MLB Player News

Eovaldi (shoulder) played catch Wednesday and could throw a bullpen session Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Eovaldi looks to be making positive progress in his recovery from right shoulder inflammation, which kept him from pitching since Aug. 12 before he was finally placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday. As a result of the delayed IL placement, Eovaldi won't be eligible to return until next weekend at the earliest, but that could be a realistic target for the right-hander if he continues to navigate the buildup process without any setbacks. Brayan Bello will fill Eovaldi's spot in the rotation for the time being.

Paxton (elbow) has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left lat strain and won't return in 2022, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Paxton made his first rehab start last week but exited the outing due to his lat injury. The southpaw will be unable to return over the final month of the season, and it's not yet clear whether he'll remain with the Red Sox next year. His contract includes a $13 million team option for 2023 or a $4 million player option, the latter of which Paxton can exercise if the team option is declined. Paxton hasn't pitched in the big leagues since early in the 2021 campaign since he underwent Tommy John surgery in April of that year.

The Yankees are expected to place Cortes on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to a groin injury, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Reliever Greg Weissert will be called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take over Cortes' spot on the 26-man active roster, but the Yankees could turn to multi-inning reliever Clarke Schmidt to step in as their fifth starter while Cortes is on the shelf. Based on Cortes' recent performances, it wasn't evident that he was pitching through any injury; he's generated a 2.55 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 38:9 K:BB in 42.1 innings over his last seven starts.

Boyd (elbow) fired two scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded three strikeouts in Triple-A Tacoma's win over Salt Lake on Tuesday.

The impressive effort, which earned Boyd the second hold of his rehab assignment, was a welcome rebound after he'd given up a pair of runs over two innings in his prior appearance with the Rainiers. The left-hander actually threw fewer pitches Tuesday (23) than in that outing (40) due to a much more efficient performance which saw Boyd pound 17 of his offerings in for strikes. The 31-year-old now has three scoreless efforts in his first four trips to the mound with Tacoma, but he's likely to still log at least one more appearance before activation is considered.

Baz (elbow) said that he's been cleared to resume a throwing program Monday and remains hopeful he'll return from the 60-day injured list before the end of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Baz is ready to begin the ramp-up process following a four-week shutdown due to a right elbow sprain. Given that Baz missed the first two months of the season after requiring an arthroscopic procedure on his elbow in late March, the Rays are likely to proceed cautiously with him during his throwing program. At this stage of the season, Baz may not have enough time to build up for a starting role, but if he avoids any setbacks during the rehab process, he could have some value to the Rays as a multi-inning arm out of the bullpen down the stretch.

Bundy (7-6) was handed the loss by Houston on Wednesday. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs on three hits and one walk without notching a strikeout.

Bundy gave up a home run to Jose Altuve on his first pitch of the contest, but he settled down from there and limited the Astros to just one additional run over the remainder of his outing. The veteran right-hander induced only one swinging strike and failed to fan a single batter, yet he kept Minnesota in the game and could have had a better fate if not for the continued excellence of opposing starter Framber Valdez. Bundy has quietly pitched well in August, allowing just five runs and 12 hits over 19.1 innings despite earning only one win.

Valdez (13-4) picked up the win over Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and four walks while striking out eight batters over seven innings.

Valdez was a bit wild with four walks, but he surrendered only two base hits and completed seven innings for the third straight outing. He finished with his 21st consecutive quality start, surpassing the franchise record set by Mike Scott in 1986. Valdez has earned a win in five of his past six appearances, and he's already established a career-best mark with 13 victories on the campaign. The southpaw doesn't typically post huge strikeout numbers and has issued at least three passes in three of his past four starts, but he keeps rolling along as one of the game's most consistently effective starting pitchers.

Quantrill (10-5) allowed five hits and a walk while striking out six over seven shutout innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Padres.

Quantrill was able to keep his former team quiet. This was the right-hander's third scoreless outing in his last four starts. He's allowed eight runs in 32 innings in August, good for a 2.25 ERA with a 23:5 K:BB. For the season, he's pitched to a 3.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 94:38 K:BB through 143 innings across 24 starts. Quantrill is projected for a home start versus the Orioles next week.

Singer (7-4) earned the win over Arizona on Wednesday, pitching seven innings and allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out six batters.

Singer cruised through four scoreless frames before Daulton Varsho knocked a solo shot off the right-hander in the fifth. That looked like it might be enough to tag the Kansas City ace with the loss as Zac Gallen outdueled him with six shutout innings, but a late offensive surge by the Royals turned things around and handed Singer his third victory over his past four starts. He's been tossing the ball well for over a month, picking up eight quality starts over his past nine outings and compiling an outstanding 2.01 ERA along with a 62:16 K:BB across 58.1 innings over that stretch. The 2018 first-round draft pick has blossomed in his third big-league campaign, recording a 3.15 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 21 appearances, including 18 starts.

Kirby didn't factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing one run on eight hits over seven innings in a 3-1 loss to the Nationals. He struck out nine without walking a batter.

The rookie right-hander was impressive once again, firing an efficient 85 pitches (69 strikes) before exiting with the Mariners down 1-0, but his teammates were at least able to take him off the hook for the loss with a run in the eighth. Kirby hadn't worked more than six innings in a start since July 2 as Seattle keeps a close eye on his workload, but he still sports a 2.43 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 40:4 K:BB through 33.1 innings since the All-Star break.