MLB Player News

Kluber will be skipped this weekend as the Indians look to line him up for the postseason, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Manager Terry Francona was adamant that Kluber is fine physically, which is reassuring after Kluber lasted only 1.2 innings Monday, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk against Tampa Bay. The team will go with Josh Tomlin, Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber (in that order) this weekend against Detroit while Kluber figures to slot back in to face the White Sox early next week.

Gonzales (neck) was activated ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday against the Padres.

Gonzales has been out since Aug. 22 with a strained neck. He had allowed 19 runs in 13 innings in his three starts prior to being shut down. He may be on a pitch count Tuesday as he didn't make a rehab start.

Montas was recalled as expected Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Montas' return was delayed as he had to wait 10 days after being optioned at the end of August. He's now back up and will provide the Athletics with an additional bullpen arm for the stretch run. He posted a solid 3.96 ERA in 11 major-league starts earlier this year, and he could be asked to jump into action as early as Tuesday as part of a "bullpen day" effort, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Sale (shoulder) was activated as expected Tuesday and will be used as the opener against the Blue Jays, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The original plan was for Sale to throw a pair of innings as the opener over the weekend, but he ended up needing a few more days. The Red Sox have an eight-game lead in the race for home-field advantage in the AL playoffs, so they can afford to be cautious with their ace. The plan is for him to throw two innings Tuesday and build up one inning at a time over the rest of the regular season. That leaves him unlikely to pitch the five innings required to get a win until his final start of the season.

Giolito allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three in a no-decision Monday against the Royals.

Giolito pitched from behind a lot, throwing first-pitch balls to 16 of 28 batters, but had his sinker working and induced 13 groundball outs to post the fifth quality start in his last six outings. It was a nice bounce-back performance for Giolito, who failed to get out of the second inning in his previous start. The right-hander will look for his first win in four starts Sunday at Baltimore.

Gibson (7-13) allowed one run on four hits and four walks across 5.2 innings Monday to take the loss against the Yankees. He struck out five.

Gibson threw just 53 percent of his pitches for strikes while tying his second-highest walk total of the season. He induced eight groundball outs as he kept the visitors at bay through the first five innings, but a solo home run from Gary Sanchez in the sixth was enough to put him on the hook for his 13th loss. Gibson was coming off a quality start in which he lost to the Astros and has now allowed just three earned runs over his last 12.2 innings. He'll take a respectable 3.67 ERA into this weekend's matchup with the Royals.

Kluber allowed four runs on five hits and one walk across 1.2 innings in a no-decision Monday against the Rays. He struck out four.

Kluber breezed through the first inning before running into trouble in the second, when he allowed four runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batsman before his removal with two outs. The Indians mounted a comeback to get him off the hook for a loss, though they ultimately fell in walkoff fashion. It was the second uncharacteristically poor start for Kluber in his last four, as he was also touched up for five runs across 5.1 innings against the Royals in late August. He still holds a 2.91 ERA for the season and will look to bounce back this weekend against the Tigers.

Verlander (15-9) allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out 10 over seven innings, picking up the win Monday against Detroit.

Verlander looked sharp yet again, surrendering a run in the second and another in the sixth prior to leaving the ballgame with a one-run lead. Following Monday's outing, he's recorded 10 or more strikeouts on 10 separate occasions in 2018. The 35-year-old sports a 2.72 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 258 punchouts through 195 frames this year.

Bridwell (elbow) will likely be recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake before the regular season ends, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Bridwell underwent surgery in July to remove bone spurs in his pitching elbow, and although it was thought that his season was over, manager Mike Scioscia stated there's a good chance he'll pitch in the big leagues in 2018. Bridwell appeared just once for the Angels this season, and he was rocked for six runs on seven hits across 1.2 innings in a spot start.

McKenzie will not pitch in the minor-league playoffs due to general fatigue, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The Indians understandably don't want to push one of their top prospects, so McKenzie will be unavailable to pitch in the postseason for Double-A Akron after compiling a shiny 2.68 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 87:28 K:BB across 16 starts (90.2 innings) for the RubberDucks during the regular season. He'll now turn his focus to the offseason. After impressing with Double-A, the 21-year-old McKenzie will have a chance to reach the majors in 2019 if he pitches well in his first taste of Triple-A.