MLB Player News

The Rangers placed Gray on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Sept. 28, with right lower forearm tightness.

Gray made an early exit from his last start Monday against the Angels due to right wrist/forearm tightness and can now be ruled out for the remainder of the regular season. He could potentially return in the postseason if the Rangers are able to stage a deep run. The 31-year-old right-hander finishes with a 9-8 record, 4.12 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 142:54 K:BB in 29 starts covering 157.1 innings.

France was scratched from his start Friday versus the Diamondbacks due to a family emergency.

Jose Urquidy will get the start instead as the Astros open their final series of the regular season. Entering play Friday, they sit two games back of the Rangers for first place in the AL West and one game up on the Mariners for the third AL wild-card spot.

Urquidy will start Friday's game at Chase Field in Arizona, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

J.P. France has been scratched from the start due to a family emergency, so Urquidy gets the call for what will be his first start since Aug. 23. The 28-year-old right-hander has allowed 11 earned runs over his last 14.1 innings while working in long relief.

France was scratched from his start Friday against the Diamondbacks for undisclosed reasons, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Given their position in the American League West and wild-card standings, Friday's game is pretty close to a must-win game for the Astros, so France must be dealing with some kind of physical issue. Look for an update on France's status to arrive later Friday. Jose Urquidy will pick up his first start since Aug. 23 in place of France.

The Tigers optioned Gipson-Long to Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Gipson-Long wrapped up his season with a no-decision Thursday against the Royals, yielding three runs -- two earned -- on four hits and two walks over five innings. The 25-year-old right-hander delivered an encouraging 2.70 ERA and 26:8 K:BB across his first four major-league starts (20 innings) this year for Detroit.

Wentz is slated to start Friday's game against the Guardians at Comerica Park.

Since being called up from Triple-A Toledo on Aug. 30, Wentz has mostly worked in the rotation, though his two most recent appearances came as a bulk reliever. He'll move into a traditional starting role Friday, hoping to close the season on a high note as he stakes his claim to a more permanent spot in the rotation in 2024. Over 103.1 innings with the big club this season, Wentz has gone 3-12 with a 6.45 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 96:44 K:BB.

Skubal struck out eight over four scoreless innings but didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Royals. He gave up two hits and no walks in the 52-pitch start.

Because the game was suspended after four innings Wednesday due to rain, Skubal's final start of 2023 was cut short, and his statistics weren't made official until the two teams completed the game Thursday. Given the abbreviated start, Skubal could be available in relief if needed Saturday or Sunday versus the Guardians, though the Tigers will presumably stay away from him for the final two games of the season if they can help it. After a spate of rocky outings upon his return from flexor tendon surgery in early July, Skubal was the Tigers' most dominant pitcher over the final two months of the season. Over his last 10 outings, Skubal went 6-2 with a 2.15 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 75:11 K:BB across 58.2 innings.

Gipson-Long did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks over five innings against the Royals while striking out six.

Gipson-Long struggled a bit with his command out of the gate, but most of the damage off him came on a two-run shot by Michael Massey in the top of the third inning. The rookie right-hander has now gone five innings in all four of his starts and is yet to allow more than two earned runs in an outing. On the downside, he's also issued multiple walks in three consecutive starts.

Ragans (7-5) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks over 6.1 innings against the Tigers. He struck out eight.

Ragans shut out the Tigers over the first six innings, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the seventh after allowing a single and back-to-back walks. The lefty would eventually be charged with four runs in the frame, though two of those runs came across after he was relieved by Carlos Hernandez. Ragans has allowed four or more runs in two of his last three starts, though this was the third consecutive outing in which he's gone at least six innings. He's also issued four walks in back-to-back starts.

Toussaint did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over four innings in a 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. He struck out four.

Toussaint was able to limit the Diamondbacks despite struggling with his command. Two of his walks came back-to-back with two outs in the fourth inning, and he's issued multiple walks in 10 of his last 11 starts. The outing also marked just the second time this month that Toussaint was unable to make it through five innings.