MLB Player News

Darvish (6-4) allowed one run on one hit and three walks across seven innings in Monday's win over the Astros. He struck out four.

Darvish kept the Houston lineup off balance all night, with the only hit against him coming in the form of an RBI single by Alex Bregman after Carlos Beltran had walked in the fourth. He kept the ball down to great effect, inducing 12 groundball outs, and the righty completed four one-two-three innings en route to his first victory since May 21. Darvish tied a season low in strikeouts in this one, but he looked quite comfortable in quieting a potent lineup and will carry a tidy 3.03 ERA into Sunday's matchup with the Mariners.

Musgrove (shoulder) was activated from the 10-day disabled list ahead of his scheduled start Monday against the Rangers.

Musgrove took a little longer than expected to return from the DL following a bout with shoulder discomfort, but he'll rejoin the rotation this week and line up for two starts, with his second turn likely to come over the weekend against the Red Sox. The right-hander was able to toss a bullpen session over the weekend without any complications, so it's not expected he'll face any restrictions with his pitch count in his return to the mound. Lance McCullers (back) was placed on the DL in order to facilitate Musgrove's activation.

McCullers was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday due to lower-back discomfort, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCullers just cruised through a strong outing against the Royals on Thursday, giving up only one run on two hits while striking out eight. It sounds as though the back issue first surfaced when he tossed a bullpen session in advance of his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Rangers, prompting the Astros to exercise caution with the right-hander. According to Kaplan, the Astros aren't bracing for a long absence from the up-and-coming ace, who may only miss one turn, but it's nonetheless another blow to a rotation that's already had four other starters hit the DL this season. The Astros haven't named a replacement in the rotation for McCullers, but prospect Francis Martes -- who tossed 3.2 innings in relief Friday against the Angels -- could be called upon to make a spot start on three days' rest.

Melville has agreed to a minor league contract with Minnesota on Monday and was assigned to Triple-A Rochester.

Melville had been playing in independent ball with the Long Island Ducks. He will need to prove himself at Triple-A again after giving up 11 runs in nine innings in the majors with the Reds last season.

Hamels (oblique) is not expected to return until the second week of July at the earliest, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The veteran southpaw fired a 55-pitch bullpen session Saturday, although he has yet to face live hitters. Hamels seems to still be progressing well, but the Rangers appear to be taking the cautious approach with his return, likely meaning that he won't be back in the rotation until after the All-Star break.

Cobb will make his next start Thursday against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cobb was originally scheduled to start Wednesday's contest against the Blue Jays, but he'll have his start pushed back a day in order to accommodate the arrival of Jacob Faria, who was recalled from Triple-A to fill in for Matt Andriese (hip) in the rotation. The 29-year-old, who currently owns a 4.29 ERA across 79.2 innings, will now match up against Jordan Zimmermann in the series opener.

Odorizzi will make his next start Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander was initially tabbed for Tuesday's contest, but with Jacob Faria getting called up to replace Matt Andriese (groin/hip) in the rotation, the Jays will bump Odorizzi back a day to accommodate the pitching prospect's arrival. This lines Odorizzi up to face southpaw Francisco Liriano in the finale, but most importantly, it likely takes him out of contention for a two-start week, although he could pick up a pair of starts next week as a result.

Paxton (5-1) took the loss Sunday against the Blue Jays, giving up four runs on eight hits over four innings. He walked three batters and recorded three strikeouts.

Josh Donaldson homered off Paxton in the first, and the left-hander could not recover from there, although he did not receive offensive help during Seattle's 4-0 loss. It was also Paxton's first loss of the season, but he has now failed to advance past 5.1 innings in all three of his starts since his return from the disabled list on May 31. Regardless, he remains one of the Mariners' top-end starters for the time being.

Morton played catch Friday afternoon for the first time since being placed on the disabled list with a right latissimus strain, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Morton hadn't picked up a ball in 13 days before making about 25 throws from roughly 75 feet. The plan was to have the right-hander throw again over the weekend and work toward pitching off a mound. Given the length of time Morton's been off, a minor-league rehabilitation assignment is a near certainty.

German was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday following the Yankees' 14-3 win over the Orioles.

German pitched 2.2 innings of relief in the win, allowing just two hit and one walk while recording one strikeout. It was the right-hander's job to provide length on a day the Yankees were short-handed, and that's what he did. However, the Yankees will now send him down for a fresher arm in the form of Ben Heller.