MLB Player News

Rucinski (knee/back) underwent lumbar spine surgery in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the team's official site reports.

Already ruled out for the season back in mid-July, Rucinski took the first official step toward a return to full health with Tuesday's procedure. The right-hander's offseason figures to be dominated by recovery and rehabilitation, and it remains to be seen how quickly he bounces back given he'll turn 35 in late December. Rucinski's return stateside after four successful seasons overseas in the KBO was a disappointment, as he also sustained a left knee injury and pitched to a 9.00 ERA and 2.28 WHIP across his four starts for the Athletics.

Severino won't start Wednesday's game against the White Sox, but he could be deployed as a primary pitcher out of the bullpen behind Ian Hamilton, who will serve as the Yankees' opener, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Hamilton hasn't covered more than three innings in any of his 31 appearances between the majors and minors in 2023, so he's unlikely to work more than once through the White Sox batting order before exiting the contest. Wednesday had been Severino's turn through the rotation, but because he's been lit up to the tune of an 11.22 ERA and 2.34 WHIP over his last six starts, the Yankees may be eager to try him out in a different role. Assuming Severino ends up serving as the Yankees' main option out of the bullpen Wednesday, he'll be the pitcher most likely to factor into any decision, though his innings count may be more suppressed than usual.

The Mariners selected Hancock's contract from Double-A Arkansas ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday versus the Padres at T-Mobile Park.

The 24-year-old righty will be making his MLB debut Wednesday, stepping into the Seattle rotation as a replacement for Bryan Woo (forearm), who was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday. In order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Hancock, the Mariners designated left-hander Zach Muckenhirn for assignment. Hancock posted a strong 16.8 K-BB% in 21 starts at Arkansas this season and excelled at keeping the ball in the yard (0.83 HR/9), attributes that could allow him to find some success in his first taste of the majors. He may be worthy of a pickup on speculation, but managers in shallower leagues may want to observe Hancock's MLB debut from afar rather than including him in active lineups Wednesday.

Eovaldi (forearm) threw a bullpen session Wednesday consisting of about 15-to-20 pitches, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Eovaldi is tentatively slated for a lengthier bullpen session Saturday. The 33-year-old has been out since late July with a right forearm strain and is more than a week away from returning from the 15-day injured list. Eovaldi does at least seem to be making solid progress at this stage of his recovery, so fantasy managers in the majority of leagues are likely best off continuing to hold him.

Whitlock (elbow) struck out three and surrendered two hits while walking none in 2.1 scoreless innings in his rehab appearance Wednesday for Triple-A Worcester. He also hit a batter with a pitch.

Whitlock pumped in 33 of his 46 pitches for strikes while allowing only three of the nine batters he faced to reach base, with both of the hits he allowed being of the soft-contact variety. The strong rehab outing was exactly what the Red Sox wanted to see from Whitlock, who was making his first appearance since July 2 after missing the past five weeks with a bone bruise in his right elbow. Before being placed on the 15-day injured list, Whitlock had served as a starter for the Red Sox, but he'll be rejoining the club as a multi-inning reliever. Assuming he checks out fine after being evaluated following Wednesday's rehab appearance, Whitlock will likely be activated from the IL ahead of Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Crawford (5-6) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over 3.1 innings against Kansas City. He struck out six.

The Royals got the best of Crawford on Tuesday, putting multiple runners on base in each of the first four innings and forcing him to throw 78 pitches in his shortest outing since June 7. The 27-year-old right-hander has performed much better on the road this season, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.13 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across 50.2 road innings compared to an 0-3 home record with a 6.23 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 34.2 innings at Fenway Park. Crawford is currently slated to face the Tigers at home over the weekend.

Singer (8-8) earned the win Tuesday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings against the Red Sox. He struck out four.

Singer was humming along until the fifth inning, when Adam Duvall launched a solo shot over the Green Monster in Boston, while Connor Wong later added a run-scoring single. Singer was removed with two outs in the seventh and a runner on, who eventually scored. After a challenging first half, the 27-year-old righty has figured it out in five starts since the All-Star break, posting a 2.94 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 31:5 K:BB across 33.2 innings during that stretch. He will look to maintain the momentum in his next outing, which is projected to be at home against Seattle early next week.

Gilbert (10-5) struck out 12 and didn't walk a batter over seven innings of one-hit, shutout ball to earn the win Tuesday over the Padres.

Gilbert's 12 strikeouts were a career high and just the second time he's reached double digits this season. It was also the right-hander's third consecutive quality start and trimmed his ERA to 3.66 with a 1.02 WHIP and 138:24 K:BB through 137.2 innings over 23 starts. He's lined up for a favorable road start in Kansas City next week.

Sears (2-9) allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out six over four innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Rangers.

Sears had gone at least five innings in each of his last six appearances before falling short of the mark Tuesday. The Rangers tagged him for three runs in the fourth inning. The southpaw is now at a 4.23 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 117:29 K:BB through 125.2 innings over 23 starts this season. He's projected for a road start in St. Louis next week.

Giolito (7-8) earned the win Tuesday, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks over six innings against San Francisco. He struck out seven.

Giolito claimed his first quality start since July 9 (four appearances) and managed to bounce back from an awful start to his tenure in Los Angeles. In his first two outings with the Halos, Giolito surrendered 12 runs and five homers over nine innings while mustering up just seven strikeouts. Giolito will look to keep the ball rolling in his next start, which is tentatively expected against the Rangers at Globe Life Field next week.