MLB Player News

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Verlander (neck) resumed playing catch from 60 feet Sunday and "felt good," Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The 41-year-old's return to throwing is an encouraging development after he was shut down for a bit while recovering from neck soreness. Given the prolonged shutdown period, Verlander shouldn't be expected to return from the injured list when first eligible this week and will likely need to make a minor-league rehab start prior to being activated.

Lugo (11-2) picked up the win Sunday against Cleveland, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out 10 over six scoreless innings.

Lugo was dominant Sunday, throwing 66 of his 93 pitches for strikes en route to 10 strikeouts. The 34-year-old logged his fourth consecutive quality start and his 14th of the season, tied for first in MLB. Over his past four starts, the right-hander has registered a robust 1.46 ERA along with a 1.01 WHIP and 30:7 K:BB over 24.2 innings. He will look to keep rolling his next time out, currently scheduled for next weekend in Colorado.

Cole (1-1) earned the win Sunday, allowing one run on three hits, a walk and two hit batsmen over five innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out six.

Cole continues to struggle with his command as he rounds into form following a two-plus month stint on the IL with a nerve irritation in his elbow, but Sunday's performance represented a major step in the right direction. After walking four and allowing four homers in his previous start, Cole allowed a single run in the third, then struck out three of the last six batters he faced as he sent the Blue Jays down in order in the fourth and fifth innings to close out his day. The five innings pitched, 90 pitches thrown, one run allowed and six strikeouts each represented a season-best total for Cole, who continues to inch his way back toward his normal workload. He's tentatively slated to toe the rubber again next weekend in an AL East showdown when the Yankees welcome the Red Sox to the Bronx.

Daniel is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Athletics in Oakland, Doug Padilla of The Orange County Register reports.

The Halos will get some reinforcement to their rotation with Jose Soriano (abdomen) on track to come off the 15-day injured list Tuesday to start the series opener in Oakland, but Daniel did enough in his first MLB start last Thursday versus Detroit to earn another turn. After getting called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to aid a rotation that had been hit hard by injuries of late, Daniel proceeded to deliver eight shutout innings while striking out eight and giving up only four hits and no walks. The matchup with a weak Athletics offense at a pitcher-friendly venue in Oakland offers an ideal setup for Daniel to come through with another quality start.

The Guardians reinstated Williams (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Sunday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Cleveland designated right-hander Darren McCaughan for assignment and demoted right-hander Triston McKenzie to Triple-A Columbus to clear spots on the 40-man roster, 26-man active roster and in the rotation for Williams, who is poised to make his 2024 debut for the Guardians during the club's three-game series versus the White Sox this week. Williams had been on the shelf all season after injuring his right elbow during a weighted-ball workout in spring training, but he looks to be stretched out for starting duty after covering five and four innings in the final two of his six rehab outings at Triple-A Columbus. After turning in a 3.29 ERA in 16 starts as a rookie in 2023, Williams makes for an appealing pickup in shallower formats where he might still be kicking around on the waiver wire.

The Guardians optioned McKenzie to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Through the first three months of the 2024 season, the historically injury prone McKenzie has enjoyed a clean bill of health, but he's performed well below expectations for both the Guardians and fantasy managers alike. After failing to escape the third inning while giving up five earned runs in his most recent start Friday in Kansas City, McKenzie now holds a 5.11 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 75.2 innings on the season. The Guardians will send the right-hander to the minors with the hope that he'll be able to return to form and eventually slot back into the big-league rotation. Gavin Williams (elbow) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and will fill McKenzie's spot in the rotation during the upcoming week.

Miller (6-7) took the loss against the Twins on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out six.

Miller was tagged for runs in the second and fourth innings on three doubles and a single, though the right-hander pitched well outside of those frames while generating 14 whiffs on the night. He also didn't surrender a home run for the third time in his last four starts and fanned six batters in three of his six starts this month. Despite the solid outing, Miller was charged with his seventh loss Saturday and has now lost two straight after previously winning three decisions in a row (over five starts).

Lopez (8-6) earned the win over the Mariners on Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk over six innings while striking out nine.

Lopez stumbled a bit over the first three frames, allowing a walk and four hits, including a solo home run off the bat of Mitch Haniger. However, the right-hander recovered nicely after the early hiccups, fanning six of the nine batters he faced over his final three innings of work as Minnesota took a 5-1 lead. Lopez induced 18 swinging strikes on the night and now has 25 strikeouts over his last 14 innings on the mound. He's also won his last three decisions (spanning four starts) and has logged a quality start in back-to-back outings.

Canning did not factor into the decision in a win over the Tigers on Saturday, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out four.

Canning got himself into trouble out of the gate by giving up a single to two of the first three batters he faced, eventually leading to one run coming home for Detroit in the first inning. He found himself in a similar situation in the fourth, surrendering back-to-back singles to open the frame before allowing two more runs to come across. The right-hander still managed to get through six innings for the fifth time in his last six starts, though he's now allowed four earned runs in three of his last four. Canning has also been tagged for at least one home run in four consecutive outings and has posted five or more strikeouts only one time in six starts this month.

Olson allowed two runs on five hits across six innings and did not factor into the decision in Saturday's contest against the Angels. He walked three and struck out nine.

The nine strikeouts are a new season high, though the three walks also matched a season high, as Olson was all over the place Saturday. He still managed a solid outing overall despite missing out on his third win of the year. The righty's 2-8 record isn't fitting of his 3.32 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 89.1 innings this season. Olson will look for a little better luck and some more run support in his next scheduled start, which is penciled in for Friday against the Reds.