MLB Player News

Matz (illness) will throw a bullpen session at his home Thursday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

The Blue Jays were hopeful that Matz would be able to return from the COVID-19 injured list this week, but he'll require at least one more throwing session before he's cleared to return. The southpaw has continued to throw while he's been in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, and he was reportedly built up to 70 pitches during his most recent throwing session. If Matz is able to clear COVID-19 protocols in the near future, he could return to the rotation early next week.

Civale was diagnosed Wednesday with a sprained right middle finger, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. He'll be shut down from throwing for 1-to-2 weeks and is expected to require 4-to-5 weeks to complete his rehab program.

Civale's absence is the latest blow to the Cleveland rotation, which is already without its top two starters in Shane Bieber (shoulder) and Zach Plesac (thumb). Though Plesac has resumed throwing and could be back before the All-Star break, both Civale and Bieber appear likely to miss several more weeks. Cleveland will place Civale on the 10-day injured list at some point prior to Thursday's series opener in Minnesota, but a replacement in the rotation probably won't be named until the right-hander's next turn in the rotation comes up Monday against the Tigers. Through his 15 starts this season, Civale has gone 10-2 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 76:23 K:BB in 97.2 innings.

Wentz (elbow) was reinstated from the 7-day minor-league injured list Wednesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Wentz made five rehab appearances for Low-A Lakeland across the last few weeks and posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 18.2 innings. He's now been cleared to return following his recovery from March 2020 Tommy John surgery, and he'll start for Double-A Erie on Wednesday. If the southpaw performs well at the Double-A level, he could head to Triple-A Toledo at some point.

Quintana struck out the side while allowing one hit in one inning of relief Tuesday against the Giants.

The left-hander made his first big-league appearance since May 30 after an IL stint due to a bout of left shoulder inflammation. Quintana allowed a one-out infield single but struck out each of the remaining batters he faced. The relief appearance was his first of the season, and he figures to continue working out of the bullpen for the foreseeable future while Patrick Sandoval remains in the starting rotation.

Bubic struck out two over 2.1 perfect innings in relief Tuesday in the Royals' 6-5 win over the Yankees.

When starter Brady Singer was pulled midway through the bottom of the fourth after racking up 96 pitches, Bubic stepped in to get the Royals through the middle innings. The Royals will add another starter to the mix Wednesday when Danny Duffy (forearm) returns from the injured list, but his arrival won't necessarily close the door on Bubic sticking in the rotation. The decision on the team's No. 5 starter will likely come down to Bubic or Jackson Kowar, who also worked out of the bullpen in his most recent outing following a pair of disastrous starts to begin his big-league career.

Stripling didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Marlins, allowing one run on two hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out seven.

A solo shot by Jesus Sanchez in the second inning was the only blemish on the right-hander's line, as he tossed 59 of 91 pitches for strikes before exiting with the game tied 1-1. Stripling now has three quality starts on the year, all of which have come in his last six outings, and he boasts a stellar 2.29 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 36:9 K:BB through 35.1 innings over that stretch.

Lyles allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three over six innings of relief in Tuesday's 13-6 loss to Oakland.

Taylor Hearn replaced Lyles as the starter for Tuesday and was expected to pitch up to three innings, but he was chased after two-thirds of an inning, setting up the Rangers for a long night. Lyles eventually came on in the third inning and, after Oakland touched him for two runs in the frame, he settled in and strung together outs. Hearn was never tabbed as a permanent replacement for Lyles, but manager Chris Woodward is searching for answers to a faltering rotation, which includes Lyles, who gave up four home runs in his previous start and is tied for fifth in MLB with 16 allowed.

Greinke (8-2) was credited with the win Tuesday after allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out four over 7.1 innings against Baltimore.

Greinke had baserunners in five of those innings, including leadoff runners in the seventh and eighth, but he was able to bear down and limit the damage. Once the Astros pushed the go-ahead run across the plate in the seventh, the bullpen stepped in to save the win for the starter. If the Astros stick with the plan to use six starters during a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, Grienke's next outing is due Monday at home against the Orioles.

Heaney (4-5) took the loss against San Francisco on Tuesday, allowing five runs on 10 hits and no walks while striking out 10 over six innings.

The left-hander got into big trouble early, giving up four runs in the first inning and another in the second. He recovered to give the Angels six frames and 107 pitches, but the team's offense was unable to muster any protest against San Francisco's pitching. Heaney's outing wasn't a complete disaster, as he tied his season high with 10 strikeouts and didn't issue any free passes for the first time since May 12. He will carry a 4.72 ERA into his next start, which is expected to come on the road against the Yankees early next week.

Flexen didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Rockies despite tossing 6.2 innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and two walks while fanning six.

Flexen has looked excellent over his last few outings and has given up one or fewer runs in three of his last five appearances while posting four quality starts in that span. The four-year veteran improved his ERA to 3.87 with another strong outing, and he will try to keep this blistering form going when he takes the ball next. His upcoming outing is scheduled for next week at Toronto.