MLB Player News

Vasquez will start the first game of the Yankees' doubleheader Tuesday in Boston.

The doubleheader created a stretch of six games in five days for the Yankees, so Vasquez will at least temporarily step in to fill the void in the rotation. The Yankees will have a permanent spot available in the rotation after Luis Severino (oblique) was shut down for the season last week, with Vasquez and Jhony Brito representing the top options to replace Severino. Brito will presumably pick up a start later this week, and how he and Vasquez perform in their respective outings will likely determine which of the two ends up sticking around in a starting role when the rotation condenses to five men.

Miller served as the opener in the Athletics' win over the Astros on Monday and didn't factor into the decision, firing two scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit, issued a walk and recorded three strikeouts.

Miller was slated to work up to approximately 50 pitches, and he got within striking distance via his 45 offerings, 30 of which he threw during a laborious opening frame. Nathan Han of MLB.com reports the hard-throwing right-hander averaged 99.5 mph on his fastball and noted his previously ailing arm felt "awesome" following the start. Manager Mark Kotsay confirmed after the game the Athletics plan to continue deploying Miller as an opener for what remains of the season before stretching him out in spring training in anticipation of a return to the starting rotation in 2024.

The Tigers promoted Jobe from High-A West Michigan to Double-A Erie on Tuesday.

Jobe is slated to make his debut for Erie on Sunday. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, Jobe missed a chunk of this season with a back injury but has been fantastic when on the mound, collecting a 3.10 ERA and 78:6 K:BB over 58 innings across three levels. The 21-year-old is viewed as the Tigers' top pitching prospect.

Means (elbow) was activated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Means will make his long-awaited season debut on Tuesday with a start against the Cardinals. The left-hander hasn't pitched in the majors since April 2022 and had a lengthy setback with his Tommy John surgery rehab earlier this season when he dealt with a back issue. He's healthy now, though, and will hope to give the Orioles a shot in the arm after posting a 3.74 ERA and 22:8 K:BB over 21.2 innings covering six rehab starts with Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. Means went five innings in each of his last two rehab outings and topped out at 86 pitches, so he should be able to handle a decent-sized workload Tuesday. The O's will certainly keep a close eye on him, though, following his long layoff.

Manoah is unlikely to pitch again this season, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manoah was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo a month ago and was cleared of any health issues last week after having testing done and meeting with multiple specialists. However, the righty hasn't thrown off the mound in a month and one source told Nicholson-Smith that Manoah's lingering health concerns have led to him prioritizing rest and recovery. Jeff Blair of Sportsnet.ca reported on his "Blair and Barker" podcast that Manoah never reported to Buffalo after being optioned to Triple-A, in large part because he was upset about the Blue Jays' decision to demote him. Manoah and the Blue Jays look as though they will need to repair their relationship over the offseason, not to mention the work the 25-year-old has ahead of him as he looks to bounce back from a dreadful 2023 campaign.

Lorenzen could be moved to the bullpen with the Phillies expected to shift back to a five-man rotation, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The plan has been for Philadelphia to pare down to five starters after Monday's doubleheader versus Atlanta, and that remains likely to happen even if it hasn't officially been decided yet. "Umm, I would think so," manager Rob Thomson said when asked about moving back to a five-man rotation. "But that's not 100 percent either. But I would think so. It all depends on how guys feel and how they come out of this. How Sanchy comes out of his start (Wednesday)." Lorenzen has plenty of past bullpen experience, of course, and part of the appeal in acquiring him at the deadline was knowing he could easily shift to relief, if needed. With Seranthony Dominguez struggling, the Phillies could use another right-handed setup man, a role Lorenzen could potentially fill. If Lorenzen does indeed move to the bullpen, it would be Cristopher Sanchez filling the fifth starter role.

Freeland allowed three runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out two batters over six innings in a no-decision versus the Cubs on Monday.

Freeland allowed just one run through four frames before fading a bit and yielding a single score in each of the fifth and sixth innings. That was still enough to earn him his second straight quality start, the first time he has accomplished back-to-back quality starts since mid-May. Freeland isn't really on the fantasy radar outside of deeper leagues, however, as he has posted a poor 5.07 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 93:41 K:BB over 152.2 innings on the campaign.

Wicks allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out two batters over six innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Monday.

Wicks entered the contest having given up two or fewer runs in each of his first three big-league starts, and even a date at Coors Field didn't halt that streak. The southpaw allowed a first-inning run Monday but kept the Rockies off the scoreboard for the remainder of his outing, which ended up as his second straight quality start. Wicks has just six punchouts over 17.2 frames since fanning nine in his major-league debut versus Pittsburgh on Aug. 26, but that's been about the only unimpressive part of his production. He's registered a 1.99 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB overall across his first 22.2 innings.

Stone allowed seven runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out two over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Padres.

Stone pitched with a lead for much of his outing, but he let it slip away in the sixth inning. The right-hander was making his first major-league appearance since Aug. 27, but he's now allowed at least four runs in five of his six outings this season. It shakes out as a 10.80 ERA, 2.19 WHIP and 12:9 K:BB through 23.1 innings overall. It's unclear if he'll remain in the majors, though it seems like the Dodgers would fare better with Emmet Sheehan as their fifth starter after Stone's latest disappointing effort.

Valdez (11-10) took the loss against Oakland on Monday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters over seven innings.

Valdez racked up 18 swinging strikes and finished with his third double-digit punchout game of the season, but he also served up two long balls. Those were enough to send him to the loss in a game during which Houston was held to three hits and no runs by a trio of Oakland hurlers. Valdez nonetheless extended his streak of quality starts to four, and he's allowed just six runs over 27 innings during that stretch. The Dominican hurler is tied for fourth in the majors with 19 quality starts on the campaign and also holds a 3.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 178:48 K:BB over 181.2 frames.