MLB Player News

Mahle (shoulder) is listed as the Twins' probable starter for Saturday's game against the White Sox, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old threw a bullpen session and a couple simulated innings Monday and has now been cleared to re-enter Minnesota's rotation, and he'll have spent only one extra day on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation. Given the brevity of the absence, any potential workload limitations for Mahle are unlikely to be significant.

Houck (back) didn't throw live batting practice as scheduled Tuesday due to continued back soreness, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The 26-year-old landed on the shelf Aug. 9 with a disc issue in his back and returned to throwing last week, but the ongoing soreness will prevent him from further ramping up his throwing program. Houck is already eligible to return from the 15-day IL, but he may still be a couple weeks away from rejoining the active roster.

McClanahan was diagnosed with a left shoulder impingement after being scratched from Tuesday's start at Miami, pending further imaging, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

McClanahan was on track to start Tuesday before the injury flared up while he was warming up in the bullpen. The left-hander, who is in the mix for the AL Cy Young Award, should be considered day-to-day as he continues to be evaluated, and it's unclear if the issue will affect his availability for the next turn through the rotation.

McClanahan isn't on the mound for the start of Tuesday's game in Miami for unspecified reasons, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

The 25-year-old was scheduled to start Tuesday's contest, but instead it's Shawn Armstrong on the mound in the first inning against the Marlins. McClanahan is being evaluated by the training staff, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, so it appears to be an injury issue for the lefty. The Rays should provide an update on the situation in the near future.

Wells (oblique) completed a 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to throw a simulated game or pitch in a rehab game at High-A Aberdeen as soon as this weekend, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The side session followed a simulated game a few days earlier, when Wells faced hitters for the first time since landing on the 15-day injured list July 28 with a Grade 1 left oblique strain. Manager Brandon Hyde said Tuesday that a decision on whether Wells will return from the IL as a reliever or starter hasn't been made, but at the moment, Baltimore doesn't have as pressing of a need for him in the rotation as anticipated when he was first shut down with the oblique strain. Heading into Tuesday's game against the Guardians, the Orioles have received five consecutive quality starts.

Waldichuk will have his contract selected to start Thursday against the Nationals, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

It was reported earlier Tuesday that the left-hander would receive a call-up when the major-league roster expands to 28 players Thursday, and he'll immediately step into the rotation for Oakland. Waldichuck was acquired from the Yankees as part of the return for Frankie Montas, and the 24-year-old has a 3.53 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 91:26 K:BB across 66.1 innings at the Triple-A level this year.

The Mariners plan to activate Boyd (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Thursday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Boyd has struck out seven in four scoreless innings across his last three rehab appearances, suggesting he could be a valuable addition to Seattle's bullpen down the stretch. The lefty has yet to appear in an MLB game this year after undergoing flexor tendon surgery last September.

Javier will start Wednesday's game against the Rangers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Though Javier moved to the bullpen for last weekend's series with the Orioles, it was always expected to be a short-term arrangement while the Astros had two open dates in the schedule this week. Because Justin Verlander (calf) was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Javier's return to the rotation will come even earlier than anticipated, as he'll take the hill Wednesday for his 20th start of the season. The righty allowed two runs across three innings in his only relief appearance last weekend, yet he still boasts an impressive 2.97 ERA for the season.

The Astros recalled Bielak from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bielak has pitched to a 3.58 ERA in 27.2 innings since being sent down July 21. Prior to the demotion, the righty had a 3.48 mark in 10.1 big-league innings and he figures to handle long-relief work for however long he's with the Astros.

The Astros placed Verlander (calf) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Verlander underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed fascial disruption, but no muscle fiber disruption to his right calf, which he injured while covering first base in Sunday's start against the Orioles. While a timeline for Verlander's return hasn't yet been established, the diagnosis was worrisome enough for the club to place him on the shelf for at least the next couple weeks. Due to a pair of off days this week, Houston planned on scaling its rotation back to five men, so Cristian Javier will presumably return from the bullpen to take over Verlander's spot in the rotation. Additionally, top pitching prospect Hunter Brown is expected to be added from Triple-A Sugar Land when the active roster expands to 28 players Thursday, providing further coverage for Houston while Verlander is on the mend. In his comeback from Tommy John surgery this season, Verlander has re-emerged as a leading American League Cy Young candidate, as he turned in a 1.84 ERA and 0.86 WHIP over 152 innings before exiting Sunday's outing. He won't be eligible to come off the IL until Sept. 13.