MLB Player News

Wells was promoted Tuesday from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk, where he will pitch out of the bullpen, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

It's been an interesting season for Wells, who went five-plus innings in 18 straight starts for the big club from April 3 through July 8. From there, his productivity fell off over three more MLB appearances before he was optioned to Double-A on July 30. This latest transaction suggests Baltimore is giving Wells a chance to be a part of the big-league bullpen down the stretch, so those who have been stashing him in hopes he rejoins the Orioles' rotation may need to look elsewhere.

Houck (face) was activated from the injured list Tuesday ahead of his start against the Astros, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander has been out since mid-June after suffering facial fractures on a comebacker, requiring surgery. The 27-year-old has been deemed ready to return after a three-start rehab assignment, with Houck seemingly sealing his activation by tossing 59 pitches across four scoreless frames in his most recent minor-league outing. Chris Murphy was optioned in a corresponding move. Houck has another tough matchup tentatively lined up against the Dodgers this weekend, but he could be a solid streaming option next week in Kansas City, assuming he sticks in the rotation.

Mize (elbow) is scheduled to throw his next bullpen session Wednesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Mize continues to keep a potential 2023 return in his sights as he continues to build his arm strength back up. The starting pitcher will remain relatively constrained during the bullpen sessions for the time being as he tries to finish his recovery from June 2022 Tommy John surgery.

Single-A Kannapolis placed Schultz on its 7-day injured list Sunday with a left shoulder impingement, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Though Schultz's diagnosis of a shoulder impingement rather than a shoulder strain amounts to positive news, the injury could still be enough to keep the 20-year-old on the shelf for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. Schultz had previously missed the first two months of the season with a forearm strain before he was cleared to make his professional debut June 2. In 10 starts with Kannapolis, Schultz has compiled a 1.33 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 38:6 K:BB in 27 innings.

Means (elbow) struck out four and allowed one run on two hits and no walks in his rehab start Sunday with Double-A Bowie.

Making his third rehab start with Bowie, Means turned in his best effort yet. He upped his innings count and pitch count (57, 38 strikes) and was highly efficient, with the lone run he permitted being a solo home run. The lefty will likely require one or two more outings in the minors to get fully stretched out for a starter's workload before getting the green light to come off the 60-day injured list. The impending return of Means -- who had been Baltimore's unquestioned ace from 2019 through 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery last April -- should provide a boost to the current American League East leaders.

McKenzie (elbow) has yet to resume throwing off a mound but had increased his throwing distance off flat ground to 105 feet as of Thursday, MLB.com reports.

McKenzie appears to be only slightly behind Shane Bieber in their respective recoveries from elbow injuries, as Bieber has stretched out his throwing distance to 120 feet. Both pitchers are tracking toward returns from the 60-day injured list at some point in September, but any setback along the way would put McKenzie at risk of being shuttered for the remainder of the season. McKenzie is in the midst of his second IL stint of the season after he opened the campaign on the shelf while recovering from a right teres major muscle strain suffered late in spring training.

Bieber (elbow) extended his throwing distance off flat ground to 120 feet as of last Thursday, but he hasn't been cleared for mound work, MLB.com reports.

While Bieber appears to be making progress in his recovery from right elbow inflammation, he's moving slowly through his throwing program since initiating it Aug. 2. The Guardians maintain hope that Bieber will be ready to contribute at some point next month, but based on where he currently stands in his recovery from the elbow issue, he might not be ready to go when he's first eligible to return from the 60-day injured list Sept. 10.

Rodon (hamstring) was activated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.

The left-hander is set to rejoin the Yankees' rotation Tuesday versus the Nationals after spending the minimum 15 days on the IL with a strained left hamstring. Rodon did not make a rehab start, instead opting for a five-inning simulated game. Given how poorly he was pitching before the injury and perhaps less than a full workload on the docket, fantasy managers would be wise to keep Rodon benched for now, if possible.

Eovaldi (forearm) faced batters during a live batting practice session Monday, MLB.com reports.

Eovaldi was encouraged following the session, estimating that only one of the batted balls would have been a hit. The right-hander believes he could get big-league hitters out now if asked to pitch; however, neither Eovaldi nor Texas manager Bruce Bochy would confirm his next step. A rehab start could be in the offing, but the possibility exists Eovaldi could immediately come off the 15-day injured list and return to the rotation as soon as later this week.

Montgomery pitched eight scoreless innings in a no-decision against Arizona on Monday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six batters.

Montgomery was excellent in the outing, racking up 16 swinging strikes and holding the Diamondbacks without an extra-base hit. He got very little run support but still looked to be in line for the win upon his departure, as Texas held a 1-0 lead heading into the ninth. The Rangers' bullpen couldn't hold on, however, saddling Montgomery with a no-decision. Nonetheless, the southpaw picked up his fifth straight quality start, the last four of which have come since he joined Texas at the trade deadline. Since becoming a Ranger, Montgomery has posted a 1.73 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 26:3 K:BB over 26 frames.