MLB Player News

Lopez (11-8) earned the win Monday against the Royals, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks over six innings. He struck out five.

The Minnesota righty picked up his 12th quality start of the season with this 96-pitch effort. He looked to be in for a rough outing after allowing a solo homer -- his 22nd given up this season -- to Bobby Witt in the opening frame. However, Lopez settled in and generated a solid 15 whiffs en route to his fifth career win against Kansas City. The 28-year-old has been dependable since the All-Star break, going 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 28:6 K:BB over 31 innings. He is currently slated to face the Rangers on the road for his next start this weekend.

Singer (8-8) took the loss Monday, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings against Minnesota. He struck out nine.

Despite notching nine or more punchouts for the third time this season and allowing his first homer since the All-Star break, Kansas City right-hander was saddled with his second straight loss. Singer coughed up all six runs in a rough second inning that saw both Willi Castro and Royce Lewis launch homers. Overall, the 28-year-old now owns a 3.32 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 130:39 K:BB across 135.2 innings this season. He lines up to face the Reds in Cincinnati in his next start this weekend.

Bradley (6-7) took the loss Monday, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks over 4.1 innings against the Astros. He struck out six.

Bradley was mostly done in by a four-run third that was capped by a three-run blast off the bat of Yainer Diaz. Ultimately, Bradley was unable to escape the fifth, having allowed a total of six runs en route to his seventh loss. Following a 10-game stretch in which Bradley completed at least five innings during each start and allowed two or fewer runs nine times, Bradley has now failed to complete five in each of his last two while allowing a total of 11 earned runs. Despite his recent struggles, Bradley's season-long totals remain strong with a 3.49 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 112 strikeouts over 95.1 innings. His next opportunity is not slated to be any easier, as he's currently set to face off against the red-hot Diamondbacks in Tampa.

Valdez (12-5) earned the win Monday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over 5.2 innings against the Rays. He struck out nine.

Valdez allowed Taylor Walls to double his season total in extra-base hits but otherwise allowed just a couple of singles and a walk that tallied merely one run. Valdez was on track for a quality start, but a two-out walk left him at 101 pitches and his night ended one out shy of his 13th such effort on the season. The veteran lefty hasn't taken the loss during any of his last nine starts, going 7-0 with a 2.68 ERA and 1.12 WHIP while punching out 66 batters over 57 innings during that stretch. He's next slated to take the hill in a highly favorable home matchup against the fledgling White Sox.

Scherzer (shoulder) will undergo an MRI on Monday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Scherzer has missed nearly two weeks of action with right shoulder fatigue and has not progressed as hoped, so he's been sent back to Dallas for further evaluation, which will include an MRI. There might be more information available on Scherzer's status later Monday or perhaps Tuesday once the test results are in. He'll need to ramp things back up before returning, so even if the MRI comes back clean, it's going to be a while before Scherzer pitches for the Rangers again.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Monday that Garcia (elbow) has yet to resume a throwing program, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Garcia has had his rehab assignment shut down on two occasions because of soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow. While Espada wasn't ready to rule Garcia out for the remainder of the season, the skipper acknowledged Monday that the right-hander is running out of time to make it back in 2024. Even if Garcia is able to start ramping up again in the next week or two, he might not be able to complete a starter's throwing progression and could have to settle for a bullpen role once he returns from the 60-day injured list.

Criswell (illness) might not be ready for activation Friday, when he's first eligible to return from his seven-day stay on the COVID-19 injured list, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Criswell has dealt with some significant symptoms while on the COVID-19 IL, and while the Red Sox are hopeful that he can start Friday in Baltimore in place of James Paxton (calf), he sounds like he might need a bit more time to recover. Josh Winckowski would be a candidate to take the ball for Boston on Friday if Criswell isn't ready.

The Red Sox activated Bello (personal) from the paternity list Monday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Bello was away from the club over the weekend while welcoming a new child to the family, but he is back with the Red Sox to start Monday's game against the Rangers. The right-hander sports a nifty 45:12 K:BB over 40.1 innings since the start of July, although he's submitted a 4.46 ERA during that stretch.

The Red Sox placed Paxton on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right calf strain, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Paxton suffered the injury during Sunday's 10-2 loss to the Astros and required assistance off the field. The southpaw was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, but the severity of the calf strain has not yet been revealed. The Red Sox are likely to turn to either Josh Winckowski or Cooper Criswell (COVID-19 injured list) to serve as their new fifth starter in place of Paxton, who is first eligible to return from the IL on Aug. 27.

Heaney (4-12) took the loss Sunday against the Yankees after he gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

The left-hander labored throughout the contest and had given up two runs through his first four frames, but he departed with runners on the corners with two outs in the fifth inning and had those baserunners added to his tally when Giancarlo Stanton clubbed a three-run homer off Jose Leclerc. It's the second time in Heaney's past three starts that he's failed to complete five innings, and he's surrendered 10 runs (nine earned) between those two short outings. He has a 4.05 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 115:34 K:BB across 120 innings this season and tentatively lines up for a matchup with Minnesota this weekend.