MLB Player News

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay confirmed that Morris will start Saturday's game in Houston, Chris Correa of the Turlock Journal reports.

The Athletics called up Morris from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, and after he wasn't needed in relief in any of the ensuing four games, he'll make his MLB debut Saturday as the club's new fifth starter. Prior to receiving his promotion, Morris compiled a 4.45 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 49:26 K:BB over 60.2 innings with Las Vegas in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Since neither Luis Severino (shoulder) nor Aaron Civale (shoulder) appear especially close to returning from the injured list, Morris has a path to making multiple turns through the big-league rotation. If Morris performs poorly in Saturday's contest, however, the Athletics could swap him out of the rotation for Mason Barnett, who is stretched out enough to handle a starting role after tossing four shutout innings in long relief during Friday's 5-1 loss to the Astros.

Emerson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Tigers.

The 20-year-old rookie took Drew Anderson deep in the seventh inning as the Mariners tried in vain to rally from an early deficit. Emerson is finding his rhythm at the plate in the majors -- over his last 11 games, he's batting .316 (12-for-38) with eight extra-base hits, including three homers in his last six contests.

Gray (2-0) earned the win in relief Friday against the Guardians, tossing 1.2 perfect innings while striking out two.

Gray entered the game in the sixth inning and did not allow a single hitter to reach base. Gray seems to be turning things around of late, as he's given up just one earned run over his last four outings while posting a 7:0 K:BB in 4.1 innings in that stretch. That represents a huge bounce-back after he gave up nine runs (five earned) over a two-game stretch against the Astros and Rockies between May 18 and May 25.

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 7-3 win over the Mariners.

Carpenter popped his second home run in the last three contests to get to eight long balls for the season. The 28-year-old outfielder recently returned from a three-week absence due to an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder, and he's gone 6-for-15 with the two homers and five RBI in his four games back. It appears that Carpenter is fully recovered from the injury and primed to produce at a high level as long as he remains healthy.

Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and two stolen bases in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Tigers.

The steals were Rodriguez's first since May 16, and he's up to seven on the season in nine attempts. The star center fielder has been doing more damage with his bat of late, and over his last 16 games he's slashing .284/.310/.627 with five doubles, six homers, nine runs and 12 RBI.

Rocker didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Guardians. He allowed two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five across five innings.

Rocker gave up a solo homer to Travis Bazzana in the top of the first inning and an RBI single to Austin Hedges in the fourth, but that would be all the damage he allowed. The 26-year-old right-hander has given up two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts, going 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 28.2 innings in that stretch. He'll aim to continue that strong run in his next start, scheduled to come on the road against the Royals. Rocker recently faced Kansas City, tossing six scoreless innings at home May 30.

Woo (5-4) took the loss Friday, coughing up five runs on nine hits over 6.1 innings as the Mariners fell 7-3 to the Tigers. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

Only one of the hits off Woo went for extra bases, but it was a two-run homer by Kerry Carpenter in the third inning that put Detroit in the lead for good. It's the third time in seven starts since the beginning of May that the right-hander has been tagged for at least four runs, and over that stretch he sports a 3.64 ERA in 42 innings despite a 0.95 WHIP, 48:8 K:BB and just three home runs allowed. Woo will look to bounce back in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Baltimore.

Seager went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's win over the Guardians.

The Rangers activated Seager from the 10-day injured list after a back injury put him on the shelf in mid-May, and he made his presence felt in his return by launching a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning that represented the game-winning hit. Seager has eight homers on the season, and there's no question that his return will give the Rangers' lineup a much-needed boost.

Messick (6-2) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Rangers after allowing three runs on five hits, including two home runs, and a walk across 5.2 innings. He struck out four.

Messick was tagged with the loss for just the second time this season -- and the first since May 3 -- but still posted a decent line while ending up one out shy of what would've been a quality start. Messick also extended his streak of games with three or fewer earned runs allowed to six, posting a 2.41 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with a 9.1 K/9 across 33.2 frames during that span. The left-hander will aim to get back in the win column in his next start, scheduled for at home against the Yankees.

Lambert (5-4) earned the win Friday over the Athletics after tossing 5.1 innings of one-run ball. He allowed five hits and four walks while fanning four.

Lambert might have issued four walks while tossing just 57 of his 94 pitches for strikes, but he ended a three-game run in which he'd either thrown a wild pitch or hit a batter. The final line was respectable for Lambert, as he ended just two outs shy of a quality start while allowing one earned run or zero for the third time this season, though the command issues are still present. Over his last six starts since the beginning of May, Lambert has a 28:18 K:BB across 35.1 innings while sporting a 3.57 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. His next start should come on the road against the Angels.