MLB Player News

Paxton took a no-decision in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to Cincinnati after allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over five innings.

Paxton looked very good in the outing, notching twice as many punchouts (eight) as hits allowed (four). He racked up an impressive 22 swinging strikes but couldn't go deeper into the contest since he needed 100 pitches to get through five frames. Paxton was knocked around to the tune of five runs over three frames against the Angels his last time out but has otherwise been a nice addition for Boston since coming off the IL on May 10, yielding two or fewer earned runs in his other three starts. Paxton also appears to still have above-average swing-and-miss stuff, as he's tallied 27 strikeouts across 19 innings overall.

Rodon (back/forearm) will throw another bullpen session Friday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Friday will mark Rodon's third bullpen session since he resumed throwing May 14. While he still doesn't have a timetable in place for a return, the fact he still hasn't faced hitters yet signals that it could be a few more weeks before Rodon makes his season debut.

Kaprielian (0-6) took the loss Wednesday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over 4.2 innings during a 4-2 defeat against Atlanta. He struck out four.

Kaprielian allowed three or fewer runs for the third time over his past four starts, but he still suffered his sixth loss of the season. The veteran right-hander moved to a relief role in mid-April before being sent to Triple-A Las Vegas, but he got another shot in the rotation in mid-May with Drew Rucinski (illness) and Paul Blackburn (finger) sidelined and has been relatively successful. Blackburn has since been activated, but Kaprielian appears to have done enough to remain in the rotation for the time being. His next start is tentatively scheduled during a three-game set in Pittsburgh.

Eflin did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk over six innings against the Cubs. He struck out five.

Eflin settled down after allowing two runs in the first inning, blanking the Cubs over his subsequent five frames before surrendering a leadoff double to Seiya Suzuki in the seventh. It's the third consecutive quality start for Eflin, who's pitched at least six innings in his last six outings. He's 7-1 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 57:8 K:BB through 10 starts (60 innings) this season.

Schultz (forearm) is set to make his pro debut with Low-A Kannapolis on Friday, James Fox of FutureSox reports.

Schultz has been working his way back from a forearm strain suffered in spring training but has reportedly looked terrific during workouts in Arizona. It's an aggressive assignment considering Schultz won't turn 20 until August and has not yet made an appearance in affiliated ball, but it's one which points to how highly the White Sox think of the young hurler.

Lynn (4-6) took the loss Wednesday, allowing eight runs on eight hits and two walks over four innings against the Angels. He struck out four.

Lynn gave up three home runs in the losing effort, including a pair of two-run shots to Shohei Ohtani. The 36-year-old Lynn had been pitching better coming into Wednesday's outing, logging three consecutive quality starts with a 1.89 ERA in that span. His ERA is now up to 6.55 with a 1.51 WHIP and 76:26 K:BB through 12 starts (67.1 innings) this season. Lynn will look to get back on track in his next outing, currently lined up for next week against the Yankees.

Wentz did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing a run on seven hits and a walk over 4.1 innings against Texas. He struck out five.

Wentz had allowed 11 runs over six innings in his last two starts, so Wednesday's performance against a potent Rangers offense was a step in the right direction. Still, Wentz was lucky to escape with just one run allowed, as he surrendered seven hits on 11 hard-hit balls in just 4.1 frames. The 25-year-old left-hander is 1-5 this season with a 7.28 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 40:17 K:BB through 47 innings. Despite his struggles, Wentz will likely continue starting for the Tigers while they face a litany of injuries in their rotation.

Dunning (4-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings against Detroit. He struck out six.

It's the first time in five starts that Dunning has allowed more than two runs. Still, the 28-year-old Dunning has been excellent since filling in for Jacob deGrom (elbow) in Texas' rotation, pitching to a 2.06 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP and 32:11 K:BB through 32.2 innings this season. He's tentatively lined up to face the Cardinals at home in his next outing.

McKenzie (shoulder) hurled three innings of one-run baseball while allowing one hit and one walk with three strikeouts during a rehab appearance with Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

McKenzie was scheduled to work deeper in the contest, but unfortunately the outing was shortened by rain delays. While he wasn't able to continue on the mound, the right-hander was able to throw a simulated inning in the batting cage while also getting up to 85 pitches with a bullpen session after the rain stopped, per Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. McKenzie has missed all of 2023 while recovering from his shoulder injury, but assuming everything checked out well during his third rehab outing, he should be ready to make his 2023 Cleveland debut later this weekend.

The Tigers will call up Olson from Triple-A Toledo on Friday to start their series opener with the White Sox, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

As anticipated, Olson will be joining the Tigers in Chicago for what will be his MLB debut as he steps into the rotation for the injured Eduardo Rodriguez (finger). The 23-year-old right-hander owns a poor 6.38 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 36.2 innings at Triple-A this season, but he's looked far sharper over his last six starts with Toledo. During that stretch, he's turned in a 3.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 32:15 K:BB across 27 innings. Given that Olson hasn't covered more than five innings in any start this season, he could struggle to work deep enough into his upcoming outings with the big club to qualify for wins.