MLB Player News

Severino (lat) said Wednesday that he hopes to rejoin the Yankees in September as a reliever before reclaiming a spot in the rotation in the final week of the regular season, Randy Miller of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Severino suggested after he resumed his throwing program a week and a half ago that he would be open to working out of the bullpen once cleared to return from the 60-day injured list, and the Yankees appear prepared to follow that plan. The right-hander said he expects to throw one inning in his first appearance with the Yankees before gradually raising his pitch count in his subsequent outings, ultimately maxing out at around 100 pitches by the time the regular season ends. If that plan holds and Severino performs as anticipated while working longer in games, he expects to slot back into the rotation during the postseason. Before he sees any action with the big club, however, Severino will still need to clear several hurdles in his recovery over the next month and change. He's been throwing off flat ground from 75 feet this week and could be ready to throw bullpen sessions in early-to-mid-August.

Snell will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body in his left elbow Monday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports. He was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com.

This comes at a tough time with the Rays fighting for a playoff spot and Snell coming into form (1.64 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 31:6 K:BB over his last four starts). The left-hander will be sidelined for at least four weeks following the procedure -- Buster Olney of ESPN suggests his absence could extend closer to six weeks -- though both Snell and the Rays are confident he will pitch again this season. It remains to be seen who will replace Snell in the rotation at this point; young southpaw Brendan McKay is an option.

Thompson signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Thursday and was assigned to High-A Lakeland.

After transitioning to a full-time relief role last spring, Thompson failed to find much success at the Triple-A Toledo or major-league level across stints in the Phillies and Brewers organizations. Upon hitting free agency after the 2018 season, Thompson opted to head to the Korea Baseball Organization, where he posted a 4.74 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 62.2 innings before being released in June. He'll now return stateside for work, joining the organization that originally selected him in the second round of the 2012 first-year player draft.

Nestor Cortes (4-0) picked up the victory Wednesday after holding the Twins to one run on three hits and two walks with one strikeout over 3.1 innings.

After getting recalled by the Yankees on Wednesday, Cortes got right to work, replacing starter J.A. Happ with one out in the fourth inning. The left-hander allowed one of Happ's batters to score on a sacrifice fly, then fanned Jorge Polanco to end the inning. Otherwise, Cortes held the Twins to a solo home run by Nelson Cruz in the fifth. Cortes has moved between Triple-A and the big leagues this season, putting together a 4.20 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 39:14 K:BB over 15 appearances with the Yankees.

Odorizzi (11-5) was charged with the loss against the Yankees on Wednesday after surrendering nine runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out seven over four innings.

Odorizzi gave up a season-high nine runs after struggling with control. In all, the right-hander threw a first-pitch strike on just half of the 24 batters he faced. Didi Gregorius proved to be Odorizzi's nemesis after swatting an RBI double in the second inning and a two-run triple in the fourth. Aaron Hicks and Gleyber Torres also gave Odorizzi trouble with solo home runs in the third. It was the first time in his last six starts the 29-year-old failed to complete six innings. Odorizzi now owns a 3.84 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 108:36 K:BB for the season and will look to bounce back at Miami on Tuesday.

Stroman (6-11) allowed one run on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts across seven innings while taking a loss against the Indians on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old's bad fortune continued, as he actually lowered his ERA below 3.00 with this performance but continues to have almost twice as many losses as wins. Stroman has two victories in the last five weeks, and in both games, he didn't allow a run, which seemingly is what's required for him to capture a victory this season. Despite his 6-11 record, he owns a 2.96 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 99 strikeouts in 124.2 innings. Stroman will pitch next at the Royals on Tuesday.

Bieber (10-3) tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout during which he recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed just one walk in a 4-0 victory against the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

This was a heck of a way for Bieber to respond after giving up five runs in his last outing for the first time since the end of May. Bieber also pitched a complete-game shutout on May 19, and in that contest, he struck out a season-high 15 batters but also allowed five hits. This performance, which was his fourth straight decision ending in a victory, is up there with that one as perhaps Bieber's most dominating this season. He now owns a 3.44 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and .209 batting average against with 166 strikeouts in 133.1 innings this season. Bieber will pitch again Tuesday at home against the Astros.

Keller (7-9) allowed four hits and walked one while striking out three through seven scoreless innings to take the win over the Braves on Wednesday.

Keller shut down the Braves through seven innings and delivered his first major-league RBI. Keller has been hot in July, posting a 1.33 ERA with a 19:8 K:BB in four outings. The 23-year-old has a 3.95 ERA with a 6.4 K/9 and a 4.0 BB/9 through 22 starts. Keller will make his next start Monday against the Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium.

Means (8-6) allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four across 3.1 innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

Means labored through the short outing, though he didn't run into major trouble until the fourth inning. He allowed five of six batters in that frame to reach base, with the big blow coming on a three-run home run by Carson Kelly. This was Means' shortest outing of since he regularly became a member of the Orioles' rotation, and has started to show signs of wearing down by posting a 5.24 ERA across 22.1 innings in July. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, currently scheduled for Monday at San Diego.

Bassitt (7-5) was handed the loss Wednesday in Houston after surrendering four runs on five hits and zero walks over six innings. He struck out seven.

Bassitt pitched well for most of the afternoon, but George Springer and Jose Altuve each hit two-run home runs to provide the Astros all the offense they would need. The 30-year-old has a 4.09 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 90:36 K:BB through 94.2 innings this season, and he lines up to pitch against the Brewers early next week.