MLB Player News

Lyles was scratched from his scheduled start Friday versus the Dodgers due to an illness, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

Alec Marsh will be called up from Triple-A Omaha to start in place of Lyles, who should be able to slot back into the Royals' rotation next week. The 32-year-old has allowed the most earned runs (68) of any major-league pitcher this season.

Olson was diagnosed with a left knee contusion after being hit by a comebacker Thursday versus the Rangers, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports. He allowed one run with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings before exiting.

It's good news for an initial diagnosis, although it's not clear at this point whether Olson is set to undergo any additional testing. The right-hander's next turn is tentatively scheduled for early next week at home versus the Athletics, but it's too soon to say whether he'll be ready to take the ball that day.

Olson was removed from Thursday's start against the Rangers in the second inning after being hit on the left leg by a comebacker, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

He was struck by a 103.5-mph shot off the bat of Josh Smith and immediately crumpled to the ground in pain. Olson eventually walked off the field under his own power following a lengthy chat with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch and the athletic trainer. The right-hander was charged with one run on three hits and a walk before leaving.

Sale (shoulder) was cleared to begin a throwing program Thursday after getting encouraging results from an MRI, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Sale is just three weeks removed from being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left scapula, but he's pain-free and able to pick up a ball again. The left-hander will now start the slow build-up process toward a return to the mound, which the Red Sox hope can come in early August, when he's first eligible to be activated from the 60-day IL.

Manager Pedro Grifol indicated Thursday that Kopech could have his turn in the White Sox' rotation skipped this weekend, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Kopech's next turn lines up for Sunday in Oakland, but the White Sox currently have that spot listed as TBA. The right-hander might make just one start next week prior to the All-Star break and then get an extended break before his first outing of the second half as the team looks to keep him fresh. Kopech is on pace for about 170 innings this season after throwing around 180 frames combined the previous two campaigns and zero from 2019-20.

Skubal (elbow) is expected to return from the 60-day injured list to make his next start with the Tigers, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Skubal has been electric on his rehab assignment, holding a 1.23 ERA and 20:3 K:BB over 14.2 innings covering five starts between High-A West Michigan and Triple-A Toledo. He will throw a bullpen session over the weekend, and if he gets through it with no issues, he could make his season debut with the big club as soon as Tuesday at home versus the Athletics. The upcoming start would be his first in the majors since he underwent season-ending flexor tendon surgery last August. Skubal didn't work more than four frames in any rehab start, so he will likely be limited from a workload perspective initially. However, with what shapes up to be two starts in his first week back from the IL and one of those outings slated to come against Oakland, he might be worth using in fantasy leagues, anyway.

Wentz was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Wentz was rocked for six runs (four earned) on nine hits across 4.2 innings in a loss to the Rangers on Wednesday to push his ERA on the season to 6.09. He'll head to Toledo for a reset, but there may not be a clear path back to the rotation for him once Tarik Skubal (elbow) and Eduardo Rodriguez (finger) are healthy.

Allen was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The moves comes one day after Allen needed 98 pitches to cover 3.2 innings against the Royals, albeit in a scoreless appearance. Allen didn't last longer than four frames in any of his last three starts, and while his ERA for the Guardians is sitting at 3.47, his 1.44 WHIP points to some work still needing to be done. Cal Quantrill (shoulder) is slated to return from the injured list this weekend and will take Allen's rotation spot.

Javier did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk over four innings against the Cardinals. He struck out one.

After allowing four runs just once over his first 12 starts, Javier has now given up at least four in three of his last four appearances. During that stretch, he owns a 7.27 ERA and has more walks (nine) than strikeouts (six). Despite his recent struggles, Javier hasn't taken a loss since April 29 and continues to be bailed out by Houston's offense. As long as he's healthy, the right-hander should remain a prominent part of the Astros' rotation, and he'll look to get back on track in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled during a four-game set in Texas.

McClanahan (back) is listed as the Rays' probable pitcher for Friday's game against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

Just as manager Kevin Cash suggested would be the case earlier in the week, McClanahan will rejoin the Tampa Bay rotation for the first game of the team's series in Seattle. The ace southpaw will be returning to the mound after a full week's rest, as he last pitched June 22 before leaving his start against the Royals that day in the fourth inning with mid-back tightness. McClanahan threw a bullpen session over the weekend and apparently checked out fine, so he's not expected to face any limitations Friday.