MLB Player News

The Guardians transferred McKenzie (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Chris Assenheimer of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

The move ensures McKenzie will be out until at least mid-August, but chances are he'll be sidelined past then. McKenzie will remain shut down from throwing for another three weeks before potentially beginning a throwing program with the goal of returning late in the season. The transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for Chris Vallimont, who was acquired Thursday from Baltimore in exchange for cash considerations.

Perez's next turn in the rotation will be skipped, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Perez was originally lined up to start Saturday's game against the Nationals, but his next start will now have to wait until after the All-Star break. Cody Bradford will likely start Friday against Washington, pushing back Andrew Heaney into Saturday as Perez's replacement. Perez finishes the first half of the season with a 4.81 ERA and 1.48 WHIP through 91.2 innings.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Cora (face) has started workouts and will begin throwing Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Houck's throwing program will begin two weeks after he underwent facial surgery June 27. The timeline for his return will become clearer as Houck progresses in his recovery, but the Red Sox are confident he will be back before the end of the season.

Paxton (personal) will be activated from the paternity list to start Saturday against the Athletics, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Paxton welcomed a new addition to his family earlier this week and will fit in one more start before the All-Star break. The veteran left-hander was named AL Pitcher of the Month for June and boasts a 2.70 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 61:13 K:BB through 50 innings (nine starts) this season with Boston.

Cleveland placed Quantrill on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right shoulder inflammation, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Quantrill missed most of June with the very same issue. He had surrendered 11 earned runs in 7.2 innings (two starts) since being activated June 30 and heads back to the IL with a 2-6 record and 6.45 ERA in 13 starts this year.

Milone was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Thursday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Milone has fared pretty well in a couple of spot starts this year, posting a 2.00 ERA across nine innings, but he'll lose his place on the Mariners' roster to make way for the arrival of relief prospect Isaiah Campbell.

Keller (shoulder) worked two innings in his rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Omaha, striking out three while allowing one run on two hits and two walks.

The Royals have held Keller to a three-day rest schedule since he opened his rehab assignment June 28, with the right-hander having now worked exactly two innings in consecutive appearances after recording just one out in his first outing. Given Keller's usage thus far during the rehab assignment, it's not entirely clear if the Royals are building him back up for a starting role, though that still seems to be a likely outcome due to the lack of other impact rotation arms in the majors and high minors. Even if Keller is ready to return from the 15-day injured list shortly after the All-Star break and reclaims a spot in the Kansas City rotation, he won't make for a particularly enticing fantasy option after compiling a 3-4 record and pitching to a 4.36 ERA and 1.87 WHIP over 43.1 innings prior to being shelved with the shoulder issue.

Kaprielian was given a cortisone injection for his ailing right shoulder Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The hope is that the injection will help speed along the healing process as Kaprielian works his way back from a right shoulder strain. For now, though, there remains no timetable for the right-hander return to action.

Waldichuk (2-5) earned the win in Wednesday's 12-3 victory over the Tigers after allowing two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three over 4.1 innings out of the bullpen.

Waldichuk entered in the fourth inning staked to a 4-0 lead after Austin Pruitt delivered three shutout frames as Oakland's opening pitcher. The 25-year-old Waldichuk held the Tigers at bay, allowing just two runs in the eighth en route to the win, his first since May 6. The southpaw has looked better since moving into a bullpen role -- he held opponents scoreless in four of his previous five outings. Overall, Waldichuk still has an ugly 6.62 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and 67:44 K:BB across 70.2 innings this season.

Valdez (ankle) has been cleared to make his next start Saturday against the Mariners, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Though a sprained ankle prevented Valdez from making his previous turn through the rotation this past Sunday versus the Rangers, the lefty showed enough improvement to avoid a stint on the injured list. Earlier this week, manager Dusty Baker told Rome that his plan was to have Valdez start Thursday's series opener versus Seattle, but the two-time All-Star will instead get a couple extra days to rest up. With Houston opting to skip the struggling Cristian Javier's final turn through the rotation before the All-Star break, Ronel Blanco is expected to be called up from Triple-A Sugar Land to start Thursday.