MLB Player News

Blackburn didn't factor into the decision in the Athletics' win over the Giants on Saturday, firing six scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and three walks. He struck out seven.

The right-hander was pulled after 105 pitches, but there was plenty to be encouraged about from what was Blackburn's second straight quality start and third consecutive in which he surrendered two runs or fewer. After a delayed beginning to the season that saw him struggle to achieve start-to-start consistency over his first month-plus, Blackburn's current stretch of impressive work has seen him pitch to a 1-0 record, 1.56 ERA and 0.5 HR/9 across his last 17.1 innings. He lines up to next take the hill on the road against the Nationals during next weekend's interleague series.

Marsh allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings in a no-decision versus the Phillies on Saturday.

Marsh was working on short rest after a relief appearance Tuesday in which he threw a scoreless inning. He wasn't at his best for this outing, but he was able to avoid the loss after the Royals' fifth-inning rally. Marsh has a 6.75 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 32:17 K:BB through 28 innings over seven outings (six starts) this season. He remains in search of his first win, with his next chance to pick it up tentatively scheduled to be a road start in Boston.

Woodruff (shoulder) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start against the Pirates on Sunday.

The 30-year-old has been sidelined by a Grade 2 subscapular strain since early April but will rejoin Milwaukee's rotation for Sunday's series finale versus Pittsburgh. Woodruff threw 72 pitches during his final rehab outing with Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, so he'll likely face some workload limitations in his first start or two back in the big leagues.

The Astros designated Watkins for assignment Sunday.

Watkins was the casualty from the 40-man roster with the Astros needing to clear a spot for right-hander Jose Urquidy (shoulder), who was activated from the 60-day injured list in advance of his scheduled start Sunday against the Yankees. After the Astros acquired him from the Orioles on June 23, Watkins pitched exclusively at Triple-A Sugar Land, where he produced a 9.74 ERA and 2.21 WHIP in 20.1 innings over six outings.

Wacha (shoulder) made a minor-league rehab start with Triple-A El Paso on Saturday, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out two batters over two scoreless innings.

Wacha made his first game appearance since tossing five innings for the Padres against Cincinnati on July 1. The right-hander was a bit wild in the rehab start, throwing just half of his 46 pitches for a strike, but he didn't allow any runs and appeared to come out of the outing physically fine. Per MLB.com, Wacha could return to the Padres as soon as next weekend against Arizona, though another rehab appearance is also a possibility.

Glasnow has been scratched from his scheduled start Sunday against the Tigers due to back spasms, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez will pick up a spot start in place of Glasnow, who reportedly experienced the back issue late Saturday. The Rays are likely still gaining information on the extent of Glasnow's injury, so at this stage, the team is hoping that he'll miss only one turn through the rotation and won't require a trip to the injured list.

Urquidy (shoulder) was activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start against the Yankees on Sunday.

The right-hander has been sidelined by shoulder issues since late April and will make his return to MLB action for Sunday's series finale in New York. Urquidy threw 76 pitches across five innings during his final minor-league rehab start, so he'll likely still face some minor workload limitations in his first start back. J.P. France is expected to be available as a piggyback option.

Houck (face) allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three over 1.2 innings for Triple-A Worcester on Saturday.

Houck, who made his first rehab start, threw 46 pitches (27 strikes) and was pulled as he reached the projected count of 40-to-45 pitches. All three strikeouts came in a scoreless first inning, when the right-hander worked out of a bases-loaded jam. His fastball sat at 91-to-92 miles per hour and topped out at 93, per Triple-A Worcester's official site. Houck is likely to make two more rehab starts before he returns from the 15-day injured list and reclaims a spot in Boston's rotation.

The Marlins are expected to recall Perez from Double-A Pensacola to have him start Monday in Cincinnati, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Perez was optioned to Double-A shortly before the All-Star break in an effort for the Marlins to manage his workload, but after returning to action July 26 and making two abbreviated starts for Pensacola, he looks ready to rejoin the big-league rotation. Even though he's set to return to Miami, the 20-year-old right-hander will likely have some starts skipped and could transition to a relief role at some point. As long as he's a member of the rotation, however, he'll still worthy of a speculative pickup in any leagues where he may have been dropped. Perez turned in a 2.36 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 61:17 K:BB in 53.1 innings through his first 11 big-league starts prior to being sent out to Double-A.

The Reds recalled Richardson from Triple-A Louisville ahead of his scheduled start Sunday versus the Nationals in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati optioned right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte to Triple-A to open up a spot on the 26-man active roster for Richardson, who will be making his MLB debut Sunday. Though he'll be joining the rotation as a replacement for the injured Ben Lively (pectoral), Richardson may not be trusted with working deep enough into the contest to qualify for the win. Richardson turned in a tidy 1.86 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 19 outings this season across Louisville, Double-A Chattanooga and High-A Dayton, but he never covered more than four innings in any start.