MLB Player News
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Lance McCullers SP | HOU
Astros' Lance McCullers: Unlikely to return in September
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.
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Simeon Woods Richardson RP | MIN
Twins' Simeon Woods Richardson: Best outing of career
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.
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Carlos Rodon SP | NYY
Yankees' Carlos Rodon: Takes ninth loss
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.
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Sean Burke P | CHW
White Sox's Sean Burke: Tosses four frames in bulk role
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.
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Jack Leiter P | TEX
Rangers' Jack Leiter: Fades in ninth loss
Leiter (9-9) allowed six runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out four over 6.2 innings to take the loss versus the Astros on Monday.
Leiter gave up a two-run home run to Zach Cole in the fifth inning just after the Rangers had grabbed their first lead of the game. Leiter was then charged with two more runs in the seventh, though mistakes by the Rangers' defense throughout the game allowed the right-hander to still secure a quality start. He's given up no more than three earned runs in each of his last 15 starts, though six of those outings have been shorter than five innings. Leiter is at a decent 3.82 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 134:65 K:BB through 139 innings across 27 starts this season. He is tentatively projected for a home matchup versus the Marlins this weekend.
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Kyle Bradish SP | BAL
Orioles' Kyle Bradish: Punches out nine in first win
Bradish (1-1) earned the win Monday, allowing a run on four hits and four walks over five innings in a 4-1 victory over the White Sox. He struck out nine.
Bradish matched his walk total from his first three outings with four free passes Monday, but he still missed bats and worked through the White Sox lineup effectively. The right-hander has been sharp despite an abbreviated 2025 season following Tommy John surgery, carrying a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 12.3 K/9 across 22 innings.
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Jason Alexander SP | HOU
Astros' Jason Alexander: Falls short of five-inning mark
Alexander allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out five over 4.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Monday.
Alexander allowed all three runs in the fifth inning, allowing Texas to briefly gain a 3-2 lead before Zach Cole restored Houston's advantage a half-inning later. This was the first time since July 29 that Alexander failed to finish five innings, as he's largely been a reliable part of the Astros' rotation in the second half. He's now at a 4.04 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 60:24 K:BB through 71.1 innings over 16 appearances (11 starts) between the Astros and the Athletics this year. He's tentatively projected for a home start versus the Mariners this weekend.
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Joe Boyle SP | TB
Rays' Joe Boyle: Quality start in return
Boyle took a no-decision in Monday's 2-1 extra-innings loss to Toronto, allowing three hits and no walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out five.
Boyle was recalled from Triple-A Durham for this start and posted arguably the best performance of his three-year career against the division-leading Blue Jays. The right-handed flamethrower generated a respectable 11 whiffs out of his 78 total pitches to notch his first quality start of the season. Across 42.2 total frames, Boyle now sports a 4.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 44:21 K:BB. If he remains in the rotation, his next start would line up to either come against Boston at home this weekend or on the road at Baltimore early next week.
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Trey Yesavage SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage: Dazzles in debut
Yesavage took a no-decision in Monday's extra-innings win at Tampa Bay, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out nine.
The rookie right-hander set a new Blue Jays record by notching nine punchouts in his MLB debut. Yesavage featured a three-pitch mix anchored by a four-seam fastball that averaged 94.6 mph. The East Carolina product generated an astounding 19 whiffs out of his 69 total pitches, living up to the hype generated by his 41.4 percent K-rate in 98 minor-league innings across four stops. The only blemish on Yesavage's line was scored via a Yandy Diaz RBI double in the first. Given the positives from this performance, the 22-year-old is likely to stick in the Toronto rotation and could line up to pitch this weekend at Kansas City.
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Sean Burke P | CHW
White Sox's Sean Burke: Set for bulk-relief role
Burke will pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Tyler Gilbert in Monday's game against the Orioles, Jack Antony of SI.com reports.
The White Sox called up Burke from Triple-A Charlotte last week to fill the opening in the rotation, and the right-hander served as a traditional starter in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Rays. He took a no-decision in that outing, striking out five while allowing three earned runs on five hits -- including two home runs -- and four walks over 4.1 innings. Since Gilbert is unlikely to cover more than an inning or two before exiting the contest, Burke should have a good chance at matching the workload he handled in his previous appearance as a starter, and he could deliver better results since he'll likely be facing the bottom of the Baltimore lineup when he enters the contest.