MLB Player News

Sheehan pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Mariners in 11 innings. He struck out five batters and allowed one hit and no walks.

Clayton Kershaw drew the start for Los Angeles but was held to a reduced workload, tossing just 56 pitches over four scoreless frames. Sheehan took over to start the fifth inning and built upon the legendary lefty's strong outing, tossing three scoreless frames of his own. Sheehan had his swing-and-miss stuff working, racking up 15 whiffs on just 39 pitches and punching out five batters. It's not clear how the Dodgers plan to deploy him moving forward, but a piggyback role in the postseason is a possibility given Kershaw's recent shoulder troubles and the team's overall lack of rotation options.

According to Yankees coach Aaron Boone, Montas (shoulder) will throw one inning for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

This development comes as a surprise considering Montas hasn't seen any game action in the majors or minors this season and is very unlikely to be activated by the Yankees with two weeks remaining in the campaign. The right-hander has been a massive disappointment since New York gave up multiple prospects for him last August, making just eight regular-season starts and posting a 6.35 ERA. Montas will be a free agent after the season, so the primary benefit of this and any other rehab appearances down the stretch could be the opportunity for him to prove that he is healthy.

Wentz is slated to work in bulk relief behind Miguel Diaz in Sunday's game against the Angels, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Diaz is expected to work only an inning or two before turning the game over to Wentz, who is essentially making his second straight turn through the rotation. While serving as a traditional starter in his last appearance Tuesday, Wentz took a no-decision while giving up five runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks over 2.2 frames. The Tigers will be hoping that the opener/bulk-pitcher arrangement between Diaz and Wentz yields more favorable results Sunday.

Shuster was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Shuster was called up to start Saturday in Miami but will return to the minors after he surrendered five runs (four earned) across three innings. The rookie left-hander has a 5.64 ERA and 30:26 K:BB across 11 starts (52.2 innings) this season.

Brito (8-7) earned the win over Pittsburgh on Saturday, striking out three batters over three perfect innings out of the bullpen.

Luke Weaver handled the first four frames for New York, with Brito taking over in the fifth. Brito rolled through nine batters, fanning three and throwing 32 of 47 pitches for strikes. The rookie right-hander was up-and-down in a starting role earlier this season, but he seems to have found his groove recently as a bulk reliever. Since moving into that role Aug. 24, Brito has posted a 1.06 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 14:4 K:BB over 17 innings across six appearances while picking up four wins against one loss.

Waldichuk, who was originally slated for a conventional start Sunday against the Padres, will now serve as the primary pitcher behind opener Joe Boyle, who is expected to be called up from Triple-A Las Vegas, MLB.com reports.

Waldichuk served as a bulk reliever in his most recent appearance last Sunday against the Astros and turned in a gem, spinning a six-inning no-hit effort. The left-hander hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in an appearance of any kind since Aug. 1, generating a 1-0 record and 1.91 ERA over the 37.2 innings covering his subsequent seven outings. Given that Waldichuk is fully stretched out for a starter's workload, he could end up getting 5-to-6 innings Sunday, depending on how long Boyle stays in the game.

Boyle is expected to be called up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday to serve as the Athletics' opening pitcher in the series finale against the Padres, MLB.com reports.

Boyle was a fifth-round pick of the Reds in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft and ultimately made his way to Oakland at the trade deadline via a three-team deal that sent Jace Peterson to the Diamondbacks and Sam Moll to Cincinnati. The towering right-hander has impressed since arriving in the Athletics organization, making three starts apiece for Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas and posting a 2.16 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 46 strikeouts across 33.1 innings. However, control has been an issue at times, as Boyle has also issued 18 walks over that span. The 24-year-old most recently covered six innings for Las Vegas on Sept. 10 and could be able to offer more length than the typical opener, though he's still not expected to stay in the game long enough to qualify for the win. Ken Waldichuk, who had originally been slated to serve as a conventional starter Sunday, will now operate as a primary pitcher behind Boyle.

Shuster did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks over three innings against Miami. He struck out two.

It was a disastrous beginning for Shuster as the rookie surrendered a home run to Luis Arraez to lead off the bottom of the first followed by a three-run homer to Yuli Gurriel just three batters later. The lefty would then go 1-2-3 through the second inning before allowing a fifth run in the third, though only four of the runs were earned. In his first start since being recalled to the majors, Shuster saw his command issues resurface, and he's now allowed four earned runs in each of his last three big-league outings. He's also given up two home runs in two of his last three starts.

Miller (0-1) took the loss as the opener against the Padres on Saturday, allowing two earned runs on two hits and three walks over one inning. He struck out two.

As his final line implies, Miller's one frame had a bit of everything, and the rookie struggled with his location plenty while firing only 17 of his 33 pitches in for strikes. Miller's ERA rose to 3.42 with the rocky outing, which saw him allow three of the first four hitters he faced to reach base before he somewhat steadied with a pair of strikeouts, although those came around two walks. Miller had posted four scoreless innings with a 6:1 K:BB across his first two appearances after returning from a long stint on the injured list, so Saturday's forgettable performance may prove to be an outlier. The right-hander is expected to log several more opener assignments, at minimum, before the conclusion of the season.

Waldron (1-3) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk over 5.1 innings against the Athletics while striking out five.

Waldron allowed at least one man to reach base in all six innings in which he appeared but was mostly able to pitch his way out of trouble and keep the Padres in the game. The rookie right-hander matched his season high with five strikeouts in the contest en route to recording his first career win. He has, however, allowed at least one home run in all six of his starts this season.