New York.

Keuchel (3-6) took the loss Saturday against the Indians. He allowed four runs over five innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out three.

The record may be ugly, but Keuchel still possesses a 3.43 ERA to go with a 1.14 WHIP on the season. A rocky start to the year was followed by a strong, six-start stretch in which Keuchel recorded a 2.72 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP over 43 innings. That streak ended Saturday against an Indians lineup that is starting to wake up. Keuchel's biggest issue Saturday was in the first inning, when he dug himself a three-run deficit before settling down for the rest of the day. He's lined up to face the Indians again in his next start May 25.

Kluber (7-2) picked up the win Saturday against the Astros, allowing two earned runs while striking out 10 batters and walking none.

This was a vintage Kluber outing, using pinpoint control to get strikeouts while avoiding surrendering any free passes. What's particularly encouraging is that the strikeout volume was back. Kluber had struck out six batters just once in his previous six outings entering Saturday. His dominant outing against the Astros gives him 71 strikeouts through 72.1 innings on the year. He's lined up to face the Astros again in his next start on May 26.

Eovaldi will make one more rehab start for Triple-A Durham before rejoining the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Eovaldi is yet again on the cusp of returning to action and making his first start since 2016. He missed all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery and has been delayed this year by setbacks with his elbow and ribs. Assuming he's finally ready to go after one more start, he could be on track to return May 28 against Oakland.

Nicasio grabbed his 13th hold with a perfect eighth inning in Friday's win over the Tigers.

The veteran reliever threw 13 of 17 pitches for strikes, bouncing back from a pair of rough outings in which he allowed two earned runs on five hits over just two-thirds of an inning. Nicasio has been particularly inconsistent in May, as he's yielded at least one earned run in five of his nine appearances. However, manager Scott Servais appears intent on continuing to afford him a heavy workload as a setup option behind closer Edwin Diaz, as Nicasio's 20.2 innings this season rank only behind Diaz among the Mariners' full-time relievers.

Bridwell (elbow) gave up one run on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts in three innings for Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

He came off the disabled list to make this start after missing a little over a month with an elbow injury. Bridwell will provide organizational rotation depth and could be an option for a spot start at any point going forward. He has a 7.82 ERA and 2.05 WHIP, but he's made just three starts this season for the Bees.

Kopech (1-2) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out nine over seven scoreless innings for Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Kopech earned his first win of the season while throwing a season-high number of pitches (102) and innings. He halted a two-start slide in which he walked eight batters over 6.1 innings. If much of life is about timing, then Kopech picked a great time to have his best outing of the season. The White Sox demoted starter Carson Fulmer to Charlotte after Friday's game and are in need of a fifth starter.

Hamels (neck) will not pitch Saturday, Jeff Arnold of MLB.com reports. The Rangers will call up Ariel Jurado from Double-A Frisco to start Saturday against the White Sox.

Hamels was scratched from a scheduled start Thursday and there's no word on when he might make his next start. As of late Friday, manager Jeff Banister said Hamels was not being placed on the disabled list, which suggests he could be in line for Sunday against the White Sox or Monday against the Yankees.

Snell (5-3) got the win against the Angels on Friday, giving up just two earned runs on four hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out eight and walked three in the 8-3 victory.

Snell got blown up by the Orioles for five earned runs in just 3.1 innings in his last start but was able to bounce back with a solid effort against the Angels that was much more representative of how he's pitched this season. The 25-year-old left-hander is in the midst of a standout 2018 campaign that has seen him log a 3.07 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP to go along with 61 strikeouts over 58.2 innings, all while holding opponents to a minuscule .199 batting average.