MLB Player News

Boyd was scratched from Friday's start against the Rays because of the same recurring elbow soreness that sidelined him from mid-June to late August, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw will be further examined by Detroit's medical staff to figure out the severity of the issue, but given that the same injury put Boyd on the shelf for over two months already this season, it wouldn't be at all surprising if he doesn't return in 2021. Per Evan Woodbery of MLive.com, he will be placed on the injured list, though the transaction has not been made official at this point. Tyler Alexander draws the start in his place Friday.

Heaney pitched one inning against Toronto on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out one.

The left-hander continues to get bit by the long ball -- he surrendered a one-out solo shot to Vladimir Guerrero in the top of the ninth inning. Heaney's outing didn't get much better from there, as the Blue Jays followed with three straight hits that resulted in another run. He has not pitched well since joining the Yankees at the end of July, giving up 11 homers in 30.1 innings while registering a 7.71 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.

Boyd is no longer starting Friday's game against the Rays for an undisclosed reason, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports. Tyler Alexander will start in his place.

The reason for the change isn't known at this point, but the Tigers should provide an update on Boyd's status prior to first pitch.

Syndergaard (elbow) has already thrown one bullpen session since his COVID-19 quarantine ended and will throw another Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Syndergaard has spent the season working his way back from Tommy John surgery. He was originally expected to return sometime in midseason but suffered a setback with his elbow in a rehab start in late May. The plan for some time has been that he'll return as a reliever late in the season, and he still appears to have time to do so even after the COVID setback.

Wilcox underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Wilcox, who joined the Rays over the winter in the Blake Snell trade, cruised to a 2.03 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 10 starts for Low-A Charleston to begin the season, striking out 52 batters while walking just five. He hasn't pitched since late June due to an elbow strain. Tommy John surgery typically carries a recovery time of more than 12 months, so it's likely he doesn't pitch again until 2023, though some fall or winter action next season is possible if he's on the shorter end of the timeline.

Wood (illness) played catch Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Wood is starting to ramp up again after testing positive for COVID-19 in late August. He's expected to resume mound work over the weekend, but previous reports suggested that he'd been dealing with a fairly significant case of the virus, so it may take him some time before he's ready to return to the active roster.

McClanahan was placed on the 10-day injured list with a stiff back Friday but is only expected to miss one start, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays have a comfortable nine-game lead over their division rivals, so they can afford to manage their young pitchers' workloads down the stretch in an effort to keep them at full strength for the playoffs. McClanahan has had an excellent rookie season, riding a 27.5 percent strikeout rate to a 3.59 ERA, and while his 110.1 innings this year don't represent a particularly high workload, he's already just 10.1 innings shy of his career high. The Rays presumably hope that he'll wind up making multiple starts in the postseason, so there's little reason to push him through even a minor injury in the final few weeks of the regular season. Chris Archer is expected to step back into the rotation for a spot start.

Quintana was placed on the paternity list Friday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Players may spend up to three days on paternity leave, so Quintana should be back by Monday's game against the Padres. Jay Jackson was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

Sale tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday and will not start Sunday against the White Sox, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The extent of Sale's absence will depend on whether he's vaccinated, a detail that is currently unknown. Garrett Richards or Connor Seabold could be called upon to fill Sale's rotation spot until he recovers from the virus.

Ynoa allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings in a no-decision against the Nationals on Thursday.

His first inning was a bit of a mess -- Ynoa walked the first batter he faced and then allowed back-to-back hits to Juan Soto and Josh Bell. The right-hander was dominant the rest of the way, allowing just one base knock (a single) over his final four frames. Atlanta's bullpen briefly let the lead slip away, meaning Ynoa is still winless since he returned from the injured list. He projects for a home start against the Rockies next week, which looks like a great spot for Ynoa to finally get back in the win column.