MLB Player News

Quijada (1-2) struck out all three batters he faced in his one inning of work, picking up the win in Wednesday's 7-2 victory over the Rangers.

Quijada wasted no time mowing down Texas batters in the sixth, as he took advantage of facing the bottom of the Rangers' order and fired 13 of his 17 pitches for strikes. This win must have felt a little extra special for the southpaw, as the Angels were just 4-19 in games that Quijada pitched entering play.

McHugh will start Thursday's game at Houston, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander will receive the start against his former team while serving as an opener ahead of Thursday's primary pitcher, Ryan Yarbrough. McHugh surrendered two runs his last time out Saturday but has a 2.53 ERA across 10.2 innings (six appearances) in September. The 34-year-old won't pitch deep enough to qualify for a potential victory against the Astros, but he could give the Rays multiple frames before giving way to Yarbrough.

Yarbrough is scheduled to pitch behind opener Collin McHugh at Houston on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Yarbrough followed an opener his last time out and will do so again Thursday for the ninth time this season. The left-hander has struggled over 11 starts since the All-Star break with a 6.50 ERA, though he's given up only four runs on seven hits with an 8:0 K:BB across 12 frames in his past two outings.

Hearn (6-6) allowed four runs on six hits and one walk with two strikeouts over 5.1 innings, taking the loss in Wednesday's 7-2 defeat to the Angels.

Hearn allowed just one extra-base hit in his outing against the Angels on Wednesday, but he nonetheless surrendered four earned runs and picked up his sixth loss of the season. Since joining the Texas rotation on Aug. 17, the left-hander has a 5.56 ERA and has allowed seven home runs in 43.2 innings. Still, Hearn's solid 29:10 K:BB over that same span and his ability to eat innings make him an asset. He'll look to vie for a role with the Rangers next season.

Lowther (1-3) allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits and struck out four in five innings, taking the loss versus Boston on Wednesday.

It wasn't a bad final start of the year for Lowther, but Baltimore's offense produced just four hits and two walks in the contest. The southpaw was better to finish the season with just five runs (four earned) allowed in his final 13.1 innings across three starts. He ended the season with a 6.67 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 30:13 K:BB in 29.2 innings. Lowther will likely be considered for a spot in the rotation heading into 2022.

Montero (lat) completed a bullpen session Wednesday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Montero is still hoping to pitch again for the Astros this season, but with just four games left on the Astros' schedule following Wednesday's contest against the Rays, he'll face an uphill battle to get activated before Sunday's finale. The 30-year-old has been on the shelf since Aug. 10 with a right lat strain, so he'll presumably need to face hitters in some capacity before Houston would entertain reinstating him.

Zimmermann is expected to start Sunday in the Orioles' season finale against the Blue Jays in Toronto, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

After a three-and-a-half-month stint on the injured list due to biceps tendinitis and a severe ankle sprain, Zimmermann rejoined the Baltimore rotation Tuesday. He turned in a respectable showing en route to taking a no-decision against the Red Sox, working four innings while allowing a run on two hits and two walks. Zimmermann shouldn't face any significant restrictions with his workload Sunday after building up to 70 pitches Tuesday.

Naughton was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Naughton was charged with the loss Tuesday when he allowed four runs in two innings against the Rangers, and it's not yet clear whether he'll pitch during the Angels' final series of the year. The southpaw has made seven major-league appearances (five starts) in 2021 and has recorded an 0-4 record with a 6.35 ERA and 1.81 WHIP in 22.2 innings.

The Yankees reinstated Loaisiga (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

New York optioned Andrew Heaney to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to open up a spot on the 28-man active roster for Loaisiga, who had been out since Sept. 5 with a strained rotator cuff. Before getting shut down with the injury, Loaisiga had factored into the ninth-inning mix, but Aroldis Chapman has since seemed to right the ship and regained security as the Yankees' clear closer. Loaisiga should still prove valuable in a setup role over the final five games of the regular season.

The Royals will call up Zerpa from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday to start the team's series finale with Cleveland at Kauffman Stadium, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The 22-year-old lefty will be taking the rotation spot of Brady Singer (upper arm), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Zerpa began the season at High-A Quad Cities and submitted a 2.59 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 41.2 innings, but he's faltered during his brief time in the upper levels of the minors. Between stops at Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Zerpa has compiled a 6.36 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 55:20 K:BB across 46.2 frames.