MLB Player News

The Dodgers reinstated Kershaw (back) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Thursday against the Mets at Citi Field.

Kershaw returns to the Los Angeles rotation after missing just under a month due to lower-back pain. He received an epidural in early August to address the injury and responded well to the injection, as he was cleared to resume a throwing program just under a week later. While Kershaw wasn't sent out on a minor-league rehab assignment prior to being activated, he built up to 70 pitches in a simulated game last weekend. Even so, manager Dave Roberts said he expects Kershaw to be capped at around 4-to-5 innings Thursday, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

The Athletics selected Waldichuk's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas ahead of his scheduled start Thursday in Washington.

Oakland designated right-handed reliever David McKay for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Waldichuk, who will be making his big-league debut Thursday. The 24-year-old lefty, whom the Athletics acquired in the Aug. 1 deal that sent Frankie Montas to the Yankees, posted a 3.53 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 91:26 K:BB in 66.1 innings across 15 starts at Las Vegas and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on the season. With a strong showing over his starts with Oakland in the final five weeks of the season, Waldichuk could stake his claim to a permanent rotation spot with the Athletics heading into the 2023 campaign.

Kaprielian (3-9) took the loss Wednesday, giving up five runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk over 5.2 innings as the A's fell 5-1 to the Nationals. He struck out three.

A Jonah Bride error in the fifth inning contributed to a four-run frame for Washington, erasing Oakland's early lead and sending Kaprielian to his fourth straight losing decision. The right-hander wraps up August with a 5.59 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 23:17 K:BB through 29 innings, but the 28-year-old isn't likely to lose his rotation spot in September given the lack of alternatives available to the A's.

Rogers didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Rays, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out five.

Returning from a back issue that had sidelined him for a month, Rogers not only looked fully healthy, he appeared to have rediscovered his 2021 form as he posted just his second quality start of the season, and his first since late April. The southpaw fired 58 of his 84 pitches for strikes before exiting a pitcher's duel with Drew Rasmussen, and Rogers will have a handful of outings left this year to try and improve on his 5.57 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.

Rasmussen didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Marlins, allowing one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out four without walking a batter.

The right-hander battled Trevor Rogers for five scoreless innings before Jon Berti (hip) popped a solo shot to left-center field in the sixth, but the Rays got Rasmussen off the hook for a loss right away with a run in the bottom of the frame. The 27-year-old delivered his sixth quality start of the season, and since the All-Star break he's reeled off eight straight outings giving up two earned runs or less -- a stretch in which Rasmussen boasts a 1.84 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 41:6 K:BB through 44 innings.

The Mariners reinstated Boyd (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Thursday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Boyd will be one of two players that will be joining Seattle with the roster expanding from 26 to 28 men for the final month of the season, with outfielder Taylor Trammell also receiving a call-up from Triple-A Tacoma. Though Boyd has worked almost exclusively as a starter through his first seven seasons in the big leagues, he'll be deployed out of the bullpen with Seattle as he makes his return from the flexor tendon surgery he underwent last September. He was excellent across his six minor-league rehab outings, striking out 14 over eight innings while allowing two earned runs on four hits and no walks.

Ryan (10-7) took the loss against Boston on Wednesday, tossing five innings and allowing five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out eight batters.

All five of the runs Ryan gave up came in the third inning, when he served up a grand slam to Xander Bogaerts and a solo shot to J.D. Martinez. Though the right-hander racked up 19 swinging strikes and punched out eight batters, the poor frame was too much for Minnesota to overcome. Ryan has largely impressed this season, but he has allowed at least five runs on three different occasions, including a 10-run shelling against San Diego on July 29. He's still managed to post a decent 3.88 ERA and 1.14 WHIP while racking up 121 strikeouts over 118.1 innings overall.

Wacha (10-1) earned the win over Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Wacha induced a modest eight swinging strikes in the contest but still managed a healthy seven strikeouts. He allowed a two-run homer to Luis Arraez in the third inning but otherwise kept Minnesota off the scoreboard en route to his 10th win of the campaign. Wacha is posting a career-low 7.2 K/9 on the campaign, yet he is also on pace for career-best marks in ERA (2.56) and WHIP (1.02). He's been fortunate to record an unusually low BABIP, however, so it's logical to wonder if his strong numbers will continue to hold.

Feltner (2-6) took the loss against Atlanta on Wednesday, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out seven batters over 5.2 innings.

There were multiple positive takeaways for Feltner in the contest -- he tied a career high with seven strikeouts and fell one out shy of a quality start -- but he was outpitched by league wins leader Kyle Wright. Feltner's undoing was the long ball, as the three runs against him were produced on homers by Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna. Feltner has shown promise at times this season, but he's too inconsistent to trust in fantasy given his 5.78 ERA and 1.42 WHIP on the season.

Wright (17-5) earned the win over Colorado on Wednesday, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out six batters over seven scoreless innings.

Wright completed seven scoreless frames for the second straight contest, and he consequently took over the major-league lead with his 17th victory. The right-hander allowed at least one baserunner in six of his seven frames but didn't give up any extra-base hits and was aided by a pair of double plays. Wright has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, supplementing his league-best win total with a 2.85 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 150:43 K:BB over 154.2 innings.