MLB Player News

The Rays plan to bring Rasmussen (elbow) back as a reliever this season, Evan Closky of 10 Tampa Bay WTSP reports.

Rasmussen had an internal brace procedure on his right elbow last July. Between the Rays' rotation depth and the length of time it would take to build him back up as a starter, it makes sense that the righty is being viewed as a reliever in 2024. The plan will be to return Rasmussen to the rotation in 2025. Rasmussen is slated to throw a live batting practice session Saturday, with the goal to begin a rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break.

Estes (3-4) took the loss Tuesday, surrendering eight runs on seven hits and a walk over just 1.2 innings as the A's were downed 12-9 by the Red Sox. He struck out one.

Every Boston starting position player has at least one hit and one run by the end of the second inning, chasing Estes from the game in the process after 55 pitches (38 strikes). It was a hard crash back down to earth after he twirled a shutout against the Angels in his last start, but Tuesday's outing is more representative of the 22-year-old right-hander's level right now. Estes will carry a 5.53 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 44:14 K:BB through 57 innings into his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in Philadelphia.

Sale (12-3) got the win Tuesday over the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out nine over 5.1 innings.

Sale mowed down the Diamondbacks for his league-leading 12th win of the season. For reference, he entered this season with just 11 wins total dating back to the end of the 2019 campaign. Sale kept the Diamondbacks scoreless through five frames before a single and a triple in the sixth scored their first run and knocked Sale out of the game. A second run wound up being charged to the lefty before the inning ended. Sale has now allowed two runs or fewer in six straight starts and has piled up a 54:12 K:BB in 37.1 innings over that span. He now owns a 2.74 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 136:22 K:BB in 105 innings this year and is in line to make one final start before the All-Star break this weekend against the Padres.

Quintana (4-5) picked up the win in Tuesday's 7-5 victory over the Nationals, allowing only one hit and one walk over seven scoreless innings. He struck out five.

The veteran southpaw will be checking the calendar to see when he can face Washington again -- in back-to-back starts against the Mets' NL East foe, Quintana has spun 14 innings without giving up a run. The stingy performances have lowered his ERA on the season to 3.91, the first time it's been below 4.00 since late April. Quintana lines up for one more outing before the All-Star break during a home series against the Rockies this weekend.

Gilbert (6-5) got the win Tuesday over the Padres, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven over 7.2 innings.

All three runs against Gilbert came at the tail end of his outing. He allowed a solo home run to Jake Cronenworth in the seventh, and Kyle Higashioka added on with a two-run blast in the eighth to force Gilbert's exit from the game. Tuesday was just the third time this year he's allowed multiple home runs in a start, but also was the first time this season he's picked up a win while allowing more than one run. The 27-year-old recently was named an All-Star for the first time in his four-year career, and rightfully so, as he sports a 2.94 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 115:25 K:BB in 125.1 innings so far. He lines up for a Sunday start against the Angels this weekend before the league heads into the All-Star break.

Irvin (7-7) took the loss Tuesday, coughing up six runs on nine hits and two walks over six innings as the Nationals fell 7-5 to the Mets. He struck out two.

The right-hander dominated the Mets on July 4, but the Nats' NL East rivals got some revenge in the rematch, with a three-run homer by Brandon Nimmo in the second inning and a two-run blast by Francisco Lindor in the sixth accounting for most of the damage off Irvin. He hadn't served up multiple homers in a start since May 22, while the six runs allowed tied his season high. Irvin will take a 3.13 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 96:26 K:BB through 112 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road in Milwaukee this weekend.

Mazur (1-3) took the loss Tuesday against the Mariners, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six over 4.2 innings.

The six strikeouts were a career best for Mazur over his first seven major-league starts, but it was his fourth time giving up four or more runs, and he failed to reach five innings for the fifth time. The Mariners strung together a pair of runs against Mazur in the first two innings before opening up the game with homers in the third and fifth to make it a 5-0 ballgame. The 23-year-old now owns a 7.84 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and 21:19 K:BB in 31 innings. It's unclear if his next start will be in the majors or down in Triple-A, but it will come after the All-Star break.

Maeda allowed six runs on seven hits, a walk and two strikeouts over 2.2 innings in a no-decision Tuesday against the Guardians.

Maeda's rough stretch continued with yet another short outing, and he's now allowed 15 runs over his last two starts, a career high over a span of that length. The 36-year-old has allowed six or more runs on five occasions this season, tied with Kevin Gausman for most in MLB. Maeda's ERA has also jumped to 7.26, which is the highest by an American League pitcher with a minimum of 50 innings in 2024.

Scherzer allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits and struck out six without walking a batter over 6.2 innings, taking a no-decision Tuesday versus the Angels.

Scherzer allowed a pair of solo home runs to Logan O'Hoppe in the contest. This was Scherzer's second quality start in a row, and he threw 95 pitches (70 strikes). It appears he's clear for a full workload after easing back into action following a lengthy absence due to offseason back surgery as well as thumb and forearm issues. The right-hander is now at a 3.09 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB through 23.1 innings across four starts. The Rangers are off Thursday, so it is likely Scherzer is done for the first half of the campaign, which should afford him some extra rest before Texas hosts the Orioles coming out of the All-Star break.

Lively didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 9-8 extra-inning win over the Tigers, giving up six runs on seven hits, a walk and four strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Lively was given a healthy 6-0 lead on Tuesday but allowed a season-high six runs of his own. The 32-year-old has now given up multiple runs in five straight starts and has seen his ERA go from 2.59 to 3.59 over his last 27 innings. The no-decision snapped a streak of 11 straight appearances in which he factored in the decision, as he's accumulated a solid 8-4 record in 15 starts this season. Lively is scheduled for one more start prior to the All-Star break, Sunday against the Rays.