MLB Player News

Means (shoulder) was activated from the injured list ahead of his scheduled start against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Means is set to rejoin the Orioles' rotation after a two-week stay on the shelf with shoulder inflammation. The lefty compiled a 4.23 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 27.1 innings over his five starts prior to landing on the injured list. He'll face a Yankees team that ranks 12th in the majors with a 101 wRC+ against southpaws. According to Joe, Means Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com face a limited pitch count in his first start back. DJ Stewart (concussion) was sent to the IL in a corresponding move.

Ramirez joined the Blue Jays on a minor-league deal Wednesday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Ramirez tossed 16.2 innings for Cleveland this year, posting an unimpressive 5.40 ERA. He owns a career 4.41 mark in parts of six seasons but hasn't recorded an ERA below 4.50 since 2015. He'll head to High-A Dunedin to build up for now, but he could join the Blue Jays' bullpen at some point down the stretch.

Berrios (10-6) took the loss Tuesday as the Twins fell 12-7 to Atlanta, surrendering nine runs on nine hits and four walks over 5.2 innings while striking out seven.

The seven whiffs at least salvaged a little fantasy value for Berrios, but this was still by far the right-hander's worst start of the season -- he'd only given up eight earned runs in his prior five trips to the mound combined. Berrios will try to shake it off in his next outing Sunday, as he takes a 3.24 ERA and 140:34 K:BB through 147.1 innings into a home tilt against Cleveland.

Cease (2-4) allowed two runs on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts across five innings while earning a victory in game one of a doubleheader against the Tigers on Tuesday.

This was his best outing of the year, and because of his small sample, Cease lowered his ERA almost half a run. That's the good news, but the bad news is it still sits at 6.00. While he's won two games, he's also lost four in six outings and owns a 1.55 WHIP, .275 batting average against and 33 strikeouts in 33 innings this season. Cease is scheduled to pitch again Monday at home against the Astros.

Greinke (11-4) picked up the win against the Rockies on Tuesday, giving up five earned runs on seven hits over six innings, striking out two and walking two in the Astros' 11-6 victory.

Making his team debut, Greinke was having a solid outing, but he served up a three-run home run to Raimel Tapia in the sixth inning that gave him a lackluster final stat line by his standards. Still, he did enough to pick up his 11th win of the season thanks to his teammates providing him with a ton of run support -- something he's likely to continue benefiting from with the move to an Astros team with an excellent lineup. The veteran right-hander now sports a 3.08 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 137:23 K:BB through 152 innings on the season.

Suarez (2-3) allowed six earned runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out three across five innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Reds.

Suarez allowed three home runs, accounting for four of his six earned runs. Though he was staked to a three-run lead in the first inning, Suarez allowed three earned runs in both the first and fourth frames to cough up the advantage and take the loss. He's had a tough rookie campaign, posting a 6.22 ERA and 1.60 WHIP across 46.1 innings. He'll look to find his footing in his next start, currently scheduled for Monday against the Pirates.

Clevinger will make his next start Thursday at Minnesota, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Clevinger was originally scheduled to take the bump Tuesday against the Rangers, but the game was postponed, prompting a change in pitching plans. The 28-year-old will face the homer-happy Twins as the Indians attempt to close the gap in the AL Central. Zach Plesac will start Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader and Cleveland will go with a bullpen game for the nightcap.

Allard will be called up to start against the Brewers on Friday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Allard didn't look good in his first taste of the big leagues last year in Atlanta, allowing 12 runs (11 earned) in eight innings while posting a 3:4 K:BB. He's still just 21 years old, though, and comes with a fair amount of prospect pedigree. He's not a particularly high strikeout guy, recording a decent but unexciting 21.9 percent strikeout rate en route to a 3.99 ERA in 21 Triple-A starts this season, so he'll have to work to keep the ball in the yard at hitter-friendly Miller Park as well as any upcoming starts at his new home in Texas.

Heaney (shoulder) is expected to start Saturday's game in Boston, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

His simulated game Monday went well, and it seems like the plan is for that to be the final step in his rehab before he re-enters the big-league rotation. Considering he threw roughly 60 pitches in his sim game, he may be limited to around 80-90 pitches against the Red Sox. Heaney didn't pitch particularly well prior to suffering the shoulder injury, logging a 5.09 ERA and 1.37 WHIP despite striking out 54 in 46 innings (nine starts). He logged a win in just one of those outings. Boston has the seventh-best wRC+ (110) in the majors against left-handed pitchers since June 1.

Sandoval is listed as the starter for Sunday's game in Boston, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

He followed an opener (Taylor Cole) in his MLB debut Monday, and the Angels could still tweak things and have him follow an opener Sunday based on who is available, but for now he is listed as a traditional starter. Sandoval's high-effort delivery is not necessarily geared for the rotation, but it worked for him over five innings in Cincinnati, as he surrendered two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight. He logged a 6.41 ERA while striking out 66 in 60.1 innings (15 starts) at Triple-A. His struggles were largely due to a career-worst 11.6 percent walk rate and the hitter-friendly conditions of the Pacific Coast League.