MLB Player News

Greinke was scratched from his Friday start against the Athletics and placed on the 10-day injured list with neck soreness, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Greinke last pitched Sunday, but the move to the IL could only be backdated as far as Tuesday. He'll be eligible to be reinstated Oct. 1 against Oakland, though it remains to be seen if he'll need longer to recover from the neck issue. The right-hander has struggled of late, posting a 7.56 ERA while going winless in his last five starts, but he still figures to be in Houston's postseason plans so long as he's able to return in time for the ALDS. Brandon Bielak will start instead Friday. Greinke isn't yet sure when he'll be able to return but could pitch with a reduced workload if he's back in time for the ALDS, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Boyd will undergo surgery on the flexor tendon in his left elbow Monday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Boyd had a second visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache this week which prompted fears of Tommy John surgery, but he'll instead be undergoing a different procedure on his elbow. The 30-year-old is without an official recovery timeline but hopes to pitch at some point next season, which makes it sound as though he may not be ready for Opening Day.

Bieber (shoulder) was activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled Friday start against the White Sox, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The club announced Wednesday that Bieber would be reinstated to toe the rubber for the first time since June 13, and now they've made the move official. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner will resume his campaign with a 3.28 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 130:33 K:BB through 90.2 innings.

Whitlock is feeling better after landing on the injured list earlier in the week with a right pectoral strain, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Manager Alex Cora previously indicated that he expected Whitlock to return by the end of the regular season, and Friday's update suggests that's still in play. The right-hander has yet to resume throwing, but so long as he's able to do so in the next few days, he should remain on track to be activated during the closing four-game stretch against the Orioles and Nationals.

Matz didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Twins after allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks across three innings, fanning six.

Matz has now fanned at least five in five straight starts, though he only lasted three innings and departed the contest after hurling 80 pitches (57 for strikes). Matz has gone undefeated in each of his last eight starts and has given up more than two earned runs just once in that span, which translates to a 2.95 ERA across 42.2 innings in that stretch.

Cobb didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Astros after tossing 5.2 innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out four. He also tossed a wild pitch.

Cobb hasn't completed six innings since returning from the injured list, but he's allowed just one run over 10.2 innings in his past two outings. In fact, he's gone six straight outings without allowing more than one earned run and has gone 3-0 with a blistering 1.02 ERA in that span, though four of those starts came in July before he got injured.

McCullers (12-5) was tagged with the loss Thursday against the Angels after allowing three runs on two hits and four walks across six innings, striking out five.

McCullers posted his fourth straight quality start, but he lacked run support and was the victim of a poor offensive showing from the Astros, which resulted in his fifth loss of the campaign. It's worth noting his command was a bit shaky in this one, but that has been a trend of late. Over his last six starts, McCullers owns a 3.03 ERA but has also posted a 37:19 K:BB across 35.2 innings.

Kopech pitched two perfect innings while striking out four in a loss to Cleveland in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader. He did not factor into the decision.

Kopech struck out the side in the first inning, and followed it up with another three-up, three-down second inning. He's allowed just one run with 17 strikeouts over nine innings in his last six appearances. The 25-year-old has a 3.57 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 13.4 K/9 in 63 innings this season.

Wells notched the save in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Rangers, allowing one hit in the ninth inning.

Manager Brandon Hyde turned to Wells to secure the shutout and the 27-year-old delivered with an efficient inning to earn his fourth save. He tossed nine of 12 pitches for strikes and has now thrown three scoreless innings after blowing consecutive save chances earlier this month.

Bassitt allowed one hit and one walk while striking out four across three innings Thursday against the Mariners. He did not factor into the decision.

Bassitt took the mound for the first time since he was hit by a comebacker that caused multiple facial fractures on Aug. 17. While he was limited to only three innings and 48 total pitches due to the lack of a rehab assignment, Bassitt was impressive in the short outing. He racked up 10 called strikes and five swinging strikes and did not allow an extra-base hit. Back in the rotation, Bassitt could make up to two more starts this season.