The Guardians selected Messick's contract from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.

Messick will make his major-league debut Wednesday with a start on the road against the Diamondbacks. The left-hander has put up a 3.47 ERA and 119:42 K:BB over 98.2 innings covering 20 starts with Columbus this season. Messick gets by on pitchability rather than raw stuff, but the 24-year-old should get an opportunity to stick in the major-league rotation for the remainder of the season if he pitches well Wednesday.

Alexander will start Thursday's game against the Orioles at Camden Yards, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Though Houston will get Lance McCullers (finger) back from the injured list to start Friday, Alexander will at least temporarily stick around in a starting role while the Astros run out a six-man rotation this week. Houston could keep the six-man setup in place when the team begins a stretch of 13 games in 13 days Tuesday, but Alexander may need to perform well in his start in Baltimore to ensure he remains in the rotation over Luis Garcia (elbow), who could be ready to return from the 60-day IL next week. Alexander has fared well over his last four starts, logging a 1.59 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB in 22.2 innings.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Lauer will be available out of the bullpen for this weekend's series in Miami, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Shane Bieber (elbow) is poised to make his Blue Jays debut Friday, which means Lauer will be booted out of the rotation, despite logging a 2.76 ERA and 87:25 K:BB over 88 innings covering 20 appearances (14 starts). Schneider added that it's "not a [permanent] move to the bullpen" for Lauer, so the left-hander could still make some starts for Toronto down the stretch.

Lopez (shoulder) will make his first rehab start Thursday for Triple-A St. Paul, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.

Lopez began throwing live batting practice last week and appears to have avoided any setbacks in his recovery from a Grade 2 teres major strain, so the Twins will clear the way for him to kick off a rehab assignment. Given that he's been on the shelf with the injury since June 5, he'll likely need an additional rehab start or two after Thursday's outing before being activated from the 60-day injured list.

The Rays announced Tuesday that Faedo (shoulder) underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery Aug. 6 and will miss the remainder of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Acquired from the Tigers in February, Faedo will conclude the season without having made an appearance at the big-league level for Tampa Bay. He's been on the shelf throughout 2025 after experiencing shoulder discomfort in spring training and then hitting multiple snags in his recovery in the ensuing months. Faedo had made enough progress to begin a minor-league rehab assignment June 27, but he appeared in just six contests before being shut down again shortly after the All-Star break and getting diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Given that pitchers often struggle to bounce back from the procedure, Faedo profiles as a likely non-tender candidate this winter. Even if he keeps his spot on the 40-man roster or re-signs with Tampa Bay on a minor-league deal, Faedo's availability for the start of the 2026 season could be affected.

Sugano didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Boston, allowing one unearned run on five hits and no walks with three strikeouts over five innings.

Sugano hasn't allowed more than one run in four of his last five starts, and he hasn't taken a loss since July 2. Limiting power has been critical to Sugano's recent success, as he's allowed just one home run over his last five starts after yielding 20 long balls in his previous 19 outings. The 35-year-old rookie has a 3.97 ERA and 85:32 K:BB across 131.1 innings this season. He's slated for a rematch with the Red Sox early next week.

Buehler didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Baltimore, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks across four innings. He struck out four.

Buehler has struggled to locate pitches this season, and those issues have been exaggerated recently. He has more walks than strikeouts across his last five starts, and he's posted a 4.32 ERA along with a 15:18 K:BB across 25 innings during that stretch. Buehler hasn't struck out more than four batters in 11 consecutive outings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Orioles early next week.

Scherzer (2-4) got the win Tuesday over the Pirates, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four in six innings.

Scherzer's control was a little shaky, as he issued three walks for the second time in his past three outings, but he was able to limit the damage in crucial situations. Tuesday's outing was a fifth straight quality start for Scherzer, though he hasn't topped five strikeouts since he punched out 11 on July 27. During his streak of quality starts, Scherzer has posted a 2.25 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 28:7 K:BB in 32 innings. He lines up for a home start versus Minnesota to open up next week.

Skubal didn't factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing three hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 extra-inning win over the Astros. He struck out 10.

Matched up against fellow AL Cy Young contender Hunter Brown, Skubal made it clear he wasn't going to relinquish his crown without a fight. The quality start was the 16th of the season for the southpaw, and Skubal racked up a massive 25 swinging strikes on 95 pitches (68 total strikes) as he fanned double-digit batters for the ninth time. He has only one win in eight outings since the beginning of July, but that's due to a lack of run support from the Tigers' offense -- he's delivered a 2.68 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 62:11 K:BB in 50.1 innings during that span. Skubal will look to get back in the win column in his next start, which lines up to come on the road early next week against the A's.

Brown came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 1-0 extra-inning loss to the Tigers, allowing five hits and three walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out six.

Matched up against fellow AL Cy Young contender Tarik Skubal, Brown rose to the occasion as both aces posted goose eggs, with the game's only run crossing the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning. The right-hander produced his 16th quality start of the season on 101 pitches (61 strikes), and Brown has given up two runs or fewer in five straight trips to the mound, posting a 1.50 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB in 30 innings over that stretch. He'll look for more run support in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Rockies.