MLB Player News

The Astros reinstated McCullers (forearm) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the White Sox in Chicago.

McCullers will be making his first appearance for Houston since the 2022 World Series, as he missed the past two seasons while recovering from June 2023 flexor tendon surgery. He's enjoyed a clean bill of health since the start of spring training and wrapped up his rehab assignment on a high note April 26, striking out seven over five scoreless innings and 71 pitches for Double-A Corpus Christi. As a result, he could be capped at 80-90 pitches in his season debut. McCullers is likely to be kept on a five-day rest schedule between starts initially, and the Astros are expected to transition into a six-man rotation during busier portions of their schedule to accommodate him.

Ragans (groin) is scheduled to start Monday's game against the White Sox, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

The 27-year-old hasn't pitched since April 24 due to a groin strain, but he's poised to take the mound Monday after missing just one turn through the rotation. Ragans has surrendered nine runs in his past two starts, but he was dominant in his first four outings of the season with a 2.28 ERA and 34:4 K:BB across 23.2 innings.

The Padres recalled Kolek from Triple-A El Paso ahead of his scheduled start Sunday in Pittsburgh.

David Morgan was optioned to Triple-A El Paso to make room on the 26-man active roster for Kolek, who will step in as the Padres' new No. 5 starter after Kyle Hart was previously demoted to Triple-A on April 24. Over his five outings with El Paso on the season, Kolek submitted a 6.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 24 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but a 20:4 K:BB paints a more favorable picture of his overall performance. The 28-year-old righty should have an opportunity to make multiple turns through the rotation for the Padres, as Yu Darvish's (elbow) return from the injured list is not considered imminent.

Bieber (elbow) threw a live batting practice session Friday, MLB.com reports.

Bieber came out of the session without issue, but manager Stephen Vogt said the right-hander still "has a ways to go" before getting into game action. The 29-year-old made only two starts in 2024, posting a dazzling 0.00 ERA and 20:1 K:BB in 12 innings before being shut down and undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Mets selected Tidwell's contract from Triple-A Syracuse ahead of his scheduled start in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Tidwell is making his MLB debut in a spot start to give the Mets' rotation extra rest before he returns to Syracuse. Over his six Triple-A outings in 2025, the 23-year-old righty has delivered a 5.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 37:10 K:BB across 27 innings.

Flaherty (1-4) was charged with the loss Saturday against the Angels after giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits and one walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out eight.

Flaherty was in good shape with just one unearned run allowed through five innings, but the Halos rallied with five singles and a walk to score four times in the sixth. The right-hander surrendered just three earned runs and struck out 21 in his first three outings of the year, but he's scuffled to a 5.48 ERA across 21.1 frames while losing his past four starts.

Schwellenbach (1-3) took the loss against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out four batters over 3.2 innings.

Schwellenbach began his outing with a scoreless first frame, but he struggled mightily after that. The right-hander gave up a run in the second and two more in the third before Los Angeles blitzed him for three two-out runs (one of which scored after he departed) in the fourth. It was the second time this season Schwellenbach has yielded six runs in an appearance, though he's notched a quality start in each of his other five outings. He'll carry a 3.92 ERA into his next trip to the mound, which is slated to be a home matchup against Cincinnati next week.

Sasaki (1-1) earned the win over Atlanta on Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

The start of the game was delayed for about three hours due to a rain delay, so there was some doubt about whether Sasaki would end up pitching at all. The rookie right-hander ended up giving the Dodgers five innings, and that was just enough for him to be rewarded with his first victory in the majors leagues. Sasaki did give up three runs -- one of which came on an Ozzie Albies homer -- but he continued to show growth, tossing 56 of 98 pitches for strikes and notching 15 first-pitch strikes across 24 batters. He also tied a season low with two walks and equaled a season high with four punchouts. Sasaki was unable to pitch more than four innings in any of his first three starts, but he's completed at least five frames in each of his subsequent four outings. He hasn't exactly been a fantasy stud with a 3.86 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 24:20 K:BB through 30.1 innings, but Sasaki is at least holding his own as a big-league hurler and is increasingly showing why he was such a coveted arm before signing with the Dodgers during the offseason.

Hendricks (1-3) earned the win Saturday against the Tigers after allowing one run on four hits and no walks across 7.2 innings. He struck out three.

The veteran right-hander was working on a shutout until the eighth inning, when Spencer Torkelson launched a 401-foot solo homer to left field. Hendricks recorded one more out before giving up an infield single, which ended his evening at 102 pitches. He entered Saturday's contest with multiple walks in four straight starts, so it was encouraging to see him exhibit better command against the AL Central leaders. Despite the strong performance, Hendricks doesn't offer much fantasy upside with a 5.28 ERA and 16:12 K:BB through six starts in 2025.

Quintana (4-1) took the loss Saturday against the Cubs after allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out six.

Quintana gave up a run on two singles and a walk during the opening frame, but it was the long ball that hurt him the rest of the day as Chicago clubbed three homers across the fourth and fifth innings. The veteran left-hander allowed just three runs while winning his first four starts with the Brewers, but the Cubs' league-leading offense (208 runs scored) got to him Saturday. Quintana will carry a 2.83 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 21:9 K:BB across 28.2 innings into a matchup with the Rays next weekend.