MLB Player News

Manager Bob Melvin said Saturday that Verlander (pectoral) isn't expected to make his next start, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Melvin added that Verlander hasn't experienced a setback in his recovery from a right pectoral strain, but the ball simply hasn't been coming out of his hand the way he'd like. The 42-year-old righty will now presumably look to return to the mound next weekend, which will give Kyle Harrison enought time to make at least one more start with the Giants.

Patrick will start Saturday's game against the Phillies, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Patrick was originally expected to work in bulk relief behind Rob Zastryzny on Saturday, but the Brewers ultimately decided to use Patrick as their starter once they saw Bryce Harper (elbow) wouldn't be in Philadelphia's starting nine, per Hogg. Patrick has been a nice find for Milwaukee's rotation this season, turning in a 2.97 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 57.2 innings and most recently firing 4.2 shutout frames with six strikeouts against the Red Sox.

The Dodgers transferred Glasnow (shoulder) to the 60-day IL on Saturday.

The 31-year-old righty will give up his spot on the Dodgers' 40-man roster to Chuckie Robinson, who was claimed off waivers from the Angels on Saturday. Glasnow has been on the injured list since late April with right shoulder inflammation and is now eligible to return beginning June 27.

Blackburn (knee) is expected to return from the 15-day injured list to start Monday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.

Blackburn has been on the shelf all season while recovering from right knee inflammation, but he appears to be healthy again after completing a lengthy rehab assignment. He was especially effective over his most recent two outings at Triple-A Syracuse, covering 13.1 innings between those starts while striking out 10 and allowing two earned runs on five hits and four walks. The Mets will expand their rotation to six men to make room for Blackburn, but neither manager Carlos Mendoza nor president of baseball operations Davi Stearns were willing to say whether the six-man setup would continue beyond this week, per Garrett Stepien of SNY.tv. With that in mind, how Blackburn performs in a tough road matchup with the Dodgers could go a long way in determining whether he'll be in store for additional starts.

The Blue Jays recalled Lucas from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday.

Lucas was demoted to Buffalo in late April after posting a 7.41 ERA in 17 innings through his first four starts. His performance in Triple-A since then hasn't been much better (5.88 ERA in 26 innings), but he'll get the call back to Toronto anyway to replace Jose Urena, who was DFA'd by the Jays in a corresponding move. Lucas will presumably work as a long reliever while in the big leagues.

Fermin (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with the Angels' Arizona Complex League affiliate Saturday.

Fermin landed on the 15-day injured list May 15 due to a right elbow impingement. He was able to begin a throwing program last week and has progressed enough in his recovery to embark on a rehab assignment, making an early-June activation off the IL a possibility. Fermin posted a 5.87 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB across 7.2 innings prior to his injury.

The Athletics recalled Bido from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday.

Bido owns a 5.82 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across 43.1 innings in the majors this season and allowed five runs in five frames during his most recent outing in Triple-A. Despite his performance, he'll return to the big-league pitching staff to replace Anthony Maldonado, which suggests the A's may look to use Bido out of the bullpen going forward.

Patrick is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Rob Zastryzny in Saturday's game against the Phillies in Philadelphia, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Patrick has started in 11 of his 12 appearances on the season and owns an excellent 2.97 ERA, but he has a 2-4 record to show for it. The Brewers have typically been reluctant to let Patrick work deep into games -- he's covered five-plus innings just five times -- but working as a bulk reliever should boost his chances of coming away with a win if he ends up exiting Saturday's contest with a lead. With the Phillies typically deploying two left-handed bats (Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper or Bryson Stott) in the top three spots in the lineup, the Brewers will likely have the lefty Zastryzny pitch just one inning before he turns the game over to Patrick.

Brown is slated to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Drew Pomeranz in Saturday's game against the Reds in Chicago, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

The left-handed-hitting TJ Friedl typically leads off for the Reds, so Cubs manager Craig Counsell will have the left-handed Pomeranz begin the game on the mound with the hope that he can keep Cincinnati off the board early. Based on comments from manager Craig Counsell, Pomeranz is likely to work just one inning before turning the ball over to Brown, who had started in each of his last 10 appearances while posting a 6.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 48 innings. Another rough showing as a bulk reliever could loosen Brown's grip on a rotation spot a bit more, though the Cubs don't appear to have an obvious candidate to replace him.

Rocker (shoulder) allowed one walk and struck out five over four hitless and scoreless innings for Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.

Rocker was untouchable, retiring the first 12 batters faced before issuing a walk to lead off the fifth inning. That ended his night. It was Rocker's second rehab appearance, which followed three scoreless innings for Double-A Midland a week prior. After the Midland game, Texas manager Bruce Bochy estimated the right-hander would need a few more starts, and that may still be the case. Rocker threw 53 pitches in the Round Rock start.