MLB Player News

McKenzie (elbow) struck out four and gave up one run on one hit and one walk over three innings in a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Akron.

McKenzie tossed 44 pitches in his first appearance at any level since he was shut down in late June with a right UCL sprain. Both he and Shane Bieber -- who tossed 3.2 innings for Akron on Tuesday -- appear to be on similar timelines for returns from the 60-day injured list, though both hurlers are likely to require at least one more rehab start or simulated game before being activated. Though McKenzie is tracking toward a return to the Cleveland rotation in late September, his innings and pitch counts could be monitored carefully down the stretch. The Guardians face long odds to unseat the Twins atop the AL Central and may not be incentivized to fully unleash McKenzie and Bieber in the final two weeks of the season if a playoff spot is out of reach.

Paddack (elbow) struck out six over four innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits and no walks in a rehab start Tuesday with Double-A Wichita.

In his second rehab appearance as he gears up for a return from Tommy John surgery, Paddack tossed 58 pitches and relayed after the game that he feels "outstanding," per MLB.com. Paddack was scheduled to throw a bullpen session later this week before heading to Triple-A St. Paul, where he's expected to make his next rehab appearance in a relief role. If all goes well during the upcoming appearance, Paddack could be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as Sept. 22 to fill a multi-inning role out of the Minnesota bullpen.

Ober was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Ober will make a spot start for the Twins on Friday against the White Sox as the Twins give their regular rotation members a little breather in the final month of the regular season. The right-hander struck out three over five innings of one-run ball in his last start for St. Paul. Ober posted a 2.61 ERA for the Twins in the first half but was demoted after holding a 5.85 ERA in eight starts after the All-Star break.

Bradish (11-7) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on seven hits over seven innings against the Rays. He struck out five without issuing a walk.

After giving up three runs on four hits in the third inning, the 27-year-old righty retired 13 consecutive Rays before Luke Raley's decisive solo homer in the seventh inning handed Bradish his first loss since July 26. In seven starts between losses, he went 5-0 with a 2.38 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 50:12 K:BB across 41.2 impressive innings. Bradish is currently lined up to face another tough lineup when the Orioles travel to Houston next week.

Perez (5-5) took the loss Thursday, allowing three runs on five hits over 4.2 innings against the Brewers while striking out seven and not issuing any walks.

Perez got off to a solid start, striking out five of the first nine batters he faced before surrendering a leadoff double to William Contreras in the fourth, which would lead to one run coming home for Miami in the frame. The young right-hander would then go on to allow another two runs in the fifth before being relieved by George Soriano, marking the fourth time in his last seven starts that he's failed to make it through five innings. Perez has not won a start since June 25 and currently holds a 5.02 ERA in September to go along with a 16:6 K:BB.

Civale did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk over five innings against the Orioles. He struck out eight.

After surrendering solo home runs in the second and fourth frames, Civale escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth, limiting the damage to just one run in the inning. The 28-year-old hasn't thrown more than 5.1 innings in any of his last five starts and despite an impressive 13.1 K/9, posting a 5.33 ERA across 25.1 innings during that stretch that has caused his season-long ERA to rise above 3.00 for the first time since early July. He will likely take the mound next in an upcoming home matchup with the Angels.

Houser (6-4) earned the win Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings against Miami while striking out five. He did not issue any walks.

Houser allowed a leadoff double to Luis Arraez to open the game, eventually leading to one run coming across for Miami in the first. The right-hander then retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced before surrendering a second run in the fifth. It was a solid outing for Houser in his return from the 15-day injured list (elbow), and he's now allowed three or fewer runs in three of his last four starts. He's also won three of his last four decisions (spanning six starts).

Lively allowed three runs on four hits over 4.1 innings against the Tigers on Thursday. He struck out four and did not issue any walks.

Lively set down the Tigers in order after relieving Sam Moll to open the third inning but immediately ran into trouble in the fourth, yielding three consecutive hits -- including a two-run home run to Akil Baddoo. The right-hander hit another snag in the seventh, surrendering a leadoff single while also allowing a batter to reach due to a throwing error. It wasn't a great outing for Lively in his return from the COVID-19 injured list, and he's now allowed at least three runs in each of his last three appearances dating back to Aug. 1. He's also given up at least one home run in six consecutive outings.

Gausman (11-9) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and six walks over 4.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out five.

The 32-year-old ace endured a tough outing Thursday, issuing a season-high six walks. Corey Seager led the the charge for the Rangers with a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run double in the second, while Jonah Heim added a solo homer in the third. This marked the second time in three September starts that Gausman failed to complete five innings, inflating his ERA to 4.15 and WHIP to 1.35 across 56.1 second-half innings. Despite the inconsistency, he has maintained impressive strikeout numbers this season, boasting an 11.6 K/9 while accumulating an AL-leading 222 punchouts in 172 innings. He is expected to get his next start in New York against a struggling Yankees' offense.

Eovaldi did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over 3.1 innings against Toronto. He struck out three.

The 33-year-old had another short outing and surrendered a two-run homer to Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning. The silver lining is that Eovaldi fired 73 pitches, his most in three starts since returning from the injured list Sept. 5, as he continues to build back up to a normal workload. In the right-hander's previous two outings, he threw 35 and 47 pitches while failing to complete three innings. While it's encouraging to see his pitch count increase, fantasy managers have to hope Eovaldi can improve upon the 7.71 ERA, 2.43 WHIP and 7:6 K:BB he has posted across just seven innings since his return. He is currently slated to make his next start early next week in a home matchup with one of his former teams, the Red Sox.