MLB Player News

Houck is undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair his facial fracture, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Houck will have small plates inserted into his right cheek, where the swelling his subsided 10 days after he got struck there by a comebacker off the bat of Kyle Higashioka. There is no timetable for Houck's return to the Red Sox, but he is expected to pitch again before the end of the 2023 season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Paxton (knee) remains "lined up" to make his next turn through the rotation Friday in Toronto, MLB.com reports. "We'll see how he keeps reacting to the treatment. But that's where we're at right now," Cora said of Paxton.

The veteran southpaw was lifted after four innings during his previous outing Saturday versus the White Sox after experiencing right knee soreness, an issue Paxton disclosed that he battled in his prior outing June 19 against the Twins. Thanks to an off day Monday, the Red Sox are able to build in some extra time off between starts for Paxton, who is expected to be good to go Friday on five days' rest. Before Paxton is officially confirmed to start Friday, the Red Sox may first want to see how he checks out following a bullpen session.

Flexen was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Tuesday.

Flexen was an important part of the pitching mix in Seattle in each of the last two seasons while working as both a starter and reliever, but he has now been dropped from the 40-man roster after struggling to a 7.71 ERA through 42 innings (four starts, 13 relief appearances) this season. The 28-year-old had surrendered 13 earned runs in 8.2 innings since the beginning of June.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said McClanahan (back) is expected to make his next start Friday in Seattle, MLB.com reports. "Totally...precautionary for us," Cash said of the decision to push McClanahan back in the pitching schedule. "He was pretty adamant that he felt great and was ready to go, but just felt like with the workload to date and where he's at, it's not the worst thing in the world."

McClanahan last pitched June 22, exiting his start against the Royals midway through the fourth inning with mid-back tightness. He was able to play catch two days later and threw a short bullpen session Sunday, but the Rays will take advantage of Monday's off day in any case and give McClanahan additional time to heal up from the injury. Zach Eflin and Yonny Chirinos will both move up a day in the pitching schedule to make starts Wednesday and Thursday in Arizona, respectively, before McClanahan takes the ball in Friday's series opener on seven days' rest.

Manoah was lit up for 11 earned runs over just 2.2 innings Tuesday in the Florida Complex League.

Making his first live appearance since being optioned to the minors in early June, Manoah surrendered 10 hits -- including two homers and two doubles -- in a brutal outing versus the FCL affiliate of the Yankees. He also issued two walks, ultimately retiring only eight of the 20 batters he faced. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters last week that the 25-year-old right-hander was trending well in recent side sessions, but he clearly has a lot more work to do on the farm before he can be considered a reliable option again for Toronto's starting rotation.

Campbell had right elbow surgery and could return in a couple months, Baseball America reports.

He was held back in extended spring training to start the year because of an elbow injury, and it's unclear when he had the surgery, but it evidently wasn't Tommy John surgery, given his reported timeline. Campbell was an exciting pitching prospect entering the 2022 draft, but he has not pitched in official games since the Guardians selected him with the 37th overall pick.

Gray (4-2) took the loss Monday, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk over 6.2 innings against Atlanta. He struck out five.

Gray notched his sixth quality start but took the loss, as Spencer Strider dominated Minnesota's offense. Gray hasn't allowed more than three runs in a game this season and sports a 2.67 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 89:33 K:BB across 16 starts (87.2 innings). However, the veteran has cooled off a bit following a strong start, posting a 3.93 ERA over his past 10 outings. During that stretch, the right-hander hasn't won a game, totaling eight no-decisions and two losses. Regardless, Gray remains the ace of Minnesota's rotation and will look to get back in the win column during his next start, which is tentatively scheduled during a three-game weekend set in Baltimore.

Irvin did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing one run on three hits over three innings in a 10-3 victory over Cincinnati. He struck out three and didn't record a walk.

Irvin was replaced to start the fourth inning after a long rain delay, but he had been relatively sharp to start the game. The 29-year-old has been much better during his current big-league stint, posting a 4.05 ERA and 14:2 K:BB over his last four appearances (13.1 innings), than he was at the beginning of the season, when he gave up 15 runs over 12.2 innings. If he can continue to stack quality outings, Irvin should have a good chance of sticking in Baltimore's rotation.

Castillo (5-6) earned the win over Washington on Monday, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over seven innings.

Castillo allowed a solo homer in each of the first and second frames but settled down thereafter and finished his outing by retiring the final seven batters he faced. The right-hander racked up an impressive 17 swinging strikes and tied his season high by completing seven frames. The victory snapped a personal four-game losing streak for Castillo, though he had maintained a decent 3.42 ERA and 1.23 WHIP during that stretch. Though the veteran's record is just 5-6 on the season, he's been very effective with a 2.86 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 108:28 K:BB over 94.1 innings.

Cease did not factor in the decision against the Angels on Monday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters over six innings.

Cease racked up an impressive 17 swinging strikes en route to his second 10-punchout performance over his past three starts, but Angels starter Reid Detmers matched him in both whiffs and strikeouts, and neither hurler factored in the decision. For Cease, the outing was the culmination of a strong June during which he has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his five starts, compiling a 2.20 ERA and 42:10 K:BB across 28.2 frames over that stretch. That's a vast improvement over the 5.57 ERA and 31:14 K:BB over 32.1 innings he registered in May.