MLB Player News

Sale (14-4) fired eight scoreless innings in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Rays, scattering two hits and a walk while striking out 13.

Tampa didn't get a runner on base until the fourth inning and never got one into scoring position, as Sale bounced back from his worst start of the year to deliver one of his best. The lefty has now held the opposition scoreless in five of his last seven outings and fanned double-digit batters in seven of his last 10. He'll next take the mound Sunday for a crucial AL East battle in the Bronx against the Yankees.

Mejia allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out three over three-plus innings during Tuesday's game against the Brewers. He left the game with left lateral upper-arm pain in top of the fourth inning.

Mejia was able to navigate through the first three innings with just one run on his ledger, but ran into a bit of trouble in the fourth. The 24-year-old allowed back-to-back singles to the first two batters of the inning before stepping off the mound and calling for the team's trainer. After a short meeting with the trainer, Mejia was promptly removed from the contest with an upper-arm injury. His fastball velocity dipped into the 80s, so the ailment was clearly affecting his delivery. The young lefty is scheduled to face off against the Tigers on Sunday, but his availability for that contest hinges on the severity of the arm injury that he sustained Tuesday. He'll be evaluated with an update to come after the game.

McCullers (back) played catch in Houston on Monday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

This is an encouraging development, as it was the first time McCullers has thrown since landing on the disabled list at the end of July. Still, the 23-year-old remains without a timetable for his return, and the Astros will likely continue to proceed cautiously with him given his injury history. Brad Peacock will continue to fill in for him in the rotation while he's sidelined.

Cobb (toe) said he expects to return from the disabled list after the minimum 10-day stay, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cobb said he could have ultimately pitched through the issue, but the Rays decided to take care of it before it possibly got worse. With the new 10-day DL, the 29-year-old would only have to miss one start if he in fact does return when he is first eligible (Aug. 16). In the meantime, Blake Snell will take his turn in the rotation.

Snell was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday and is expected to start Thursday against the Indians.

With Alex Cobb on the DL with turf toe, Snell was summoned back to the big club to take his next turn in the rotation. The 24-year-old compiled a 4.98 ERA and 64:41 K:BB through 14 starts (72.1 innings) with the Rays before being sent back to the minors, so he'll look to put together a better showing in what could be his only start before heading back to the minors.

Cobb was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with turf toe in his right big toe.

It's not entirely clear when the injury cropped up on Cobb as he threw six innings of one-run ball during his last outing, but the issue is serious enough to warrant a stay on the DL. The move is retroactive to Aug. 6, making him eligible to return Aug. 16 if he's ready by then. Blake Snell was recalled from Triple-A and will take his turn in the rotation for the time being.

Bundy (11-8) allowed two runs on five hits while striking out 10 batters through seven innings during Monday's win over the Angels.

This was a season-best outing from Bundy, as he continues to provide serviceable fantasy results with a 4.15 ERA and 1.19 WHIP for the year. Monday's 10 punchouts -- his highest total of 2017 -- were definitely a welcome boost, too. Considering his injury history, there's potential for the Orioles to be cautious with Bundy through the end of the season, which is something to keep in mind. He's now thrown a career-high 134.1 innings, after all. That said, until there are whispers of shutting him down or an innings limit, it's not a concern. Bundy lines up to make his next start against the Athletics at Oakland Coliseum on Saturday.

Ramirez (10-10) allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out just two batters through seven innings during Monday's loss to Baltimore.

Ramirez held the Orioles to just two runs through six frames before allowing a grand slam to Manny Machado in the seventh inning. Considering that Monday's final result wasn't necessarily reflective of his mound work and also interrupted a standout three-game stretch (three earned runs through 20.2 innings), overreacting to this showing is probably ill-advised. His strikeout upside is capped (6.7 K/9), but with a 4.21 ERA and 1.32 WHIP for the campaign, he's still a serviceable fantasy asset, particularly in deeper settings. A date against the Mariners at Safeco Field is up next for Ramirez.

Nolasco allowed five runs on nine hits with three walks and five strikeouts over four-plus innings in Sunday's no-decision against Oakland.

Nolasco was removed after 94 pitches following a leadoff double that came around to score against Los Angeles' bullpen in the fifth inning. Despite his poor numbers, the veteran right-hander actually had his team in position to win until an eighth-inning collapse turned a 10-6 lead into an 11-10 loss. With a 5.09 ERA and 1.44 WHIP, Nolasco's best avoided in his next start Friday in Seattle.

Gonzales came away with a no-decision Sunday in Kansas City despite allowing five runs on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts over four-plus innings.

Seattle surely would have preferred to see more length from Felix Hernadez's (biceps) fill-in with another game scheduled for later in the day, but the team did manage to eke out an 8-7 win after using seven relievers. Gonzales was spotted a 7-0 lead through two innings, but he gave two runs back on a Whit Merrifield home run in the third and allowed the first three batters in the fifth to reach base before being pulled. He'll get another chance Friday against the Angels.