MLB Player News

Woo (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Everett this weekend, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Woo came out of a bullpen session Wednesday with no concerns, clearing the way for him to make a rehab start. Mariners manager Scott Servais wouldn't rule out a return before the All-Star break for Woo, so it sounds like the right-hander could need just the one rehab outing if all goes well.

Bloss (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

It will actually be his Triple-A debut, as Bloss skipped over that level when he was promoted to make his major-league debut last month. He went down with right shoulder inflammation in that outing but has made a rapid recovery. With Justin Verlander (neck) ruled out through the All-Star break, Bloss could re-enter the Houston rotation next week.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday that Verlander (neck) will not return prior to the All-Star break, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Verlander has resumed playing catch and appears to be making some progress as he works his way back from neck soreness. However, it's been about three weeks since he's thrown off a mound, and he'll surely need at least one rehab start before returning. The 41-year-old should be back before the end of July if he can avoid setbacks.

Clevinger (elbow/neck) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Clevinger will have gone nearly two weeks in between rehab outings, as he's been dealing with a stiff neck lately. Assuming all goes well Friday, he's expected to return from the 15-day injured list and rejoin the White Sox rotation next week. Clevinger was initially shelved in late May with right elbow inflammation.

Wacha (5-6) earned the win Wednesday over the Rays, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out eight over six innings.

Wacha gave up a first-inning home run to Isaac Paredes and settled in from there with another excellent start. He's now allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight straight starts and matched his season high with eight strikeouts. Wacha owns a 3.74 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 75:26 K:BB in 84.1 innings and lines up for a road start against the Cardinals next week.

Pepiot (4-5) took the loss Wednesday against the Royals, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks in four innings. He did not strike out a batter.

Pepiot made it through the first two innings unscathed, but the Royals got to him for two runs in the third on a couple of hits. He made quick work in the fourth but was replaced after throwing 87 pitches. The Rays offense mustered up just two runs, leaving Pepiot in line for the loss. His last win came back on June 4 against Miami. Pepiot also never had fewer than two strikeouts in any MLB game, as a starter or reliever, before recording none Wednesday. It was another short start for the 26-year-old, who has failed to complete six frames in each of his last four starts. Pepiot will take a 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 83:28 K:BB (75.2 IP) into a start against the Yankees next week.

Stripling (elbow) pitched a live batting practice session before Wednesday's game against the Angels, the Associated Press reports.

Stripling's session seemed to have gone off without any issues, and he's now thrown a pair of bullpen sessions and Wednesday's batting practice in the last eight days. Manager Mark Kotsay previously indicated Stripling would likely begin a rehab assignment if he didn't experience any setbacks while facing live hitters, so the veteran right-hander could be heading to Triple-A Las Vegas to begin that phase of his recovery in the coming days.

Blackburn (foot) threw live batting practice before Wednesday's game against the Angels, the Associated Press reports.

The right-hander has now completed two bullpen sessions and Wednesday's live batting practice in the last eight days, meaning his rehab program has started to pick up the pace. Manager Mark Kotsay previously stated Blackburn would head out on a rehab assignment if there were no residual effects from Wednesday's activity, and the coming days should confirm whether that's still the plan of action.

Festa (1-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Tigers, allowing seven runs on nine hits and no walks. He struck out six over five innings.

Festa allowed three home runs on the day, including a grand slam to Carson Kelly in the third inning, which opened up the scoring frenzy for the Tigers. Wenceel Perez took him long in the same inning and then Riley Greene also went deep in the fifth for a two-run blast. The one encouraging stat line for Festa in this one was he had six strikeouts and no walks while piling up 13 whiffs. Still, the 24-year-old has now allowed 12 runs over his first 10 major-league innings. If he sticks around for another turn in the rotation, he'll line up to face the White Sox early next week.

Gilbert (5-5) took the loss against the Orioles on Wednesday, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks over 5.1 innings while striking out six.

Three of the four runs charged to Gilbert came across in the third inning when he walked two of the first four batters he faced, and he then surrendered three consecutive two-out hits. The right-hander gave up a solo shot to Ryan O'Hearn in the fifth, marking the first time he's given up four or more runs in his last six outings. Gilbert had gone at least six innings in nine consecutive starts coming into Wednesday's loss, while the three walks were the most he's issued since May 14 against the Royals, which covers a span of nine starts.