MLB Player News

Manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that the Tigers have no expectation for Madden (shoulder) to pitch in any games this season, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Madden will continue his throwing progression as the season winds down, but the Tigers are making it a priority for the 25-year-old to enter the offseason at full health rather than counting on him to contribute in the minors or majors in 2025. The right-hander made six appearances (one start) for Detroit as a rookie last season but didn't make much of a run for a spot in the Opening Day rotation in spring training before he was shut down in early March with a rotator cuff strain.

The Tigers plan to use Cobb (hips) as a reliever once he's activated from the 60-day injured list, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Cobb pitched out of the bullpen with Triple-A Toledo on his rehab assignment Tuesday, striking out four and not allowing a hit over three innings. The appearance was the eighth of his rehab assignment and first as a reliever. Manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday that the Tigers want to keep Cobb "stretched out to 30, 40, 50 pitches," so Cobb likely won't be asked to build much further on three-inning workload he handled Tuesday. Cobb has been on the shelf all season while recovering from inflammation in both hips, but he's pitched well on his rehab assignment (1.53 ERA, 23:11 K:BB in 17.2 innings), so there's a chance he can still help the Tigers down the stretch.

The Red Sox will recall Fitts from Triple-A Worcester prior to Thursday's game against the Yankees, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

He'll be a replacement on the active roster for Isaiah Campbell, who was optioned to Worcester on Wednesday. All 17 of Fitts' appearances between the majors and minors this season have been as a starting pitcher, but the Red Sox plan to deploy him as a reliever during his upcoming stint with the big club. The big righty posted a 3.00 ERA and 16:7 K:BB over 15 frames covering his last three starts with Worcester.

The Guardians selected Messick's contract from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.

Messick will make his major-league debut Wednesday with a start on the road against the Diamondbacks. The left-hander has put up a 3.47 ERA and 119:42 K:BB over 98.2 innings covering 20 starts with Columbus this season. Messick gets by on pitchability rather than raw stuff, but the 24-year-old should get an opportunity to stick in the major-league rotation for the remainder of the season if he pitches well Wednesday.

Alexander will start Thursday's game against the Orioles at Camden Yards, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Though Houston will get Lance McCullers (finger) back from the injured list to start Friday, Alexander will at least temporarily stick around in a starting role while the Astros run out a six-man rotation this week. Houston could keep the six-man setup in place when the team begins a stretch of 13 games in 13 days Tuesday, but Alexander may need to perform well in his start in Baltimore to ensure he remains in the rotation over Luis Garcia (elbow), who could be ready to return from the 60-day IL next week. Alexander has fared well over his last four starts, logging a 1.59 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB in 22.2 innings.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Lauer will be available out of the bullpen for this weekend's series in Miami, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Shane Bieber (elbow) is poised to make his Blue Jays debut Friday, which means Lauer will be booted out of the rotation, despite logging a 2.76 ERA and 87:25 K:BB over 88 innings covering 20 appearances (14 starts). Schneider added that it's "not a [permanent] move to the bullpen" for Lauer, so the left-hander could still make some starts for Toronto down the stretch.

Lopez (shoulder) will make his first rehab start Thursday for Triple-A St. Paul, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.

Lopez began throwing live batting practice last week and appears to have avoided any setbacks in his recovery from a Grade 2 teres major strain, so the Twins will clear the way for him to kick off a rehab assignment. Given that he's been on the shelf with the injury since June 5, he'll likely need an additional rehab start or two after Thursday's outing before being activated from the 60-day injured list.

The Rays announced Tuesday that Faedo (shoulder) underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery Aug. 6 and will miss the remainder of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Acquired from the Tigers in February, Faedo will conclude the season without having made an appearance at the big-league level for Tampa Bay. He's been on the shelf throughout 2025 after experiencing shoulder discomfort in spring training and then hitting multiple snags in his recovery in the ensuing months. Faedo had made enough progress to begin a minor-league rehab assignment June 27, but he appeared in just six contests before being shut down again shortly after the All-Star break and getting diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Given that pitchers often struggle to bounce back from the procedure, Faedo profiles as a likely non-tender candidate this winter. Even if he keeps his spot on the 40-man roster or re-signs with Tampa Bay on a minor-league deal, Faedo's availability for the start of the 2026 season could be affected.

Sugano didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Boston, allowing one unearned run on five hits and no walks with three strikeouts over five innings.

Sugano hasn't allowed more than one run in four of his last five starts, and he hasn't taken a loss since July 2. Limiting power has been critical to Sugano's recent success, as he's allowed just one home run over his last five starts after yielding 20 long balls in his previous 19 outings. The 35-year-old rookie has a 3.97 ERA and 85:32 K:BB across 131.1 innings this season. He's slated for a rematch with the Red Sox early next week.

Buehler didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Baltimore, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks across four innings. He struck out four.

Buehler has struggled to locate pitches this season, and those issues have been exaggerated recently. He has more walks than strikeouts across his last five starts, and he's posted a 4.32 ERA along with a 15:18 K:BB across 25 innings during that stretch. Buehler hasn't struck out more than four batters in 11 consecutive outings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Orioles early next week.