Eflin will undergo back surgery Monday and is expected to be sidelined 4-to-8 months, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Eflin had already been ruled out for the season after it was revealed he would need lumbar microdiscectomy surgery, and now there's a firmer timetable for the right-hander's recovery. The 31-year-old is hopeful the operation will allow him to put his nagging back issues -- which he revealed Wednesday have been a problem off and on for the past 5-to-6 years -- behind him, per Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. An impending free agent, Eflin hopes to be ready for the start of spring training, but it's not a given.

The Astros optioned Gordon to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday.

Gordon's latest stint with the big club lasted only one day, as he'll be sent down after yielding five runs (four earned) in a two-inning relief outing Tuesday versus the Red Sox. Jordan Weems is taking Gordon's spot on the roster.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Bergert will remain in the rotation and start Sunday against the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Michael Lorenzen (oblique) will rejoin the rotation Saturday, but it will be Bailey Falter -- and not Bergert -- losing his rotation spot. Bergert has allowed four runs with a 10:3 K:BB over 11.1 innings in his two starts for the Royals and boasts a 2.87 ERA across 13 appearances (nine starts) between San Diego and Kansas City in 2025.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Lorenzen (oblique) will rejoin the rotation Saturday versus the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Out since mid-July with a left oblique strain, Lorenzen built up to 85 pitches in his last rehab start, so he should be ready for a normal workload Saturday. Lorenzen has posted a 4.61 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 99.2 innings for the Royals this season. Bailey Falter has been moved to the bullpen to make room for Lorenzen in the rotation.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Falter will move to the bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Michael Lorenzen (oblique) is ready to rejoin the rotation this weekend, and it's Falter who will shift to relief to accommodate Lorenzen's return. Falter has been pummeled for nine runs on 11 hits and five walks over eight innings in two starts since the Royals acquired him at the trade deadline. The lefty is likely to be used in a mop-up role.

The White Sox activated Perez (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

After being placed on the shelf in late April with a left flexor strain, Perez made two rehab starts, allowing three runs with a 5:3 K:BB over 6.2 innings. The veteran left-hander will be used in relief for the time being, per Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times, although Perez is s a candidate to eventually receive some starts once he gets further stretched out. Perez held a 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 18:11 K:BB over 20 innings in his first four starts of the season before getting hurt.

Melton will start Wednesday's game against the White Sox in Chicago, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Melton was knocked around in his first major-league start July 23 in Pittsburgh but has yielded just one run with an 8:2 K:BB over 12.1 innings covering one start and two relief appearances since then. The righty hasn't made a start in more than two weeks and worked 3.1 innings while tossing 46 pitches in his most recent relief appearance Friday against the Angels. Melton likely won't be asked to handle a full starter's workload against the White Sox and may not reach the five innings he would need to qualify for a win.

Allen didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Marlins, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw wasn't sharp, throwing just 53 of 93 pitches for strikes, but Allen kept the Miami offense at bay until the fifth inning, when a two-out walk to Otto Lopez set the stage for a three-run rally that tied the game. After an 11-start stretch in which Allen didn't issue more than two free passes in an outing, he's now walked eight batters in 10 innings over his last two trips to the mound. He'll take a 3.94 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 92:48 K:BB over 118.2 frames into his next start, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against Atlanta.

Kremer (8-9) took the loss Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over eight innings as the Orioles were downed 1-0 by the Mariners. He struck out six.

The right-hander put together one of his best performances of the season, completing eight innings for the first time as he dialed up his seventh quality start of the year on 101 pitches (67 strikes). Seattle squeezed a run across in the top of the first inning, however, and Baltimore's bats couldn't solve George Kirby and the M's bullpen. Kremer hasn't gotten into the win column since the All-Star break, but he hasn't pitched poorly, posting a 3.94 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 28:9 K:BB over five starts and 32 innings. He'll try to end his winless streak in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in Houston.

Melton is likely to work as the bulk pitcher for the Tigers in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Tony Paul of The Detroit News reports.

The Tigers are building in an extra rest day for all five members of their rotation this week, so Melton will be tasked with covering most of the innings Wednesday in what could be a bullpen day. One of the Tigers' top pitching prospects, Melton has had a breakout season in the minors and has been excellent for Detroit after a blowup outing in his big-league debut July 23. In his last three appearances, Melton has a 0.73 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, eight strikeouts and two wins in 12.1 innings. Melton last logged 3.1 innings in a relief appearance Friday, so he should be able to offer the Tigers a decent amount of length in his return to the bump.