MLB Player News

Valdez (elbow) said he's scheduled to play catch Tuesday and hopes to return from the 15-day injured list when first eligible, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The quick return to throwing bodes well for the left-hander after he landed on the injured list with elbow inflammation, though that hardly guarantees a quick return from the IL. The Astros should provide more clarity on Valdez's outlook after he throws Tuesday.

Allen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Allen will head to the bench for the second time in four games after a 1-for-4 showing at the plate in Saturday's 3-1 loss actually improved to his season-long slash line to a woeful .167/.205/.214 over 44 plate appearances. Darell Hernaiz will get a start at shortstop and could be pushing Allen for primary duties at the position.

The Guardians plan to reinstate Lively (illness) from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's game in Boston, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The season-ending injury to Shane Bieber (elbow), along with a doubleheader with the Yankees on Saturday, opened up two spots in Cleveland's temporary six-man rotation, and Xzavion Curry (illness) -- who will be activated from the IL to start Monday -- and Lively will be called upon to fill the voids. The Guardians are expected to condense their rotation to five men by the end of the week, however, so how Curry and Lively perform against the Red Sox will likely determine which of the two remains in a starting role moving forward. Lively wrapped up his two-start rehab assignment at Triple-A Columbus by covering 5.1 innings and 55 pitches this past Tuesday, so he should face only light workload restrictions in Boston for what will be his season debut with the big club.

The Guardians will activate Curry (illness) from the 15-day injured list to start Monday's game against the Red Sox, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Cleveland will be welcoming two new additions to its rotation this week, as Ben Lively (illness) is in line to return from the IL to start Wednesday's game in Boston. The Guardians are expected to have room for only one of the two pitchers in the rotation after the four-game series with the Red Sox, however, as a doubleheader with the Yankees on Saturday created a temporary need for a sixth starter. Curry, who stretched out to 4.1 innings in his latest rehab start with Triple-A Columbus this past Wednesday, would likely serve in a long-relief role if he's moved to the bullpen following Monday's start.

Arrighetti will start Monday's game against Atlanta at Minute Maid Park, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Arrighetti will get a chance to redeem himself after getting roughed up in his big-league debut in Kansas City on Wednesday, when the Royals pummeled him for seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks. Even if Arrighetti fares better in a tough matchup versus Atlanta, he may be headed back to Triple-A Sugar Land following the start. Manager Joe Espada suggested earlier Sunday that Justin Verlander (shoulder) could return from the 15-day injured list to start this Friday in Washington, with Arrighetti being the pitcher most likely to lose his rotation spot in such a scenario.

The Rangers recalled Winn from Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Winn will give the Rangers a fresh arm in the bullpen for Sunday's series finale in Houston, but he may not stick around in the big leagues for long. He was added to the 26-man active roster as a replacement for Cody Bradford (back), who was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. The Rangers will replace Bradford in the rotation in the series opener in Detroit on Monday, when Michael Lorenzen (neck) will be brought back from the IL. Texas could end up sending Winn back to Round Rock to make room on the active roster for Lorenzen.

Shewmake is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

The lefty-hitting Shewmake was unsurprisingly held out of the starting nine against a pair of lefties in the first two games of the series, but his absence from the lineup Sunday versus Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft comes as more of a surprise. Paul DeJong will draw another start at shortstop Sunday despite going 0-for-5 at the dish over the previous two days.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

Maldonado will get a breather in the series finale after he caught both of the previous two days while going hitless across six at-bats. Korey Lee gets the nod behind the dish Sunday.

Manager Joe Espada said Sunday that Verlander (shoulder) could return from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut Friday against the Nationals, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Espada noted that he has yet to check in with Verlander since the veteran right-hander made his second minor-league rehab start Saturday with Double-A Corpus Christi. He covered four innings and tossed 77 pitches in that outing while allowing five earned runs on seven hits and one walk, but as long as Verlander informs the Houston coaching staff that he's feeling fine physically, the 41-year-old should get the green light to make his next start with the big club. Verlander hasn't pitched particularly well in his two rehab starts while allowing 11 earned runs, but the Astros may not want to delay his return any longer given their early season rotation issues.

Florial went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's 8-2 loss to the Yankees in the second game of a doubleheader.

Florial went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in the matinee before getting his third hit and first homer as a Guardian -- against his former organization -- in the nightcap. The outfielder is still hitting a paltry .150 with one stolen base, one RBI, two runs scored and a triple over 24 plate appearances. Florial is competing with Ramon Laureano, Tyler Freeman and Will Brennan for playing time between center field, right field and designated hitter, and none of them have made compelling cases to grab a starting role so far.