MLB Player News

Urena (groin) will return to start Saturday's game against the Blue Jays but won't throw more than two or three innings, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

A groin issue has kept Urena sidelined since mid-July. He's been a starter all season but wasn't pitching deep into games prior to the injury, throwing no more than 4.2 innings in any of his last six starts. That may have been mostly due to performance rather than workload management, however, as he struggled to an 11.76 ERA over that stretch. Tyler Alexander is expected to follow him out of the bullpen Saturday.

Keller was removed from Thursday's start against the Mariners with posterior right shoulder discomfort, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was pulled after 4.1 innings during Thursday's outing when he showed some discomfort on the mound after surrendering a two-run homer to Kyle Seager. Keller didn't end up factoring in the decision and gave up two runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts. It's unclear if the injury will affect his next turn through the rotation.

Groome was beaten up for eight runs (seven earned) in five innings for High-A Greenville against Hickory on Tuesday.

He now owns a 2-8 record, 5.35 ERA, 1.322 WHIP and 100:31 K:BB in 75.2 innings. It's been an awfully tough season for Groome, but he'd actually been pitching noticeably better before this last outing -- over his prior nine starts, he'd posted a 3.74 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Obviously, his strikeout ability is tantalizing, and considering that Groome is coming back from a series of injuries, the simple fact that he's mostly stayed on the field this season is a major win. With his injury history, the Red Sox will likely continue taking a slow and steady approach to his development.

Kikuchi got a no-decision in Thursday's 6-4 loss to Kansas City, allowing four runs on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five innings.

Through five innings, Kikuchi faced 16 batters and allowed just two baserunners, but he put the first four Royals on base in the sixth and was removed after only 65 pitches. Reliever Joe Smith entered and served up a Salvador Perez grand slam to leave Kikuchi with an ugly line for the game. Since representing Seattle in the All-Star Game, the 30-year-old has struggled to a 6.46 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in eight second-half starts.

Kaprielian pitched five innings in Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Yankees, allowing six runs on six hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. He didn't factor into the decision.

Making the start against the team that drafted him, Kaprielian was done in by the long ball as three New York home runs accounted for all but one of the runs charged to the righty. While the six earned runs are Kaprielien's most surrendered in four starts, his eight strikeouts Thursday match his total from his last three turns combined. He'll take a 3.65 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 95:34 K:BB into Wednesday's scheduled start against Detroit.

Taillon took a no-decision in Thursday's 7-6 win against Oakland, allowing five runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 3.2 innings.

After being staked to an early 6-0 lead and retiring the Athletics' first six batters, Taillon served up back-to-back homers to lead off the third and allowed three more runs in the fourth before being removed. This was the righty's shortest start since June 18 and snaps a streak of nine outings allowing no more than three earned runs. Taillon has failed to surpass five strikeouts in eight of his last nine starts to total 43 whiffs in 50.1 innings over the stretch.

Ryu (12-7) allowed seven earned runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four across 3.2 innings to take the loss Thursday against the White Sox.

Ryu served up three home runs, which accounted for four of his earned runs. It marks the first time in his previous eight starts that he allowed multiple long balls, and in that span Ryu had managed a 3.30 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with a 37:8 K:BB across 46.1 frames. Overall, Ryu has quietly put together another solid season, as he's maintained a 3.88 ERA with 115 strikeouts across 143.2 frames.

Rodon (10-5) allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three across five innings to earn the win Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Rodon was activated from the injured list immediately prior to his start to end a two-week absence. The team limited his pitch count, as he was pulled after 67 pitches despite a comfortable 7-2 lead. That type of workload management could continue through the final month of the season, as Rodon pitched a combined 42.1 innings between the 2019 and 2020 campaigns. Given that he's already tossed 114.1 frames in 2021 and the White Sox are headed for the playoffs, it's logical to assume the team will prioritize Rodon's health and effectiveness for the postseason.

Keller left Thursday's start against the Mariners with an apparent arm injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Keller surrendered a two-run home run to Kyle Seager during the fifth inning and was seen grabbing his right triceps after the pitch. He left the game without facing another batter, though there has been no official diagnosis to this point. Prior to his exit, Keller allowed two earned runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three across 4.1 innings.

Lyles (6-11) was charged with the loss against Cleveland on Thursday after surrendering eight runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out three across 3.2 innings.

Lyles just didn't have it Thursday. His eight earned runs were the most given up this season and the most he's allowed since Aug. 22, 2020. The right-hander gave up four runs in the first inning and another four runs in the fourth before getting pulled. Lyles will bring a 5.70 ERA and 1.49 WHIP into his next projected start Tuesday against Colorado.