MLB Player News

Paxton (forearm) threw four innings in a rehab start for Double-A Arkansas on Friday night and is expected to rejoin the rotation Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Paxton threw 55 pitches and allowed two runs on five hits. His control was sharp, as he didn't walk a batter. Paxton was lights-out in six starts before hitting the disabled list (1.43 ERA, 0.88 WHIP), and he looks like he's in fine form as he nears his return.

Rodriguez (4-1) pitched six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and three walks in a 3-0 win over Seattle on Friday. He struck out four.

Rodriguez continues to shut down opposing lineups. In his last seven starts, he's allowed just 11 earned runs over 44 innings pitched. The 24-year-old southpaw's 9.6 K/9 on the season is certainly impressive, and he's showing no signs of slowing up anytime soon. He'll take the mound again Thursday in a road tilt against Baltimore.

Clevenger allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk in Friday's 6-4 loss to Kansas City. He struck out six.

The 26-year-old righty wasn't particularly sharp in this contest, allowing four extra-base hits including two home runs. He's coming off of an outing on the road against Houston in which he went seven shutout innings, so this was a bit of a disappointing follow-up. His ERA rose over an entire point in this game, to a still-respectable 2.82 on the season. Though he isn't penciled in to make another start at this point, manager Terry Francona has been keen on the idea of potentially keeping him in the rotation. Monitor his status moving forward.

Kluber (back) allowed just one hit over five shutout innings in a rehab start Friday for Double-A Akron, Brad Bournival of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports.

Kluber retired the final 13 batters he faced and needed just 47 pitches to complete five frames. He was so efficient that he needed to head to the bullpen to throw more pitches to ensure he is stretched out by the time he reports to the major-league club. Kluber could return as soon as May 31 against Oakland.

Asher is listed as the starter for Sunday's game against the Astros, MASN's Roch Kubatko reports.

It's unclear whether Asher will stick in the rotation beyond Sunday, but this could signal the end of Ubaldo Jimenez's time as a starter for the Orioles. Asher has been one of the steadiest presences in the Orioles' bullpen this year, notching a 2.07 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP over 29.0 innings (11 appearances), and he's also been effective when called upon as a starter. In his two other starts this season, Asher has recorded a 2.92 ERA with a 0.89 WHIP over 12.1 innings. If Asher is similarly crisp against the Astros on Sunday, it could be his ticket to the rotation.

Mejia will start Saturday against the Rays, LaVelle Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Mejia has rejoined the team and will be added back onto the active roster ahead of Saturday's matchup opposite Jake Odorizzi. The 23-year-old Mejia mostly struggled in his first three starts, but he rebounded last weekend, holding Kansas City to three runs over seven innings en route to his first career win. He could get an extended look in the absence of Phil Hughes (shoulder), but Mejia will need to at least hold his own to maintain a rotation spot.

Manager A.J. Hinch announced that he expects Keuchel (neck) to come off the disabled list to start Saturday's game against the Orioles, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Keuchel has been rumored as a potential starter for Saturday throughout the week, but Hinch's comments Friday all but confirm that the Astros will be getting their ace back for the second game of their series against Baltimore. Provided that Keuchel is back Saturday, he'll have only missed one turn in the rotation as a result of the pinched nerve in his neck. Keuchel has regained his Cy Young form this season, notching a 7-0 record on the strength of a 1.84 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP.

Kluber (back) had his scheduled rehab start for Triple-A Columbus rained out Thursday, and he'll instead pitch Friday for Double-A Akron, Zack Meisel of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Cleveland wanted Kluber to throw around 75 pitches in what's expected to be his final rehab appearance, but the club feared he'd have to settle for an abbreviated outing and fall short of the required workload. As long as his practice outing goes well, the right-hander could return as early as a May 31 home clash with the Athletics.

Verlander (4-3) struggled in a no-decision against the Astros on Thursday. He went 5.2 innings and gave up six runs on nine hits and three walks. He struck out four.

Walks and home runs plagued Verlander, as he allowed three of each to a strong Houston lineup. The veteran is not matching last season's stats so far, as he has a 4.87 ERA and 1.41 WHIP though his first 10 starts (3.04 ERA, 1.00 WHIP in 2016). He'll look to turn it around Tuesday against Kansas City, which projects as a much easier matchup.

Giolito (2-5) did not allow a hit and walked three in seven innings Thursday for Triple-A Charlotte.

This outing relieves a bit of pressure from Giolito who's made just two quality starts out of nine this season. The 6-foot-6 right-hander, who is the team's fourth-ranked prospect according to RotoWire, had been knocked around this season, having entered Thursday with a 6.41 ERA through eight starts. With some cracks beginning to show in the parent club's rotation, Giolito would be considered as a fill-in starter if he were performing better.