MLB Player News

Astros manager Joe Espada said Saturday that McCullers (shoulder) has resumed throwing off a mound, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers is being eased along slowly in his throwing program after landing on the shelf May 19 due to right shoulder inflammation. He still looks to be multiple weeks away from a return, as he'll need to complete multiple bullpen sessions and face live hitters before being cleared to head out on what will most likely be a multi-start minor-league rehab assignment. With both Hunter Brown (shoulder) and Cristian Javier (shoulder) poised to beat him back from the injured list, McCullers may not have a rotation spot waiting for him upon his activation. The 32-year-old righty struggled to a 6.86 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 39.1 innings in his eight starts before hitting the IL.

Javier (shoulder) didn't make a rehab start Sunday as planned after Triple-A Sugar Land had its game against Sacramento get postponed due to rain, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros haven't revealed whether Javier will merely have his next rehab start pushed back a couple of days, or if he'll instead throw a simulated game to stay on schedule with his throwing. After retiring just two of the six batters he faced in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi on June 3, Javier was much more effective while shifting his assignment to Sugar Land for his second start last Tuesday. In that start, Javier struck out three over three perfect innings while tossing 44 pitches (29 strikes). He'll likely need to build up his pitch count to the 70-to-80 range before the Astros bring him back from the 60-day injured list.

Smith yielded eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters across 4.1 innings for Triple-A Charlotte in Saturday's 11-7 loss to Oklahoma City.

Back on Thursday, White Sox manager Will Venable told Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com that Smith was a candidate to be called up to start for the big club Saturday, but Chicago ultimately decided to wait until the following week to break in a new fifth starter. While Smith could still remain in the mix for a call-up, the rough showing against Oklahoma City might have tempered the White Sox's enthusiasm about promoting him. The 22-year-old lefty has generated an eye-popping 84 punchouts over 57 innings at Triple-A this season, but he's walked 15.9 percent of the batters he's faced and has surrendered eight home runs.

Waldron (forearm) made his first rehab appearance with Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings.

Waldron breezed through his 2.1 frames on 27 pitches, yielding just one hit. It was Waldron's first outing in exactly one month, as he's working his way back from a right brachialis muscle injury. If the knuckleballer is added back to the major-league roster at the conclusion of his rehab assignment, he is expected to be used in a relief role.

Mahle (hamstring) had been scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday before the game was postponed due to heavy rain in Sugar Land.

Mahle has been on the shelf for about two and a half weeks due to a left hamstring strain, so he's unlikely to require an extended minor-league assignment before being deemed ready to return from the 15-day injured list. As a result of Sunday's postponement, it's unclear whether the Giants still intend to have Mahle make a rehab start for an affiliate over the next day or two, or if he'll instead opt to throw a simulated game. Mahle had posted a 6.04 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 57:24 K:BB in 56.2 innings over 11 starts with the Giants prior to landing on the IL.

Fedde (2-5) earned the win Sunday against the Dodgers, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out four over 2.2 scoreless innings of relief.

Fedde entered in the fourth inning after Bryan Hudson and Sean Newcomb combined for 3.1 innings of one-run ball. The right-hander struck out two batters to finish the fourth before working around traffic in each of the next two frames. He stranded runners on the corners in both the fifth and sixth innings to preserve Chicago's lead and ultimately pick up his second win of the season. Fedde has pitched well of late, posting a 1.62 ERA across his last four appearances and he now owns a 4.50 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 44:26 K:BB across 66 innings this season. The 33-year-old is scheduled to face Detroit on the road in his next outing.

Sheehan (3-4) took the loss Sunday against the White Sox, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight over five innings.

Sheehan showed much improvement from his previous outing, when he lasted just 1.1 innings and needed 49 pitches while allowing two earned runs. The right-hander was dominant early Sunday, holding Chicago scoreless through five innings while piling up eight strikeouts. Things unraveled quickly in the sixth, however, as Sam Antonacci led off the frame with a solo homer before a single and a double chased Sheehan from the game with no outs and a runner on second. Reliever Jack Dreyer was unable to strand the inherited runner, and Chicago ultimately scored six runs in the inning. Sheehan now sports a 4.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 72:17 K:BB across 64.1 innings and is scheduled to face Baltimore in his next start, when he'll be looking for his first win since May 14.

Arrighetti (7-2) took the loss Sunday against the Royals, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out seven over six innings.

Sunday's outing was one of Arrighetti's roughest of the season, as the right-hander surrendered a season-high eight hits. The four runs allowed matched his season high. After limiting opponents to two or fewer earned runs in each of his first eight starts, he has now yielded three or more runs in three straight outings. The regression is surprising given his underlying metrics -- Arrighetti entered the start with a 29.5 percent hard-hit rate allowed, ranking in the 94th percentile among MLB pitchers. Despite the recent slide, he still owns an excellent 2.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 60:32 K:BB across 63 innings. Arrighetti is scheduled to face Cleveland in his next start.

Kolek (4-1) earned the win Sunday against the Astros, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out four over 7.1 scoreless innings.

Kolek was impressive Sunday, throwing 63 of his 97 pitches for strikes while generating 12 whiffs. The right-hander retired 11 of 12 batters during the middle innings and worked out of a seventh-inning jam by inducing a double play with runners on first and second. He ran into trouble again in the eighth, exiting with two aboard, but reliever Steven Cruz stranded both runners to preserve the shutout. Kolek has now held opponents to two or fewer runs in five of his last six starts, lowering his season ERA to 2.68 to go along with a 1.03 WHIP and 34:10 K:BB across 50.1 innings. He's slated to face the Cardinals in his next start.

Early (5-5) took the loss Sunday, allowing six runs on 11 hits and two walks over 4.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out three.

After allowing a leadoff long ball to Wyatt Langford, Early struggled to settle in, surrendering a three-run homer to Kyle Higashioka in the second inning and a two-run double to Brandon Nimmo in the fourth frame. He's allowed five home runs over the last three starts and 14 overall across 75.2 innings. It marked a season-worst outing for the southpaw in both hits and runs allowed, as his previous highs were six hits and five runs. Owning a 3.81 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 72:29 K:BB across 75.2 innings (14 starts), Early will look to get back on track next time out, tentatively scheduled for Saturday against the Mariners.