MLB Player News

Keller (8-6) allowed one run on four hits in a win over the White Sox on Tuesday, striking out six and walking two in seven innings.

Keller allowed just one extra-base hit in Tuesday's contest and all six of his strikeouts were swinging strikeouts. He's now tossed three consecutive quality starts and over his last eight starts Keller is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA. The young righty has brought his season ERA down to 3.04 and carries a 1.30 WHIP with 87 punchouts in 127.1 innings on the year. If the Royals stick to their current six-man rotation, Keller would be in line to take on the Pirates in Pittsburgh in his next start.

Sale (shoulder inflammation) pitched a scoreless inning in Tuesday's start against the Blue Jays, giving up one hit while striking out two.

After being out since Aug. 12, Sale was slated for roughly two innings, but after 26 pitches in the first frame the Red Sox opted to pull their ace. Sale continued tossing in the bullpen after exiting as he continues to try to rebuild his arm strength for the postseason. There has been speculation that his shoulder issue is very minor and the Red Sox are just going with this plan of attack in order to have him as fresh as possible for October. Nonetheless, he is only expected to build up his workload by an inning each outing. He is slated to start again Sunday against the Mets, and while he could reach three innings if he is efficient, those considering deploying him in fantasy should know he won't go deep enough to qualify for the win.

Valdez allowed four runs on five hits and four walks across four innings during Tuesday's win against the Tigers. He struck out three and did not factor in the decision.

Valdez gave up all four runs during the fourth inning, including a three-run home run to JaCoby Jones. The left-hander has issued three or more walks in four straight starts, which is one reason why he has yet to complete six innings.

Cobb (finger) exited Tuesday's game due to a blister, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Cobb was scheduled to start Sunday but it was pushed back due to the blister, and then he left Tuesday's game after two innings due to the same issue. Manager Buck Showalter listed the 30-year-old as day-to-day, so his status for the next turn through the rotation -- Sunday against the White Sox -- remains up in the air.

Cobb left Tuesday's start against the Athletics after throwing 30 pitches (16 strikes) over two innings, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Cobb was originally scheduled to start Sunday against the Rays, but it was pushed to Tuesday due to a blister issue. The 30-year-old allowed one hit and a walk while striking out two over two scoreless innings. Tuesday's early exit seems likely to stem from the same issue, although the team has yet to make an official announcement.

Bridwell (elbow) was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

As expected, Bridwell is back with the Angels for the final stretch of the season after fully recovering from elbow surgery he underwent in July. The right-hander, who was rocked for six runs on seven hits in his lone appearance for the big club this season, will be immediately available out of the bullpen for Los Angeles.

Lynn is scheduled to start Sunday against the Blue Jays, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Lynn's rotation spot was in question after Sonny Gray was given Tuesday's start, but Lynn will slot back into a starting role this weekend. The 31-year-old right-hander has been inconsistent since joining the Yankees at the beginning of August, posting a 4.79 ERA and 46:10 K:BB across 41.1 innings (eight appearances, seven starts). If Lynn doesn't perform well Sunday, there's a chance he could get moved to the bullpen for the remainder of the season.

Stroman (finger) will probably not pitch again this season, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Stroman was able to make just one short start in early September after missing a pair of starts due to a blister. The blister limited him to just 1.2 innings in his first start back, and with the Blue Jays firmly out of the playoff race, it appears that they'll choose to shut him down and look ahead to 2019. The 27-year-old will wind up with an ugly 5.54 ERA in a season in which he was limited by multiple injuries to just 19 starts. His underlying numbers give him a 3.91 FIP, however -- a near match for the 3.90 FIP he posted last season.

Gonzales is expected to be on a pitch count of about 75 pitches Tuesday against the Padres, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Gonzales missed a pair of starts with a strained neck and did not make a rehab start, so he'll likely be eased back into action. He's set to square off against Bryan Mitchell in his first start since Aug. 22.

McCullers (forearm) threw a 40-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers was pain-free after the session. He's expected to throw live batting practice at some point over the weekend. That puts him around a week away from returning to the team, so he should have time to throw at least a few innings out of the bullpen before the end of the regular season, barring setbacks.