MLB Player News

Waldichuk will serve as a bulk reliever behind opener Austin Pruitt in Wednesday's game in Detroit, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Pruitt isn't expected to cover more than 1-to-3 innings before turning the game over to Waldichuk, who should be capable of providing Oakland with a decent amount of length after he tossed 2.2 innings in his most recent appearance out of the bullpen back on June 29. While moving between the bullpen and rotation this season, Waldichuk has compiled a 6.78 ERA and 1.91 WHIP in 66.1 innings, so he won't make for an especially appealing streaming option even though his usage as a bulk reliever theoretically gives him a better chance at qualifying for a win.

Chirinos is slated to work as a bulk reliever behind opener Zack Littell in Wednesday's home game versus the Phillies, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Littell and Chirinos worked in tandem successfully during Chirinos' most recent turn through the rotation last Thursday against the Diamondbacks, so manager Kevin Cash will stick with the arrangement once again this week. After Littell tossed two scoreless frames in Arizona, Chirinos came on to pick up the win while striking out four and allowing one earned run on four hits and three walks over six innings out of the bullpen.

The Mariners will call up Milone from Triple-A Tacoma to start Wednesday's game in San Francisco, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Milone will be joining the Mariners for the second time this season, as he previously made a spot start April 14 versus the Rockies before being designated for assignment shortly thereafter. He cleared waivers and has remained in the organization as a depth arm at Tacoma, where he's compiled a 4.47 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 46:18 K:BB over 50.1 innings. The veteran southpaw will step in as the Mariners' temporary No. 5 starter after Bryce Miller (finger) recently joined Marco Gonzales (forearm) on the injured list, but whether Milone sticks around beyond Wednesday will likely hinge on how he fares versus the Giants.

The Tigers reinstated Rodriguez (finger) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday versus the Athletics at Comerica Park, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Reliever Garrett Hill was optioned to Triple-A Toledo to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Rodriguez, who will be making his first start for the big club since May 28 after missing the past five weeks due to a left index finger pulley rupture. Prior to being activated, Rodriguez made a rehab start last Thursday at Triple-A Toledo and tossed 58 pitches over 4.1 scoreless frames, so he could be in store for a light workload restriction Wednesday as he re-enters the big-league rotation.

Javier might not make another start before the All-Star break, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Javier's next turn would be Saturday against the Mariners, but it sounds like the team could opt to give him some extended rest around the All-Star break in light of his recent struggles. The right-hander has been touched up for a 15.19 ERA with a 6:6 K:BB over 10.2 frames covering his last three outings.

Miller, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, is "not going to pitch for a while" according to manager Scott Servais, the Associated Press reports.

Servais added Miller will be limited to playing light catch for the time being. The overarching question for fantasy managers is naturally how the "for a while" portion of the Mariners' skipper's comment will be quantified, considering the upcoming All-Star break qualifies as a fairly extended layoff in and of itself. It appears likely the next week to 10 days will be integral to how quickly Miller can heal up from an injury that affects his velocity significantly, and if that downtime doesn't prove sufficient to return him to full health, there's a chance the rookie misses additional time once play resumes.

Maeda (2-5) picked up the win in Tuesday's 9-3 victory over the Royals, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out nine.

The veteran right-hander produced his best start of the year, generating 31 called or swinging strikes over 87 pitches en route to his first quality start and a season high in strikeouts. Maeda also topped out at 92.2 mph with his fastball, a marked improvement on his velocity from April, when he made his initial return from Tommy John surgery. Since rejoining the rotation in late June after recovering from a triceps strain, he has a 1.59 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 21:5 K:BB in 17 innings over three starts.

Dunning (8-1) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over six innings in a 6-2 victory over the Red Sox. He struck out four.

Texas gave the right-hander a 3-1 lead in the top of the second inning and he never looked back, tossing 61 of 89 pitches for strikes before exiting. Dunning has reeled off four straight quality starts and won four straight decisions since the beginning of June, posting a 3.29 ERA and 23:11 K:BB in his last six outings (38.1 innings). He lines up to take the mound for the Rangers' final game before the All-Star break on the road against the Nationals.

Gilbert (6-5) earned the win Tuesday, allowing five hits and striking out seven in a complete-game shutout against the Giants.

Gilbert bounced back from an eight-hit, four-run outing against the Nationals in his last start with his best performance of the season. His complete-game shutout was the first of his career and marked his first scoreless start of 2023. He was incredibly efficient, handing out no free passes and retiring the final 11 batters consecutively to end the game at 105 pitches. The start knocked Gilbert's ERA down to 3.82 after he entered the contest at 4.19 and moved his K:BB to 100:19 through 17 starts (101.1 innings). Gilbert's expected to make his next appearance this weekend in a road matchup with the Astros, who've averaged 7.0 runs per game over their last six.

Eflin (9-4) took the loss Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits over seven innings against the Phillies. He struck out nine.

Despite falling to his fourth loss of 2023, Eflin logged his fourth consecutive quality start while also striking out seven or more batters for the third straight time Tuesday. The start continued what could be a career year for Eflin, as the 29-year-old boasts what would be his best ERA (3.24), BB/9 (1.39) and HR/9 (0.9) of his eight-year career while also ranking third in MLB in K/BB (6.67) this season. Eflin is tentatively scheduled to make his next start at home against Atlanta right before the All-Star Break.