MLB Player News

Mets manager Buck Showalter said Bassitt (illness) is a "long shot" to return from the COVID-19-related injured list before Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Although a Thursday return hasn't been ruled out for Bassitt, the Mets seem prepared for Trevor Williams to make a second straight turn through the rotation in place of the right-hander. Bassitt could still have a chance at making it back from the IL at some point during the remaining three games of the series with Miami, but the Mets may be inclined to skip his upcoming turn through the rotation entirely even if he clears all COVID-19-related protocols before the weekend.

Peterson (paternity) will start Wednesday against the Reds, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Peterson left the team following the birth of his child, but he will not wind up missing a turn through the rotation. He will look to pick up where he left off after posting a 2.45 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 25:2 K:BB in 18.1 innings over his last three starts.

Odorizzi (lower leg) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Monday's start against the Royals.

Odorizzi was out since mid-May due to strains and sprains to ligaments in his right foot and ankle, but he recently made a pair of rehab starts and posted a 2.25 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in eight innings. The Astros will roll with a six-man rotation this week now that Odorizzi is available, and he should be able to handle a relatively full workload Monday since he tossed 78 pitches during his most recent rehab start.

Whitley (elbow) was activated from the injured list Monday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley made a few rehab starts in recent weeks, but he has officially completed his comeback from Tommy John surgery and is ready to pitch regularly again. Whitley was assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land, where he will work on building up his pitch count. He could be an option for the big club at some point in the second half, but the Astros have a lot of capable starters, so they have little incentive to push him over the remainder of the campaign.

Seabold was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Monday.

Seabold made two starts during his time with the major-league club, and he'll be sent down following Sunday's outing. After allowing seven runs in 4.2 innings against the Blue Jays on June 27, he fared much better against the Cubs on Sunday, giving up just one run in four innings. However, the right-hander will head back to the minors after Kutter Crawford was recalled Monday.

Bello could be called up from Triple-A Worcester to start Wednesday's game against the Rays, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Bello has sparkled this season at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels, and Boston could be ready to give its top pitching prospect his first chance to show what he can do at the top level. The Red Sox currently have five starting pitchers (Nathan Eovaldi, Rich Hill, Chris Sale, James Paxton and Garrett Whitlock) on the injured list and another (Michael Wacha) who is day-to-day with an injury.

Crawford was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Monday.

The Red Sox are planning for a bullpen game Monday against the Rays after Michael Wacha (arm) was scratched from his scheduled start, and Crawford is a strong candidate to serve as a bulk reliever behind opener Austin Davis. Over 10 appearances (two starts) in the majors this year, Crawford has posted a 6.41 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in 19.2 innings.

Cavalli (arm) rejoined the Triple-A Rochester rotation Wednesday and struck out five over three innings while allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks in his return to action.

Cavalli was back in action after a two-week layoff that was imposed mostly for workload-management reasons rather than as a result of the minor arm soreness he experienced coming out of his June 16 outing. The right-hander wasn't particularly sharp in Wednesday's start -- he tossed only 45 of his 77 pitches for strikes, hit two batters and threw a wild pitch -- but all indications are that he came out of the appearance feeling fine physically. The 23-year-old now sports a 5.07 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 61:27 K:BB across 60.1 innings in his 13 starts with Rochester this season.

Alexander is listed as the Brewers' starting pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Cubs in Milwaukee.

Alexander made his last two appearances out of the Milwaukee bullpen, but he'll be plugged back into the rotation this week with the team in need of a fifth starter after Adrian Houser (elbow) landed on the 15-day injured list Friday. Over his five starts prior to moving to the bullpen, Alexander turned in a 3.21 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 13:11 K:BB in 28 innings.

Liberatore is scheduled to make his next start with the Cardinals on Thursday in Atlanta.

As anticipated, Liberatore will be receiving more than one turn through the St. Louis rotation after he was recalled from Triple-A Memphis over the weekend in response to Jack Flaherty (shoulder) joining Steven Matz (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list. Liberatore made his fifth big-league start Saturday in Philadelphia, surrendering five runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three over 2.2 innings. He now sports a 5.66 ERA and 1.79 WHIP heading into his upcoming outing in Atlanta.