MLB Player News

Manager Kevin Cash said Saturday that Rasmussen (elbow) will undergo an internal brace procedure and won't return until the middle of next season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays had previously hoped that Rasmussen would be able to return late in this season after he hit the 60-day injured list with a right flexor strain in mid-May, but that won't be the case. The righty will avoid undergoing Tommy John surgery for the third time in his career, but not by a wide margin. The internal brace alternative is a similar surgery and carries a recovery time that's at best only somewhat shorter.

Faedo was optioned to Triple-A Toledo following his start against the Blue Jays on Friday.

Faedo wasn't going to pitch again before the break after struggling through 3.2 innings on Friday, so the Tigers didn't need to keep him on the roster. He might not get the chance to reclaim his rotation spot at the start of the second half, however, as his 6.98 ERA through six starts trails Reese Olson's 4.02 ERA by a significant margin. Olson has seemingly secured the Tigers' fifth starter spot, with Faedo likely stuck waiting for an injury to open up another chance.

Blackburn was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against the Red Sox due to illness.

The fact that Blackburn is dealing with an illness rather than an injury means he's probably not going to miss more than one start, but he'll be down for at least one unless he's healthy enough to pitch Sunday and the A's elect to bump JP Sears. Austin Pruitt will be the first pitcher on the hill Saturday in Blackburn's absence.

Anderson tossed 4.1 innings out of the bullpen Friday against the Dodgers, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

Manager Phil Nevin announced earlier in the week that Anderson would be available out of the bullpen until the All-Star break with the team not needing his services as a starter. The southpaw threw more pitches (71) on Friday than starter Griffin Canning (56), and neither hurler was able to contain the Dodgers' offense. Given his workload in the contest, Anderson is unlikely to pitch again until after the Midsummer Classic.

Battenfield (shoulder) struck out three over three scoreless innings in his rehab start Tuesday with Double-A Akron. He scattered one hit and four walks in the 58-pitch outing.

Battenfield's appearance with Akron was his first at any level since the Guardians placed him on the injured list May 19 with right shoulder inflammation. Because he was later transferred to the 60-day IL, Battenfield won't be eligible for activation until after the All-Star break, but Cleveland isn't expected to be in an immediate rush to activate him. Even with Triston McKenzie (elbow) and Cal Quantrill (shoulder) on the injured list, the Guardians still have a trio of impressive rookies (Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen) on hand to fill out the back end of their rotation.

Canning (6-4) took the loss against the Dodgers on Friday, allowing four runs on five hits and one walk over 2.2 innings. He didn't strike out any batters.

Canning was knocked around early and often by the Dodgers, surrendering solo home runs in each of the first, second and third innings. He was pulled with two outs in the third after allowing three straight batters to reach with two outs. Canning had been pitching well coming into Friday's collapse, posting a 3.00 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 46:10 K:BB over 42 innings across his previous seven starts. However, he heads into the All-Star break with mostly mediocre overall numbers, including a 4.62 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 over 14 starts.

Civale (3-2) picked up the win in Friday's 3-0 victory over the Royals, scattering two hits over seven scoreless innings. He struck out nine without walking a batter.

The right-hander put together his best performance of the season and won for the first time in nearly a month, generating 34 called or swinging strikes over his 100 pitches. Civale has delivered quality starts in three of his last four outings, and since rejoining the rotation at the beginning of June he sports a 2.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 36:14 K:BB through 40 innings.

Lynch (2-4) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over six innings as the Royals fell 3-0 to the Guardians. He struck out three.

The quality start was the third in Lynch's last four outings, but he got no help from a Kansas City offense that managed only two hits all night. The southpaw has a 2.63 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over that four-start stretch, but an 11:7 K:BB in 24 innings puts a damper on his fantasy appeal heading into the second half of the season.

Rodon (0-1) took the loss against the Cubs on Friday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two batters over 5.1 innings.

Rodon's first game as a Yankee came after a trio of minor-league rehab starts during which he allowed just one run and posted a 17:3 K:BB over 10.2 innings. The left-hander wasn't quite as effective against the Cubs, though he was just two outs away from recording a quality start. Rodon had topped out at 58 pitches during his rehab stint, and he was able to increase that number to 69 pitches Friday. Though he took the loss -- largely due to a complete absence of run support by New York's offense -- this was overall a positive outing for the veteran hurler given his long injury layoff. Rodon will have ample time to recover during the All-Star break, and he could start New York's first game in Colorado following the Midsummer Classic.

Faedo (1-4) took the loss Friday, allowing seven runs on six hits and two walks over 3.2 innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out two.

Faedo was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Friday and made his first start at the big-league level since May 30, but it didn't go well. He allowed a season-high seven runs and couldn't complete the fourth inning, which ballooned his ERA to 6.98 through six appearances (29.2 innings). While Faedo's ERA is ugly, his 1.08 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB are solid, so he may be able to turn things around moving forward. The right-hander isn't scheduled to pitch again until after the All-Star break.