MLB Player News

Wentz was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to serve as the Tigers' bulk pitcher Wednesday against the Yankees, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Brendan White is going to open the game in Detroit, but Wentz is expected to follow him and cover the majority of innings versus the visiting Yankees. Wentz, 25, has struggled to a 6.62 ERA through 17 starts and two relief appearances this season at the major-league level.

Mize (elbow) threw his second round of live batting practice Wednesday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Mize appears to be close to beginning a minor-league rehab assignment and should be able to make a few appearances for the Tigers in the closing weeks of the 2023 season, whether in a starting or relief role. The 26-year-old right-hander required both Tommy John and back surgery last summer.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Wednesday that Kirby (illness) will slot back into the rotation during this weekend's series with the Mets, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

After falling ill, Kirby was scratched ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday, prompting the Mariners to turn to Luke Weaver as their lead pitcher in their eventual 3-1 loss to Oakland. The Mariners won't skip over Kirby's turn in the rotation entirely, as he'll be back on the bump in New York, assuming he's able to move past the illness heading into the weekend. Servais hasn't specified yet which of the three games versus the Mets that Kirby will start.

Brito (5-6) earned the win over the Tigers on Tuesday, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 3.1 scoreless innings.

Michael King started the game for the Yankees and put up four scoreless innings. Brito followed and nearly replicated King's line with 3.1 scoreless frames of his own, benefitting from King not going deep enough to qualify for the win by nabbing it for himself. Brito has worked behind King in three of his four appearances since his latest elevation from the minors, giving up just two runs and posting a 10:2 K:BB over 10.2 innings in that role. Given that the rookie right-hander struggled in his lone start during that span, yielding seven runs (six earned) over 2.1 frames against the Red Sox on Aug. 18, it wouldn't be surprising if New York opts to continue what has been an effective King-Brito 1-2 punch moving forward.

Heaney came away with a no-decision Tuesday in the Rangers' 2-1 win over the Mets, allowing five hits and a walk over 5.1 scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

The veteran lefty held the opposition off the board for the third time in six August starts, wrapping up the month with a 2.39 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 31:7 K:BB through 26.1 innings, but Heaney's had to settle for no-decisions in four straight outings and has only one quality start during that stretch, as manager Bruce Bochy is reluctant to let the oft-injured 32-year-old work more than about 80 pitches. While that usage puts a cap on his fantasy value, Heaney's still on an impressive roll heading into his next trip to the mound, which is likely to come at home early next week against the Astros.

Berrios (9-10) took the loss Tuesday as the Blue Jays fell 5-4 to the Nationals, giving up five runs on six hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out two.

The right-hander essentially made only two mistakes, but they resulted in a two-run homer by Carter Kieboom in the second inning and a three-run blast by Keibert Ruiz in the fifth. Berrios has served up multiple homers in three of his last four starts, a worrying trend as Toronto tries to claw its way back into the playoff picture, and he stumbles into the final month of the season having posted a 5.53 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 23:6 K:BB through 27.2 innings in August. Berrios will look to get back on track in his next outing, likely to come early next week in Oakland.

Kremer came away with a no-decision Tuesday in the Orioles' 9-3 win over the White Sox, allowing one run on six hits over six innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

A solo homer by Lenyn Sosa accounted for the only damage off Kremer as he delivered his fourth straight quality start, but the Baltimore offense didn't get rolling until after he'd left the mound. The right-hander wraps up August with a 2.37 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB through 30.1 innings, giving him plenty of momentum heading into his next start, likely to come on the road early next week against the Angels.

Ragans did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing three hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings against the Pirates. He struck out nine.

Ragans turned in yet another dominant performance, holding the Pirates scoreless across seven frames while fanning nine batters. The southpaw has now recorded back-to-back scoreless starts and boasts a 1.72 ERA and 53:9 K:BB in August (36.2 innings). He's tentatively scheduled to take on the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium in his next start.

Anderson (5-6) took the loss Tuesday, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings against Philadelphia. He struck out three.

The veteran lefty fell victim to the long ball Tuesday, surrendering home runs to Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm before exiting with nobody out in the sixth. Anderson lost all four of his decisions in August, posting an unsightly 8.10 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 23:14 K:BB across 23.1 innings. He is currently slated to face the first-place Orioles early next week.

Skubal (3-3) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks over six innings in a 4-2 loss against the Yankees. He struck out nine.

The talented southpaw gave up solo home runs to Gleyber Torres in the first inning and Kyle Higashioka in the fifth inning, not allowing any hits in the interim. Skubal's third run was unearned due to a passed ball in the sixth and he was tagged with the unfortunate loss as Detroit's offense failed to provide any run support. After maxing out at 5.1 innings in his first seven starts, the 26-year-old has gone exactly six innings in each of his last three outings, compiling a 3.50 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a dazzling 23:4 K:BB across those 18 innings. Skubal's next start is tentatively scheduled to occur on the road against a fledgling White Sox offense over the weekend.