MLB Player News

Manaea is scheduled to start Sunday against the Tigers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Manaea looked good in his 2019 big-league debut last Sunday, holding the Yankees to one hit and three walks over five scoreless innings. The strong showing earned the southpaw another turn in what is expected to be a six-man rotation for the next couple of weeks.

Stewart was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Stewart has made three appearances for the Blue Jays since being claimed off waivers at the end of July, posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB across 14.1 innings in those outings. He'll likely fill a long-relief role for the stretch run, while he could also make an appearance or two as a primary pitcher.

Shafer was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Shafer has made 26 appearances for the Blue Jays this season, posting a 3.19 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 29:22 K:BB across 31 innings. The right-hander figures to fill a middle-relief role for the rest of the season.

Richards could make either a conventional start or work as a primary pitcher Sunday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richards was effective in the first game of a doubleheader against the Orioles on Tuesday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. The right-hander has worked as both conventional starter and primary pitcher since arriving via trade from the Marlins, and it remains to be seen how he'd be deployed if he does take the hill Sunday.

Puk, who is fully healthy, hasn't logged an appearance since Aug. 26 due to manager Bob Melvin wanting to remain selective about when to utilize him, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "I talked to him about that today," Melvin said. "We'll get him in the right spot and get him rolling. It was a lot to throw at him. We'll try to find a good spot."

Puk was put right to work upon his promotion from Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 20, making three appearances between Aug. 21 and Aug. 26. Puk was serviceable in that trio of outings, allowing an earned run on two hits and three walks over 2.1 innings while recording two strikeouts. His most recent turn, against the Royals, was his first of the multi-inning variety, and the Athletics originally wanted to allow him a few days' rest as a result. However, with nine days and counting now having elapsed between trips to the mound, it's clear that Melvin is interested in protecting Puk to an extent in his first go-around against big-league bats.

Manaea will get another start at some point over the next week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw was highly effective during his first big-league start of 2019 last Sunday, holding the Yankees to one hit and three walks over five scoreless innings. Manaea's strong showing earned him another turn in what is essentially a six-man rotation for the Athletics at the moment, with manager Bob Melvin stating an announcement on how he'll utilize his starting pitchers in coming days is imminent.

Rangers manager Chris Woodward is considering limiting Burke's pitch count in his next scheduled start Friday against Baltimore due to a three-day bout with a stomach virus, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Burke, who began his major-league career with three straight starts of six innings and no more than two runs allowed, said he's lost six or seven pounds while coping with the virus. He was able to throw a bullpen Wednesday. "He feels better today, but not great.... If we pitch him and he's iffy, weak, then we'll limit the number of pitches or number of innings he throws," Woodward told T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.

Junis (9-12) earned the win Wednesday after holding the Tigers to four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out four over seven innings.

The right-hander struggled through a tough second inning while giving up four straight hits, including back-to-back doubles, that accounted for three runs. From there, Junis settled into a better groove, holding the Tigers scoreless through seven. He returned in the eighth frame, issuing a leadoff free pass to Travis Demeritte, who would eventually score after Junis was pulled from the game. It was the sixth time this season that Junis completed at least seven innings. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old snapped an 0-2 winless streak while improving his career record against Detroit to 8-1 across 12 appearances (11 starts). Junis owns a forgettable 4.94 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this year, along with a 155:53 K:BB. He'll look for his career-high 10th win in Chicago on Tuesday against the White Sox.

Hand allowed two earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out a batter to record his only out in a win against the White Sox on Wednesday.

Hand was called into the game to begin the ninth inning with the Indians up four. After striking out the first batter he faced, he went on to allow the next five hitters he faced to reach base, a stretch capped off by a two-run homer off the bat of Jose Abreu. Hand exited the game with the bases loaded, but Nick Wittgren was able to get the final two outs with the lead intact. Hand has stumbled quite a bit of late, allowing nine earned runs over the eight frames covering his last nine appearances. That's inflated his ERA to 3.42 and WHIP to 1.27 across 55.1 innings this season.

Covey will start Saturday against the Angels, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Covey will replace veteran Ross Detwiler. Covey is likely auditioning for a roster spot next season, though his 6.88 ERA thus far doesn't make a great case on his behalf.