MLB Player News

Mahle left his start Wednesday against the Royals in the third inning following a visit with a team trainer, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He struck out one over 2.1 scoreless frames, giving up no hits and one walk while departing with a 3-0 lead.

Mahle's removal from the contest came after he displayed a noticeable drop in velocity. According to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com, Mahle's fastball averaged just 89.2 miles per hour on the day, a full four ticks down from his season-long average (93.4). The Twins should provide an update later in the day regarding what physical issue, if any, may have prompted Mahle's early exit.

Stripling (hip) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's start against the Orioles.

Stripling was on the injured list since Aug. 3 due to a right glute/hip strain but made a rehab appearance at Triple-A Buffalo last week and struck out three in five scoreless innings. The right-hander will return after a minimal IL stint as Wednesday's starter at home against the Orioles.

Manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday that Keller will move to the bullpen, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Keller has served exclusively as a starter in the majors over the last four seasons but has struggled since the All-Star break in 2022. Over his five starts to begin the second half, he's posted an 8.76 ERA and 2.07 WHIP in 24.2 innings. He had lined up to start Thursday's road matchup against the Rays, and the Royals haven't announced who will take his place in the rotation. However, Keller will attempt to sort things out as a relief option.

Toussaint is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Mariners, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Unsurprisingly, Toussaint will pick up a second straight turn through the rotation after he dazzled in his outing Aug. 10 in Oakland, when he struck out six over five scoreless innings while taking a no-decision. Though Toussaint has shown the ability to make bats miss over parts of five seasons in the majors, a bloated 13.3 percent career walk rate has prevented him from finding much sustained success as a starter.

Manoah (12-6) took the loss Tuesday, giving up four runs on four hits and four walks over 5.2 innings as the Blue Jays fell 4-2 to the Orioles. He struck out seven.

The right-hander blanked Baltimore into the fifth inning, but with two outs and nobody on, Manoah served up back-to-back solo shots to Cedric Mullins and Adley Rutschman. His control then deserted him in the sixth, leading to two more runs. Manoah has failed to last six innings in three of his last four starts, and his career-high workload of 142.2 innings -- he tossed 129.2 innings between Triple-A and the majors in 2021 -- might be getting to the 24-year-old. Despite his recent stumbles, he still boasts a 2.71 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 131:35 K:BB on the season.

Kremer (5-4) picked up the win in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out six.

The right-hander served up a two-run homer to Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning but shut Toronto down after that, exiting after an efficient 98 pitches (65 strikes). The quality start was Kremer's fourth of the year, and he'll take a 3.58 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 55:16 K:BB through 70.1 innings into his next outing.

Severino (lat) threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session Monday and indicated that it went well, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

This was Severino's first bullpen session since he landed on the injured list July 14, and the hurler said afterward that it was the best he's felt all year. Per MLB.com, the right-hander is expected to throw a few more side sessions before facing live hitters. Severino isn't eligible to come off the 60-day IL until Sept. 13, and the hope is he'll be able to make a handful of starts after his activation in order to ramp up for the postseason.

Suarez (4-5) took the loss during Tuesday's 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Mariners, allowing three runs on four hits with five strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

Suarez retired the first 16 batters he faced before surrendering four straight singles -- three of which came around to score -- before being removed. Including Tuesday's start, Suarez had gone 22 innings without permitting an earned run, a stretch dating back to mid-July. Suarez possesses a 4.12 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 66 strikeouts in 67.2 innings and is scheduled to take the mound again next week in Tampa Bay.

Verlander allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out four in seven innings in a no-decision versus the White Sox on Tuesday.

Verlander was sharp through six innings, allowing just one run, but Gavin Sheets got to him for a game-tying, two-run double in the seventh, and the Astros ultimately went on to lose the game. While it was another pedestrian outing by Verlander's standards, it was also his ninth straight quality start. The ace right-hander has a 1.95 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 138:24 K:BB through 143 innings across 22 starts this year. He's projected for a home start versus the Twins next week if the Astros stick with a six-man rotation.

Cease allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings in a no-decision versus the Astros on Tuesday.

Entering Tuesday, Cease had permitted one run or zero in 14 straight starts. The Astros ended that impressive stretch with a pair of RBI doubles in the third inning, and Jose Altuve tacked on a solo home run in the fifth. Cease was spared from taking the loss as the White Sox rallied for the lead and held on to win. His ERA rose slightly to 2.09 with a 1.17 WHIP and 178:68 K:BB through 133.2 innings across 24 starts this year. He's tentatively projected for a road start in Cleveland this weekend.