MLB Player News

Toussaint cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Toussaint was dropped from Chicago's 40-man roster Tuesday after accumulating a 7.43 ERA and 2.30 WHIP across 23 innings with the big-league squad. He'll remain with the organization as minor-league bullpen depth, though his chances of making it back to the majors before the end of the year are slim.

Abbott (shoulder) began a throwing program Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Abbott was shut down for nearly two weeks with a left shoulder strain but has been cleared to ramp things back up again. It's going to take him a while to be built back up to start a game for the Reds, but the hope is that he can make it back before the end of the season. Abbott has collected a 3.72 ERA and 114:52 K:BB over 138 innings covering 25 starts for Cincinnati in 2024.

The Yankees activated Gil (back) from the 15-day injured list Thursday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

Gil will rejoin the rotation Friday with a start against the Cubs after missing the last two weeks with lower-back discomfort. He went just 3.2 innings but threw 80 pitches in his lone rehab start, so Gil is mostly stretched out. The Yankees could look to shift Gil to relief later in September and perhaps even use him as their closer, but for now, the right-hander will be part of what appears to be a six-man rotation.

Greene (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Thursday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It would appear to be the first time he's thrown off a mound since he went down with right elbow inflammation in mid-August. As long as Greene gets through Thursday's bullpen session with no hiccups, he will have another one Sunday. The righty will continue to be built back up as he aims to rejoin the Reds' rotation before the end of the season, but he would appear to still be at least a couple weeks away.

The Phillies plan to recall Johnson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start Sunday's game in Miami, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Acquired from the Orioles in July, Johnson has posted a 2.33 ERA and 83:42 K:BB over 88.2 innings between the Double- and Triple-A levels in 2024. He's allowed just one run in three starts since joining Lehigh Valley last month. Johnson will be making his major-league debut Sunday, joining the rotation as the Phillies' new No. 5 starter in place of Tyler Phillips, who was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday.

Megill came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Red Sox, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk over four-plus innings. He struck out three.

The Mets handed the right-hander a four-run lead in the bottom of the first inning on a Jesse Winker grand slam, but he nearly squandered it in the third. When Megill then gave up a leadoff single to begin the fifth, manager Carlos Mendoza went to his bullpen. Megill hasn't pitched terribly since rejoining the big-league rotation at the end of August, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 9:2 K:BB in 9.1 innings over two outings, but he's likely headed to the bullpen with Paul Blackburn (hand) on track to return early next week.

Houck (8-10) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk over five innings as the Red Sox fell 8-3 to the Mets. He struck out seven.

The right-hander came out flat, loading the bases before recording his first out and then serving up a grand slam to Jesse Winker. Houck shook it off and didn't allow another run, but Boston couldn't climb out of the early hole. It's the first time in a month that Houck wasn't able to last at least six innings, a five-start stretch in which he'd posted a 3.23 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 20:11 K:BB through 30.2 innings, but he remains winless in nine outings since the All-Star break. Houck will look for a better result in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Orioles.

Birdsong (3-5) was charged with the loss against Arizona on Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and five walks over three innings while striking out four.

It wasn't a great outing for Birdsong as the right-hander issued back-to-back walks to open the contest, followed by an RBI single to Josh Bell with one out. The 23-year-old would then give up a leadoff homer to Eugenio Suarez in the following frame and needed 77 pitches to get through three innings before being relieved by Spencer Bivens to open the fourth. Birdsong has now failed to make it through four innings in back-to-back starts while surrendering seven runs over that stretch. His five walks Wednesday also marked a season high and he's allowed four or more free passes in three-consecutive outings.

Gallen (11-6) picked up the win over the Giants on Wednesday, allowing four walks and no hits over six shutout innings. He struck out eight.

Gallen cruised through the opening frame before issuing three walks in the second, though he was still able to escape without allowing any damage. The right-hander would then go 1-2-3 through each of the next three innings and struck out six of the final 10 batters he faced before being relieved by Kevin Ginkel to open the seventh -- despite the former not allowing any hits up to that point. Gallen has now hurled six shutout innings in two of his last three starts, though he also issued four walks in both of those standout performances. Furthermore, he's now walked multiple batters in six-consecutive outings.

Varland (0-6) took the loss Wednesday, surrendering eight runs on five hits and a walk over 2.1 relief innings as the Twins were downed 9-4 by the Rays. He struck out one.

After Ronny Henriquez worked a scoreless inning as Minnesota's opener, Varland got the call and sailed through two perfect frames of his own before the wheels came off in the fourth. Some questionable defense contributed to the disaster, including the right-hander's own throwing error on a pickoff attempt, and a two-run homer by Yandy Diaz finally ended Varland's night. The Twins don't get a day off until Sept. 12, so they may continue rolling with a six-man rotation, but there's no guarantee Varland will be the sixth man after this performance left him with a 7.62 ERA and 1.69 WHIP for the season. If he does get another turn, either as a starter or bulk reliever, he lines up to take the mound at home early next week against the Angels.