MLB Player News

McCullers is not listed among the Astros' probable pitchers for this weekend's series in Cleveland, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

McCullers' next turn comes up Sunday, but the team is listing TBA in that slot for now. Manager Joe Espada did not rule out McCullers ultimately taking the ball that day, but it appears Tuesday versus the White Sox is likelier for the righty after McCullers went six innings in each of his last two outings. McCullers hadn't pitched in the majors since 2022 due to various injuries before rejoining Houston's rotation in early May.

Bubic is not listed among the Royals' probable pitchers for this weekend's series against the White Sox, as the team plans to give him extra rest before his next start, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Bubic appears lined up to start Tuesday at home versus the Yankees, which would mean more than a week in between outings after he last took the ball this past Sunday against the Tigers. It will result in a much more difficult matchup for the lefty, but it makes sense for the Royals to manage Bubic's workload after he totaled less than 90 innings between the majors and minors over the previous two seasons, including the playoffs.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Stroman (knee) threw another live batting practice session Thursday and could begin a rehab assignment soon, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Boone also noted that Stroman is being built up as a starting pitcher rather than being shifted to relief. That suggests Stroman's rehab assignment could be a lengthy one, given that he hasn't pitched in a game since mid-April. There's no guarantee Stroman will join the Yankees' rotation once activated, but the club wants to keep its options open.

Basso (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Stockton on Sunday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Basso has been sidelined all season with a left shoulder strain and made just two appearances during spring training before the injury, so it will take time for him to build back up. There are spots in the Athletics' rotation to be had, however, so Basso could grab one if he pitches well and gets sufficiently stretched out.

The Twins recalled Festa from Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.

Festa will take the ball Thursday versus the Athletics and could be part of the Twins rotation on a long-term basis as a replacement for the injured Pablo Lopez (shoulder). The 25-year-old Festa holds a 1.38 ERA and 15:5 K:BB across 13 frames this season at the big-league level. He threw only 66 pitches in his last start at St. Paul in what was his second outing back from arm fatigue, so his workload will be relatively limited Thursday.

The Twins placed Lopez on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right teres major muscle strain.

Lopez suffered the unfortunate injury during his start Tuesday against the Athletics. He is expected to be sidelined anywhere from eight to 12 weeks. David Festa has been recalled from Triple-A St. Paul to take Lopez's spot on the roster and in the Twins rotation.

The Tigers promoted Melton from Double-A Erie to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

After turning in a 5.10 ERA and giving up 19 home runs in 23 starts at Double-A in 2024, Melton showed stark improvement in keeping the ball in the yard upon returning to Erie to begin the 2025 season. He yielded just one home run in 39 innings over his 10 starts, allowing him to bring his ERA down to 3.23 this season despite his 20.7 K-BB% being right in line with his 2024 rate. Melton will look to replicate that success against International League hitters and could be in the mix for a late-season call-up to the Detroit rotation if the Tigers' pitching staff is hit hard by injuries.

The Twins are expected to recall Festa from Triple-A St. Paul to start Thursday's game against the Athletics, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Previous reports indicated Festa would join the big club for this weekend's series against Toronto as a replacement for Pablo Lopez (shoulder), but he will instead start Thursday while the rest of the rotation gets some extra rest. Festa missed a couple weeks of action in May with right arm fatigue, but he's yielded only one run with a 12:2 K:BB over 8.2 innings since returning. The righty holds a 1.38 ERA and 15:5 K:BB across 13 frames this season in the majors. With Lopez set to miss 8-to-12 weeks, Festa could remain in the Minnesota rotation indefinitely.

Springs worked 6.2 innings in bulk relief Wednesday, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out seven batters in a no-decision.

Justin Sterner opened the game for the Athletics and gave up one run in one inning, and he was ultimately tagged with the loss. Springs handled a starter's workload with 106 pitches (68 strikes) after entering in the second, and he got through three scoreless frames before serving up a two-run homer to Harrison Bader in the fifth. This was by no means Springs' finest outing, but he did notch his second-highest strikeout total of the season and bounced back reasonably well after yielding six runs over two innings during his previous start. It's not clear if the lefty will continue to work behind an opener or return to a traditional starting role, but regardless he's next lined up to take the mound on the road against the Angels.

Matthews (1-1) earned the win over the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Matthews held the A's scoreless until allowing a run in the fifth inning. Despite that tally, the right-hander emerged with his first win this season and just the second of his big-league career. Matthews didn't miss many bats Wednesday, notching a modest seven whiffs and finishing with a season-low four punchouts, but this was the first time through four starts this year that he's given up less than two runs and the second time he's completed five frames. Matthews appears to be becoming more entrenched in Minnesota's rotation, especially with Pablo Lopez (shoulder) facing an extended absence. Matthews' next start is lined up to be home matchup against a woeful Texas offense that has scored the fourth-fewest runs in the league so far.