MLB Player News

Mejia (biceps) is scheduled to toss a bullpen session Thursday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The news is an indication that Mejia has started throwing off flat ground again after a left biceps strain suffered during his Aug. 8 start against the Brewers resulted in his activity being limited for a little over a week. Though Mejia hasn't been sidelined for long, the Twins will still have the left-hander report to a minor-league affiliate for a rehab assignment before he's activated from the 10-day disabled list, likely at some point in September. If all goes well during the bullpen session, Mejia could face hitters a few days later and begin the rehab assignment as soon as Aug. 30 or 31.

Manager Terry Francona said Kluber (ankle) will have "no restrictions" for his start Wednesday against Boston, the Associated Press reports.

After a successful bullpen session Sunday, the Tribe's ace is full-go for his showdown against the powerful Red Sox lineup. That's good news, considering that Kluber leads the AL with 14 complete games and five shutouts over the past four seasons. The last time he faced off against the Sox was in last year's ALDS, when Kluber allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings.

The Twins selected Melville's contract from Triple-A Rochester and named him the starter for Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader with the White Sox, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The Twins will break in two new starters into the rotation for the twin bill, as Dillon Gee moves from a long-relief role to start the second game of the doubleheader. Since neither Adalberto Mejia (biceps) nor Dietrich Enns (shoulder) seems to be on track to return this week, the Twins will presumably have to decide between Melville and Gee to make a second start later in the week Saturday against the Blue Jays. That decision will likely come down to how both pitchers perform Monday. It'll be Melville's first big-league appearance of 2017; the 27-year-old has been a standout in the Rochester rotation this season, producing a 2.70 ERA and 64:23 K:BB over 66.2 innings.

Bundy is listed as the Orioles' probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com reports.

It will be the first appearance for Bundy since Aug. 12 after the Orioles deliberately held him out of action over the past week in an effort to control his innings. Bundy's long-term importance to the organization as well as his troubling injury history will likely prompt the Orioles to monitor his workload carefully and build in as many days of rest in between starts as possible over the final few weeks of the season. Despite the somewhat unpredictable pitching schedule, Bundy still shapes up as a strong play right now in most formats, as the extra time off seems to have done him wonders in recent outings. After delivering a 6.99 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across nine starts in June and July, Bundy has rebounded with victories in each of his first three turns in August while compiling a 2.14 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 25 strikeouts across 21 innings.

Miley will make his next start Monday against the Athletics, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com reports.

Miley had initially been scheduled to start the Orioles' game a day earlier against the Angels, but manager Buck Showalter opted to push the lefty back in the rotation to make room for Chris Tillman, who had been working out of the bullpen since Aug. 3. With Tillman pitching reasonably well Sunday, it's conceivable that Showalter could deploy a six-man rotation for the Orioles' upcoming six week, meaning Miley wouldn't be in line for two starts despite kicking off the proceedings for Baltimore. If Showalter does decide to streamline his rotation to put Miley on tap for a double dip during the week, the 30-year-old would still make for a risky lineup option in most formats, considering the 5.79 ERA and 1.55 WHIP he's supplied over seven starts since the All-Star break.

Hammel (6-9) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three batters through six innings during Sunday's win over Cleveland.

Hammel has now allowed three runs or fewer in 13 of his past 15 starts and entered Sunday's outing with a 3.89 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 7.2 K/9 through those previous 14 games. His fantasy ceiling is low, but he's currently providing reliable numbers that move the needle in most fantasy settings. Hammel lines up to face Cleveland at Progressive Field in his next start.

Gray (7-8) allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks across five innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Red Sox. He did not record a strikeout.

Gray struggled with the bottom of the lineup in this one, yielding a two-run triple to ninth-place hitter Jackie Bradley in the second inning. He battled out of trouble on several occasions, but that took a toll on his pitch count, with reached 101 by the end of the fifth inning. Though Gray's string of nine consecutive quality starts came to an end, he has still allowed no more than two earned runs in any of his four starts since moving over from Oakland. He will carry a sharp 3.38 ERA into Saturday's start against the Mariners.

Bridwell allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk across five innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Orioles. He struck out three.

Bridwell was only scored upon via a solo home run through the first five innings, but three hits and an error to begin the sixth inning produced three additional runs for the hosts. He induced an impressive eight groundball outs and issued just one walk, but the rally canceled his bid for his eighth win of the season. Bridwell has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 outings and will carry a sharp 2.92 ERA into Friday's matchup with the Astros.

Kluber (ankle) will make his scheduled start Wednesday against the Red Sox, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Kluber felt great following Sunday's bullpen session and is ready to take the mound when Cleveland faces Boston on Wednesday. Kluber has been terrific this season, and the month of August has been no exception. Since the start of the month he's made four starts, during which he's picked up four wins and posted a 1.78 ERA and 0.66 WHIP.

Snell (2-6) threw seven shutout innings and struck out eight batters in Sunday's victory over the Mariners.

After failing to pick up a win over his first 14 starts of the season, Snell has now won two straight games. He was dialed in Sunday and held Seattle to just two hits and walked only two batters. His numbers for the season (4.42 ERA and 1.44 WHIP) still leave much to be desired, but if he's figuring things out, he could take his unrefined yet immense talent to another level to close out the season. He'll next take the mound Friday when the Rays face the Cardinals in St. Louis.