MLB Player News

Whitlock (pectoral) won't be reinstated from the 10-day injured list Saturday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Whitlock threw a bullpen session Friday, but he won't rejoin the active roster Saturday. Manager Alex Cora isn't yet sure whether the right-hander will be able to return Sunday, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him available for the postseason if the Red Sox secure a wild-card spot.

Houck will start Saturday's game against the Nationals, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Houck has pitched out of the bullpen in each of his last three appearances, and he posted a 4.26 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 6.1 innings during that time. He tossed two innings against the Orioles on Tuesday and will pitch on short rest in Saturday's matchup against Washington.

Gonzales (10-6) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Angels after allowing two runs on three hits and two walks across six innings, fanning five. He also hit a batter.

Gonzales had to settle with an unfortunate loss due to the lack of run support, but the veteran ended the season on a strong note since he recorded five straight quality starts. The left-hander, who posted a 3.75 ERA since the beginning of September, ends the campaign with a 3.96 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP across 143.1 innings (25 starts), and he's now posted an ERA below the 4.00 threshold in each of his last three seasons, all of them with Seattle.

Suarez (8-8) earned the win Friday over Seattle after allowing one run on three hits and two walks across five innings, striking out five.

Suarez had given up three-plus runs in back-to-back appearances, but he closed out the season with a strong performance en route to his eighth win of the campaign. The 23-year-old southpaw finishes the year with a career-high 23 appearances (14 starts) while logging a 3.75 ERA and 1.23 WHIP through 98.1 innings, all of them being career-best marks.

Whitlock (pectoral) threw a bullpen session Friday.

The activity puts Whitlock in line to possibly pitch in a regular-season game either Saturday or Sunday, which would be a significant boost to a bullpen that's been tested over the last month. The Red Sox will monitor how Whitlock responds during the day Saturday before making a decision on subsequent steps.

McClanahan allowed a run on three hits and struck out three in three innings in a no-decision versus the Yankees on Friday.

McClanahan only threw 43 pitches (28 strikes) in the contest, but no injury was reported after the game. That could make it a case of workload management for the 24-year-old in his first big-league season. He finished the regular season with a 3.43 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 141:37 K:BB in 123.1 innings overall. Expect McClanahan to fill a starting role in the postseason.

Cortes (2-3) took the loss Friday versus Tampa Bay. He allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five in 4.2 innings.

The southpaw allowed a solo shot to Nelson Cruz in the first inning and an RBI single to Kevin Kiermaier in the second to account for the runs on his line. Cortes wasn't bad, but the Yankees' offense fell short in a ninth-inning rally. He'll end the regular season with a 2.90 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 103:25 K:BB across 93 innings. Those numbers could give him a path to being in the postseason rotation should the Yankees get that far.

Valdez (11-6) took the loss in Friday's 8-6 defeat at the hands of the Athletics, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in five innings.

Valdez was staked to an early lead but surrendered one run apiece in the third and fourth innings and two in the sixth before departing to fall in line for the loss. The 27-year-old has now permitted four runs in three of his last five starts and concludes the 2021 season with an 11-6 record across 22 starts with a 3.14 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 125:58 K:BB in 134.2 innings pitched.

Lynn (11-6) allowed one run on four hits and a walk over five innings Friday, striking out four and earning a win over Detroit.

Lynn rolled through three scoreless innings before Robbie Grossman tagged him with an RBI double in the fourth. The veteran righty ends his 2021 campaign with a terrific 2.69 ERA and 176:45 K:BB through 157 frames. He allowed two or fewer runs in five of his last seven starts this season.

Rodriguez (12-8) allowed five hits and three walks with six strikeouts in five shutout innings, earning the win Friday over Washington.

Rodriguez was able to limit the damage despite allowing eight baserunners, and Boston's offense took over in the sixth inning with back-to-back home runs from Hunter Renfroe and Bobby Dalbec. That earned Rodriguez the win, his 12th of the year. The southpaw has allowed more than two runs just once in six starts since the beginning of September. He now has a 4.77 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 184:47 K:BB in 156.2 innings overall. If he starts again this year, Boston would have to qualify for the postseason.