MLB Player News

Means (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday followed by a rehab start for Triple-A Columbus on Friday, MLB.com reports.

Friday's outing will be the fifth rehab start for Means, who logged four innings and 58 pitches in his previous outing Sunday. His pitch count will bump up to 75 on Friday, after which the left-hander could rejoin Cleveland's staff. Presumably, Means would join the rotation, but the Guardians are moving to a six-man rotation this week that currently doesn't include Means, per Molly Burkhardt of MLB.com. Joey Cantillo will start Wednesday's series finale against Boston at Fenway Park, joining the existing five-man rotation. Of the six current starters, Slade Cecconi and Gavin Williams have already passed their career highs in innings pitched, while Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee are nearing theirs. That suggests Means could be a replacement for one of the starters at or past their previous career high in innings.

Mahle (shoulder) allowed five runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one over one-plus innings for Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.

Mahle reached his pitch count before getting anyone out in the second inning after throwing 36 pitches (23 strikes) in an outing that was planned to go two full innings. He retired the first two batters faced before allowing three consecutive hits and two runs in the first inning. The right-hander came back out for the second inning and gave up a three-run home run. The Rangers had hoped Mahle could rejoin the pitching staff after one rehab outing, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, who noted Mahle's velocity across all pitches was down about one mph for the night compared to his season averages. The team's decision-makers may want to reconsider the pitcher's next step.

Wells (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four without walking a batter over five innings to earn the win Tuesday over the Padres.

Wells missed nearly 15 months while recovering from his June 14, 2024 UCL revision and internal brace augmentation procedure. He had a fairly normal workload in his return to a big-league mound, throwing 65 of 85 pitches for strikes while keeping a strong offense under control. Luis Arraez's two-run home run accounted for the runs on Wells' line. Wells posted a 2.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB over 25.1 innings across six outings during his rehab assignment, and he appears to be stretched out enough to remains in the Orioles' rotation over the final month of the season. His second start is projected to be at home versus the Pirates.

Fried (15-5) allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five over seven innings to earn the win over the Astros on Tuesday.

Fried has strung together three straight quality starts after opening August in poor form. Over those last three starts, he's given up two runs while posting an 18:8 K:BB across 20 innings. The southpaw trimmed his ERA to 2.98 and also has a 1.11 WHIP and 159:45 K:BB through 169 innings over 28 starts this season. Fried will face a big test in his next start, which is projected to be at home versus the Blue Jays this weekend.

Valdez (12-8) allowed six runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out eight over five innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Yankees.

Aside from his seven shutout innings versus the Rockies last week, Valdez has been struggling mightily since the start of August. He's now allowed 27 runs (25 earned) over his last 35.1 innings. Tuesday's outing also saw him give up multiple home runs for the first time since July 5. Valdez is now at a 3.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 166:57 K:BB through 169.1 innings across 27 starts. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is projected to be at Toronto next week.

Woo didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Rays, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks across five innings. He struck out three.

Woo's three strikeouts were his fewest in 14 starts and tied his season low, while his three walks were a season worst. The 25-year-old has now failed to complete six innings in back-to-back outings after doing so in his first 25 appearances of the campaign. Still, Woo boasts a 3.02 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 169.2 innings this season. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Cardinals in his next start.

Rasmussen didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Seattle, allowing three runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out two and did not issue a walk.

Rasmussen was excellent outside of the fourth inning. He ceded three solo homers during the frame, marking the 30-year-old's first time allowing more than two home runs in a start this season. He's now yielded multiple homers in two of his last three appearances. Since the start of August, Rasmussen has a 2.10 ERA with a 28:3 K:BB across 34.1 innings. He's on track to face the Guardians on Sunday.

Lorenzen (5-9) took the loss Tuesday against the Angels, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over six innings.

Lorenzen was cruising until the sixth inning, when he allowed a single and a two-run home run to Jo Adell. Adell's blast prevented Lorenzen from notching his third scoreless start in his last five appearances. On the year, Lorenzen owns a 4.54 ERA with a 105:34 K:BB across 119 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to close out a two-start week Sunday against Minnesota.

Martin (6-9) picked up the win Tuesday against Minnesota, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts over six innings.

Martin nabbed his second quality start in his last eight appearances and picked up a win in his third straight decision. He didn't allow a home run Tuesday after yielding four long balls across his prior two outings. In his last eight starts, Martin has a 4.57 ERA and 36:22 K:BB across 41.1 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Tigers on Sunday.

Woods Richardson didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and three walks across five innings. He struck out seven.

Woods Richardson struggled in his first start back from the injured list Aug. 27, allowing five runs and three homers while striking out two across 3.2 innings. He fared much better Tuesday, tying his season high in strikeouts. The 24-year-old will carry a 4.53 ERA into his next start, which is scheduled to come against the Angels.