MLB Player News

Kluber (oblique) is still limited to aquatic exercise, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

With that, Meisel says he would be "quite surprised" if Kluber pitched again before the end of the regular season. Realistically, given where Kluber is at, he's also a long shot to pitch in the postseason barring a deep run by Cleveland. Kluber suffered an oblique strain during a start with Triple-A Columbus last month while rehabbing a forearm injury which originally sidelined him in early May.

Montas (suspension) has been working out at the Athletics' spring training facility in Arizona since late July and is preparing to return to the major-league roster Sept. 25 when first eligible, Athletics radio play-by-play broadcaster Vince Cotroneo reports.

As his 80-game suspension nears its end, Montas will be able to return to action in the minors beginning Sept. 10, with general manager David Forst already indicating the right-hander would pitch in games if any of the organization's affiliates are still competing in the postseason. If not, Montas will gear up for a return to the big leagues by pitching in simulated games before the Athletics formally reinstate him. Since he hasn't pitched at any level since June 20, Montas probably won't have sufficient time to stretch out for a starting role, but he should provide a boost to the Oakland bullpen for the final five games of the regular season. Since the suspension kept Montas off the 40-man roster beyond Aug. 31, he won't be eligible to pitch in the playoffs should the Athletics qualify.

Milone (3-9) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits and a walk over four-plus innings of relief while striking out five as the Mariners were downed 7-4 by the Astros.

Seattle was already down 3-2 when Milone took over in the second inning, but after the Mariners tied it up in the top of the fourth he proceeded to dig the hole a lot deeper. The veteran southpaw will carry a 4.98 ERA and 85:20 K:BB through 97.2 innings into his next outing.

Valdez allowed three runs on two hits and six walks while striking out six over four innings in a no-decision against the Mariners on Friday.

Valdez put the Astros into an early hole by walking four and allowing two runs in the first inning, but his teammates bailed him out immediately with three first-inning runs of their own. Command issues have bedeviled the 25-year-old since he rejoined the rotation. In his last three starts. Valdez has walked 14 in 15.2 innings. He is projected to make his next start Wednesday at home against Oakland.

Giolito allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out six over seven innings in a no-decision against the Angels on Friday.

Giolito did his part, leaving with the White Sox up, 4-2, but Aaron Bummer and Alex Colome gave up home runs, negating what would have been the right-hander's 15th win in a season that has put him in the mix for a Cy Young. He'll next take the mound Thursday at home against Kansas City.

Montgomery (shoulder) may start for Double-A Trenton on Tuesday, Matt Kardos of MLB.com reports.

Montgomery has made three minor-league rehab starts thus far, allowing three runs (two earned) in 6.2 innings. He hurled 44 pitches in his last appearance Wednesday, so a Tuesday start in the opener of the Eastern League Championship Series would allow him to work on five days rest and get stretched out a little more. Montgomery is looking at a mid-September return to the Yankees.

Blackburn (0-2) allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in an inning of relief Friday, taking the loss in a 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Tigers.

Blackburn allowed a single to Dawel Lugo and an RBI double to Willi Castro to get stuck with the loss for the second time in as many major-league appearances this season. Blackburn is expected to continue serving out of the bullpen down the stretch.

Severino (lat) will have the next step in his rehab decided by Sunday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Severino made his second minor-league rehab appearance Friday for Double-A Trenton, tossing 50 pitches in three innings and allowing one run on five hits while striking out five. Following Severino's performance, Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated that the 25-year-old's next step would be decided in discussions taking place within the organization over the next 24-48 hours. Trenton plays again Tuesday, so he could be in line for another rehab start with the Double-A squad next week, or the Yankees may elect to bring him up to the big club to continue his recovery in the majors.

Turnbull allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out two in just 1.2 innings Friday, taking a no-decision versus the Athletics.

Turnbull also hit Ramon Laureano with a pitch, contributing to the mess in the second inning. Turnbull's struggles have persisted into September, as he's now allowed 19 runs in his last 14.1 innings, spanning four starts. The 26-year-old hasn't won a decision since May 31, although he was spared from the loss as the Tigers plated a pair in each of the seventh and eighth innings. Turnbull owns a 4.68 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 127 innings this season. He's next scheduled to face the Yankees on Thursday.

German (17-4) was saddled with the loss after allowing five runs in 4.1 innings of work Friday against the Red Sox. He struck out five while allowing four walks and three hits.

German faced just one more than the minimum through three innings before things started to unravel in the fourth. A two-out rally led to a run-scoring single by Brock Holt and a three-run homer by Mitch Moreland. German was pulled after a one-out walk to Mookie Betts in the fifth inning, who would come around to score. German's strong win-loss record hides a relatively mediocre 4.21 ERA. He'll look to bring that number down Wednesday in Detroit.