Pepiot (11-11) allowed four runs on four hits and three walks over 1.2 innings Tuesday, striking out three and taking a loss against the Blue Jays.

Pepiot missed his last scheduled start due to fatigue and clearly didn't have his best stuff Tuesday. He gave up a run in the first inning before Toronto plated three in the second. He tied his shortest outing of the year by recording only five outs, and his season ERA jumped from 3.59 to 3.77. On a positive note, his fastball sat at 95.5 mph, up slightly from his season average of 95.1 mph. Pepiot entered Tuesday on a 15-inning scoreless streak, but he hasn't produced a quality start since July 27. He's currently projected to face the Red Sox at home this weekend.

Kolek is slated to start Thursday's game versus the Mariners in Kansas City, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Following his Sept. 4 call-up from Triple-A Omaha, Kolek will be making his third straight turn through the rotation. The Royals will return Michael Wacha (personal) from the paternity list Tuesday and Cole Ragans (shoulder) from the injured list Wednesday, but Kolek will pick up another start after Seth Lugo (back) recently succumbed to a setback that could jeopardize his availability for the remainder of the season. Over his last two outings, Kolek has produced a 1.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 8:2 K:BB in 13.2 innings.

Lugo (back) did not respond well to his bullpen session Monday, so he will be shut down for a few more days, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lugo was looking at a possible return in the middle of the week, but Cole Ragans is set to start Wednesday and Stephen Kolek will now take the mound Thursday. Given the setback, Lugo's next start may not come until next week, if he's able to return at all before the end of the regular season.

The Royals activated Wacha (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Wacha missed his last outing after suffered a concussion in an off-field incident, but he's since been cleared and will rejoin the rotation with a start Tuesday versus the Mariners. The veteran right-hander holds a 2.89 ERA in nine second-half starts, though he's managed only 33 strikeouts across 53 innings.

Perales (elbow) will make his first appearance with Triple-A Worcester this week, Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports.

Perales threw a scoreless inning with Double-A Portland on Saturday, which was his first outing since June 2024 Tommy John surgery. The 22-year-old will make at least one appearance with Worcester and is scheduled to pitch in the Arizona Fall League to accumulate some innings. Perales has electric stuff and could be ready to debut for the Red Sox at some point in 2026.

Skubal (side) is listed as the Tigers' scheduled starter for Thursday's game against the Guardians, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Skubal had to be removed from his last start against the Marlins with left side tightness, but imaging came back clean. According to manager A.J. Hinch, Skubal threw his normal between-starts bullpen session Monday without issue, MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM reports. The Tigers will undoubtedly keep a close eye on their ace, but Skubal's fantasy managers can lock the southpaw into their lineup.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that McCullers (hand) isn't expected to return from the 15-day injured list before the end of the regular season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. "There's a chance that this is the last that we've seen of him," Brown said. "Is it possible he could get back for the last couple games? There's probably an outside chance, but highly unlikely."

McCullers was placed on the IL on Friday due to right hand soreness, and while his injury doesn't appear to be considered serious, he looks like he'll need more than the minimum 15 days to move past the issue. Brown noted that McCullers' "name will come up" in discussions about the Astros' roster for a potential postseason run, but given how the 31-year-old righty performed as a reliever after losing his spot in the rotation in late August, it's difficult to envision Houston turning to him in the playoffs. McCullers was charged with five runs (three earned) on six hits and four walks over four innings across his three low-leverage relief appearances prior to landing on the IL.

Woods Richardson (7-4) earned the win Monday, allowing two hits and three walks over six scoreless innings against the Yankees. He struck out 11.

Woods Richardson turned in a career outing Monday, reaching double-digit strikeouts for the first time in the majors. The 24-year-old was once seen as a high-upside pitching prospect, but he was traded twice before reaching the majors, and the shine came off a bit, as his fastball velocity backed up. He's averaging a career-best 93.3 mph with his fastball this year, but his 11.8 K-BB% is still middling. Across 21 appearances this season, he holds a 4.31 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 100.1 innings.

Rodon (16-9) took the loss Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over six innings against Minnesota. He struck out four.

Rodon delivered a quality start but was saddled with his ninth loss as New York's offense failed to score in Monday's defeat. The southpaw has been excellent of late, holding opponents to two runs or fewer in each of his past eight outings. During this stretch he's traded strikeout volume for run prevention, posting a 6.5 K/9 compared to his 9.4 mark on the season.

Burke allowed a run on two hits and four walks while striking out four over four innings in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Orioles.

Tyler Gilbert opened for Burke, who worked through traffic and limited the damage to just one run, his first outing holding opponents to a single score since July 2. The right-hander hasn't been flashy but has taken the ball consistently for the White Sox, posting a 4.29 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 126 innings in 26 appearances, 21 of which have been starts.