MLB Player News

McKenzie came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Royals, surrendering five runs on nine hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out seven.

He was taken deep twice by Bobby Witt and once by Hunter Renfroe as McKenzie dug a 5-0 hole through four innings, but the Guardians were able to climb out of it. The right-hander's suddenly having trouble keeping the ball in the park -- after serving up only six homers over his first nine starts of the season, McKenzie's coughed up multiple long balls in three straight outings and has a 7.04 ERA over that stretch. He'll try to turn things around in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in Miami.

Mazur didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Angels, allowing one run on two hits and four walks while striking out two over six innings.

Mazur didn't have his best command Tuesday but was able to limit the damage against him by inducing plenty of weak contact. He allowed four hard-hit balls on the night, and both hits against him went for singles, with one of those being an RBI knock by Luis Rengifo in the third. Aside from the walks, it was an impressive showing from the 23-year-old, who needed only 77 pitches to get through six frames. Mazur figures to get at least another turn through the rotation while the team deals with some injuries and lines up to take the mound over the weekend against the Diamondbacks.

Lugo came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the Guardians, coughing up five runs on six hits and a walk over six-plus innings. He struck out five.

Kansas City staked the veteran right-hander to a 5-0 lead, but homers by Josh Naylor in the bottom of the fourth inning and Tyler Freeman in the seventh fueled a Cleveland comeback. Lugo tossed 64 of 98 pitches for strikes before exiting, as he lasted at least six innings for the seventh time in his last eight trips to the mound, a stretch in which he sports a 2.19 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 57:12 K:BB through 53.1 innings. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Mariners.

Matz (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Recovering from a protruding disc in his lower back, Matz was cleared for a rehab start after completing two high-intensity bullpen sessions. He is slated for 40-to-45 pitches Thursday, so he will need at least one additional rehab start before coming off the 15-day injured list rejoining the Cardinals rotation. A mid-June return is on the table if Matz doesn't have any hiccups during his rehab assignment.

Ober (5-4) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on three hits, including a home run, and four walks over five innings against the Yankees. He struck out two.

Ober wasn't sharp against a Yankees lineup that is on a roll. The outing continued his recent struggles, as he has a 7.58 ERA with a 15:8 K:BB in his last 19 innings. Ober hasn't thrown more than five innings in any of his last four starts, making him a risky option in his next start, which lines up to come this weekend in Pittsburgh.

Winn (forearm) allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out six over 3.2 innings in a rehab appearance in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Tuesday.

The Giants had mulled the possibility of having Winn skip a rehab start and instead returning from the 15-day injured list and slotting back into the rotation Tuesday. While that didn't happen, Winn could just require the one rehab outing before rejoining the big club Sunday against the Rangers or Monday versus the Astros. The right-hander has been out since mid-May with a strained right forearm.

Eflin (back) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

As expected, Eflin will slot back into the rotation for the series finale in Miami after missing just over the minimum 15 days while recovering from lower-back inflammation. Because Eflin didn't head out on a minor-league rehab assignment while he was on the shelf, manager Kevin Cash acknowledged that the right-hander could face some light restrictions with his workload Wednesday, per MLB.com. Eflin threw a 40-pitch bullpen session consisting of two simulated innings Sunday, so Cash suggested that the Rays would wait and see how Eflin is feeling around the three-inning mark Wednesday before deciding how much longer he'll end up working.

Harrison dropped to 4-3 on the season in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the Diamondbacks, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and no walks while striking out five over six innings.

Harrison worked a pair of clean innings before the Diamondbacks opened up the third with four consecutive hits, leading to three runs, and then tacked on an unearned run in the fourth. Despite giving up some hard hits early, Harrison was able to buckle down and complete six innings for the first time since May 7. He also managed to not walk a batter for the first time since April 26. The 22-year-old has now given up 20 hits over his last 11 innings, though that also comes with a 10:1 K:BB. Harrison will carry a 4.18 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 65:22 K:BB into his next start, which projects to fall against Houston early next week.

Ray (elbow) struck out three in a scoreless inning Tuesday with the Arizona Complex League Giants in his first rehab appearance.

Ray yielded a double to top Mariners prospect Felnin Celesten but pitched around it by inducing three swinging strikeouts. Coming back from last May's Tommy John surgery, the 32-year-old Ray will require multiple outings as he builds back up. With a 30-day rehab window, it looks like he should make it back before the All-Star break.

Freeland (elbow) threw 40 pitches across two innings in a simulated game Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Freeland used all of his pitches and felt good afterward. He'll head to the team's facility in Arizona this weekend to face live hitters soon, though the exact timing for the next steps in his recovery aren't yet clear. Freeland remains on track for a return in late June.