MLB Player News

McKenzie (elbow) is set to make the second start of his rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Columbus, MLB.com reports.

After covering three innings and tossing 44 pitches in his first rehab outing last Wednesday with Double-A Akron, McKenzie will shift his rehab assignment to the Guardians' top affiliate this week for what will likely be his final start in the minors before he returns from the 60-day injured list. The Guardians are targeting McKenzie for around 65 pitches Tuesday, and if all goes well, he could slot back into the big-league rotation as soon as this Sunday versus the Orioles. McKenzie has been on the shelf since mid-June with a right UCL sprain.

Verlander did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings against the Orioles. He struck out five.

Verlander has now gone six or more innings in each of his last four starts, though he's pitched to a 5.19 ERA in that span. Overall, the veteran right-hander is 11-8 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 131:41 K:BB through 25 starts (149.1 innings) this season between the Astros and the Mets. Verlander's currently lined up for a favorable home matchup with the Royals in his next outing.

Lynch (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session with Triple-A Omaha this week and is expected to make at least one rehab appearance there soon, MLB.com reports.

It does not sound like Lynch will make it back to the Royals' active roster this season, but making some appearances before the season comes to a close could give the lefty some peace of mind heading into the winter. Lynch has been limited to just nine starts for Kansas City along with five rehab starts in 2023 due to shoulder issues.

Means did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over five innings in an 8-7 win over Houston. He struck out one.

After allowing a run in the opening frame, Means would rebound to blank the Astros over his final four innings in an eventual no-decision. The left-hander only has two strikeouts in two starts (10 innings) since returning from Tommy John surgery, though he's been able to do a relatively effective job of limiting damage by allowing just four runs. Means will try for his first win since 2021 in his next outing, currently scheduled for this weekend in Cleveland.

Bieber (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday and, if it goes well, he could return from the 60-day injured list to make a start later this week, MLB.com reports.

The Guardians don't currently have a starter listed for Thursday's home game against the Orioles, so that start could fall to Bieber if he feels good during Tuesday's mound session. In his second and likely final rehab start this past Sunday at Triple-A Columbus, Bieber fanned seven and gave up no hits and three walks over 3.2 scoreless frames. He threw 64 pitches in the outing, so the righty would be relatively limited from a pitch-count perspective in his first start back, especially if he ends up getting the nod Thursday on three days' rest. Bieber has been sidelined since mid-July with right elbow inflammation.

Montgomery didn't factor into the decision in Monday's 4-2 win over the Red Sox, striking out eight while allowing one run on five hits over seven innings.

Montgomery turned in another excellent outing and has now worked seven innings apiece in his last two starts. He's allowed just one run between those outings, after surrendering 11 runs in his previous two starts. The southpaw is 9-11 on the season with a 3.38 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 155:44 K:BB across 30 starts (175.2 innings) between the Rangers and Cardinals. Montgomery will look to keep his hot streak rolling in his next outing, currently scheduled for this weekend against Seattle.

Crawford did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings against Texas. He struck out seven.

After Marcus Semien led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, Crawford managed to keep Texas off the board until the sixth inning while matching a season high with seven strikeouts. The 27-year-old Crawford's allowed just three runs in his last two starts (10.2 innings) after surrendering 11 runs in his previous two outings. Overall, he's 6-7 on the season with a 4.19 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 121:33 K:BB across 118 innings. Crawford's currently in line for a home matchup with the White Sox in his next outing.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch revealed after Monday's 8-3 loss to the Dodgers that Rodriguez was lifted in the fourth inning of the contest due to back spasms, ESPN.com reports.

More specifically, Hinch described Rodriguez's injury as a "scap" or scapula spasm, as the southpaw had apparently been dealing with pain near his shoulder blade when he called for a team trainer to visit him on the mound Monday. The decision was then made to remove Rodriguez from the game, with the 30-year-old taking the loss after getting charged with five runs on five hits and one walk over three frames. Rodriguez is scheduled to be re-evaluated Tuesday before the Tigers determine if he's fit to make his next turn through the rotation, which would likely fall Saturday or Sunday versus the Athletics.

Faedo has worked out of the Detroit bullpen in his last two appearances Sept. 9 against the White Sox and Wednesday against the Reds, covering five scoreless innings while striking out six and allowing just one hit and two walks.

Faedo has made just one of his four appearances in September as a starter, though the Tigers aren't yet dropping the right-hander from the rotation. Though he excelled in long relief of Tarik Skubal and Eduardo Rodriguez his last two times out, Faedo will likely end up serving as more of a bulk reliever Tuesday against the Dodgers. Miguel Diaz is slated to open the game and pitch an inning or two, and since he'll be available on five days' rest, Faedo looks like the most logical choice to serve as a primary pitcher out of the bullpen.

Rodriguez (11-9) allowed five runs on five hits and a walk while striking out one over three innings to take the loss Monday versus the Dodgers.

Rodriguez endured his shortest start of the season, and this was just the third time he's given up five or more runs. J.D. Martinez did most of the damage with a solo home run in the second inning and a three-run blast one frame later. Rodriguez's ERA jumped to 3.57 with a 1.17 WHIP and 133:43 K:BB through 138.2 innings over 24 starts this year. He's lined up for a more favorable road start in Oakland over the weekend.