MLB Player News

Glasnow (hand/legs) is scheduled to start Friday's game in Kansas City.

In his most recent start July 7 versus Atlanta, Glasnow exited midway through the sixth inning while battling cramps in his hand and legs, but the extended time off due to the All-Star break provided ample time for the 29-year-old to recover. He'll lead off the Rays' second-half slate and look to continue the momentum he had carried into the break. In his final three starts of the first half, Glasnow went 0-2 but submitted a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 31:3 K:BB over 16.1 frames.

The Royals promoted Kudrna from Single-A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities on Wednesday.

Though Kudrna's numbers at Columbia this season (3.50 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 66:26 K:BB in 64.1 innings) don't vary wildly from his ratios in 2022 with the same affiliate (3.61 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 61:32 K:BB in 72.1 innings), the Royals evidently saw enough growth from the 20-year-old right-hander to bump him up a level. He's the second major Royals pitching prospect to move from Single-A to High-A within the past two weeks, as Frank Mozzicato got the call to Quad Cities on July 2.

DeSclafani (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with the Giants' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

DeSclafani is expected to require just one rehab start, setting the right-hander up to rejoin the Giants rotation next week. He has been on the shelf since early July due to right shoulder fatigue and posted a 4.44 ERA across 17 starts prior to being deactivated.

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

Urquidy threw live batting practice Sunday without any issues in what was his final hurdle to clear before pitching in a rehab game. The right-hander has been sidelined since early May with shoulder inflammation, so he would figure to require at least a couple rehab outings before rejoining the Astros' rotation.

Ferris has a 3.29 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 35:15 K:BB in 27.1 innings across 10 starts for Single-A Myrtle Beach.

His best outing of the year was his first pro start May 5 against Columbia, where he struck out a career-high seven batters over three no-hit innings. Ferris, an uber-projectable 6-foot-4 lefty, has yet to complete four innings in a start, but he has flashed a very high ceiling.

Murphy has a 2.87 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 26:4 K:BB over his last three starts (15.2 innings) for Single-A Augusta.

The 20th overall pick in last year's draft, Murphy had a rough six-start stretch from mid-May through mid-June where he had a 7.78 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 20:12 K:BB in 19.2 innings, so it's encouraging to see him right the ship. This recent hot stretch included an eight-strikeout game and a 12-strikeout game, which are his top strikeout performances to date as a pro.

Fried (forearm) will make his next rehab start with High-A Rome on Saturday, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic reports.

Fried's first rehab start was at Triple-A Gwinnett, but they're on the road this weekend so the lefty will stay closer to home for his second outing. He threw 35 pitches in his first rehab outing, so Fried should be able to get up to around 50 pitches Saturday. The southpaw is tracking toward a return later this month.

Javier is slated to start Sunday's game against the Angels in Anaheim.

After Javier surrendered 18 earned runs on 21 hits and six walks over 10.2 innings across his last three starts, the Astros elected to skip his final turn through the rotation prior to the All-Star break. The Astros are hoping that the extended rest allowed Javier to potentially address any mechanical flaws that may have affected his performance, as the team isn't ready to pull the plug on him as a starter in light of his strong track record for the majority of the last two seasons. Even with the recent rough patch, Javier still owns decent ratios (4.34 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 15.0 K-BB%) over his 17 starts in 2023.

Olson is scheduled to start Sunday's game in Seattle.

Prior to the All-Star break, Olson had made his last two appearances in relief, piggybacking starter Tarik Skubal for five innings and two innings on July 4 and July 9, respectively. With the Tigers optioning Alex Faedo to Triple-A Toledo last weekend, the team now has spots available in the rotation for both Skubal and Olson. The latter will take the hill for the series finale in Seattle, while Skubal will presumably start either Monday or Tuesday in Kansas City.

Flexen signed a minor-league contract with the Rockies on Thursday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Flexen has posted a 7.71 ERA over 17 appearances (four starts) at the major-league level this season but was a solid arm for the Mariners from 2021-22 while bouncing between the rotation and bullpen. He will report to Triple-A Albuquerque for now but is a good bet to join the Rockies' rotation sooner rather than later.