MLB Player News

The Cardinals traded Flaherty to Baltimore on Tuesday in exchange for Cesar Prieto and Drew Rom, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

After putting up a 4.43 ERA and 1.55 WHIP through 109.2 innings across 20 starts with the Cardinals, Flaherty will provide a boost to an Orioles rotation that has been without John Means (elbow/back) all season. Flaherty was scheduled to make his next start Wednesday, though it's unclear when he will debut for the Orioles.

Canning was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to July 29, with right calf tightness.

The right-hander was scratched from his scheduled start Monday in Atlanta due to the injury and will be sidelined for at least the next couple weeks. Canning isn't overly concerned about the injury, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, and believes he'll be able to return from the injured list when first eligible in mid-August.

Eder was traded from the Marlins to the White Sox on Tuesday in exchange for Jake Burger, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Eder is coming off his best start of the year for Double-A Pensacola, in which he struck out 10 batters and allowed one earned run in 5.2 innings. He underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2021 and has a 3.94 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 29.2 innings across six starts at Double-A, although his fastball velocity has been more in the low-90s, rather than his pre-surgery mid-90s fastball. Eder's best pitch is a plus slider, and improving his changeup and command will be of focus over the coming seasons. He could reach the majors sooner with the White Sox than he would have in Miami, given the depth of both organizations.

The Astros acquired Verlander from the Mets on Tuesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Verlander returns to Houston, where he claimed the AL Cy Young Award in both 2019 and 2022 while working to an overall 2.26 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 825:114 K:BB in 102 starts (652 innings) during his first stint with the organization. He signed a two-year, $86.67 million contract with the Mets this past winter which also carries a $35 million vesting option for 2025. New York will presumably eat some of that cash in order to improve the level of prospects that will be heading over from the Astros' farm system. Those prospects have since been identified as Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford.

Civale is listed as the Rays' probable pitcher for Saturday's game against the Tigers at Comerica Park.

Civale will draw a favorable matchup for his Rays debut after Tampa Bay acquired him from Cleveland on Monday in exchange for first base prospect Kyle Manzardo. Prior to the trade, the 28-year-old right-hander had quietly been in the midst of a stellar season, posting a 2.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 77 innings with the Guardians. Though Civale has excelled at limiting walks and neutralizing hard contact for most of his career, fantasy managers should view him as more of a middle-of-rotation arm than the ace that his ratios suggest he's been thus far. He's benefited from some good fortune on balls in play (.242 BABIP, career .274 BABIP) and especially flyballs (5.6 HR/FB%, career 12.4 HR/FB%), and he's striking out a career-low 19 percent of the batters he's faced.

Whitlock (elbow) will throw an up-and-down bullpen session Tuesday, Chad Jennings of The Athletic reports.

Both Whitlock and Tanner Houck (face) will throw bullpens Tuesday ahead of a rehab assignment. Each hurler has experience in the rotation and bullpen, and it's unclear which role the two pitchers will occupy going forward. This is the second time in 2023 that Whitlock has been shelved with elbow woes.

Houck (face) will throw an up-and-down bullpen session Tuesday, Chad Jennings of The Athletic reports.

Both Houck and fellow injured starter Garrett Whitlock (elbow) will throw bullpens on Tuesday, as each progresses to a rehab assignment. Houck was a starter at the time he sustained a facial fracture in June, but the Red Sox could opt for him to pitch out of the bullpen. Manager Alex Cora stated earlier his preference would be to use Houck as a reliever, but the starting staff is thin at the moment.

Brito (4-5) took the loss Monday, allowing five runs on six hits over four innings against Tampa Bay. He struck out four.

Brito struggled in place of Domingo German (who was eventually healthy enough to deliver five innings in relief), giving up five runs on four homers in the loss. Brito had been solid in his previous two MLB starts, allowing just two runs over 11.1 innings. Overall, his ERA is up to 5.17 with a 1.35 WHIP and 39:21 K:BB across 12 starts (55.2 innings). With German healthy, Brito will likely return to Triple-A.

France (7-3) earned the win in Monday's 7-3 victory over Cleveland, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six batters over seven innings.

France fell behind early after giving up two runs in the second inning, but he bounced back and kept the Guardians off the scoreboard for the remainder of his outing. The rookie finished with his third straight quality start, and he's completed exactly seven frames in each game during that stretch. France has now won five consecutive decisions in a span of six starts, registering a 1.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB across 38.1 innings during that period. Even with Jose Urquidy (shoulder) on the verge of a return and the Astros possibly in search of another starter as the trade deadline approaches, France's spot in the rotation should be secure given his excellent results on the campaign.

Syndergaard exited Monday's start against the Astros in the bottom of the sixth inning after being struck by a comebacker in his lower right leg, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Syndergaard was on the 15-day injured list with a finger injury when he was traded from the Dodgers to the Guardians on Wednesday, but he was activated to make his Cleveland debut Monday. The 30-year-old was relatively productive prior to his premature exit, allowing a run on two hits and two walks while failing to strike out a batter in 5.1 innings. Syndergaard gave up at least five runs in each of his final three starts with the Dodgers, but his first outing with Cleveland was encouraging. However, the exact nature and severity of his injury are unclear, and whether he'll be able to make his next turn through the rotation remains to be seen.