MLB Player News

Kikuchi left Monday's game against the Athletics due to cramping in his lower back, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports. Before departing, Kikuchi was in line for the win after allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three over six innings.

Manager Scott Servais stated after the game that Kikuchi should be fine going forward, but expect the club to keep a close eye on the lefty leading up to his next scheduled start, which tentatively lines up for Saturday or Sunday against Texas.

Means yielded two runs on five hits over seven innings in Monday's loss to the Twins. He struck out five and did not factor in the decision.

Means was sharp as usual Monday and kept the Twins' bats mostly quiet. The only runs to score on him were solo homers by Trevor Larnach and Kyle Garlick in the third and sixth innings. It was his second straight start allowing two home runs and his season ERA ticked up slightly to 1.79 through 65.1 innings. Means is lined up to face the White Sox in Chicago this weekend.

Kikuchi allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three across six innings Monday against Oakland before exiting with an undisclosed injury, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Kikuchi was cruising along through six innings, but he appeared to suffer an injury after allowing a leadoff single in the seventh. The team has yet to disclose details of the injury.

Turnbull allowed three runs across six innings and did not factor into the decision in Monday's loss to Cleveland. He gave up seven hits and a walk while striking out three.

Turnbull can be forgiven for not matching his last outing, when he tossed a no-hitter Tuesday against the Mariners. The righty was still solid and recorded his third straight quality start. In those three games, Turnbull has allowed just four earned runs across 21.1 innings with 19 strikeouts, and he's lowered his ERA to 3.12 for the season. He'll look to keep it rolling in a tough matchup against the Yankees this weekend.

Stripling allowed two hits and two walks while striking out seven across seven scoreless innings Monday against the Blue Jays. He didn't factor into the decision.

Stripling worked as the primary pitcher in the series opener, inheriting a five-run deficit after Trent Thornton struggled through the first inning. The right-hander's solid outing was a welcome sight for the Blue Jays, as Stripling was coming off a tough performance in his last appearance against Boston, surrendering six runs on eight hits across 3.2 frames. Stripling has accrued a 5.63 ERA with 36 punchouts through 32 innings this season and has worked five or more innings just twice in six starts.

Manoah will be recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to start Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Manoah will make his big-league debut Wednesday in what appears to be a tryout for the fifth slot in the club's starting rotation. The right-hander has been excellent in the minors through his first three starts, surrendering just one run while fanning 27 over 18 innings. Expect the Blue Jays to officially announce Manoah's promotion Wednesday, along with a corresponding move.

Rodriguez is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and a 31:4 K:BB in 18.1 innings through his first four starts at High-A Aberdeen.

After the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season, Rodriguez has picked up right where he left off in 2019, when he was named the Orioles' Jim Palmer Minor-League Co-Pitcher of the Year along with Michael Baumann. While making the jump from Low-A Delmarva to the High-A level, Rodriguez hasn't been phased by the improved competition. Blessed with a deep repertoire that includes a high-90s four-seamer, curveball, cutter and spinning changeup, the 21-year-old Rodriguez looks like the top pitching prospect in the Baltimore system.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin told Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Luzardo (finger) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday.

Luzardo is ready to take the next step forward in his recovery program for his fractured left pinkie finger after he used his full repertoire during a 50-pitch bullpen session Sunday, according to Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports. The southpaw could be cleared to push his pitch count up to the 60-to-75 range in the rehab start, which could be the only one he needs before the Athletics activate him from the 10-day injured list. Manager Bob Melvin noted the team may elect to bring Luzardo back in a relief role while he gets stretched out, which would eliminate the need for multiple rehab starts, per Jessica Kleinschmidt of NBC Sports Bay Area. While the southpaw has been sidelined for the past three weeks, James Kaprielian has stepped into the rotation as Oakland's No. 5 starter.

Manager Charlie Montoyo didn't dismiss the possibility of Manoah being called up from Triple-A Buffalo to fill the opening in the Blue Jays' rotation Wednesday against the Yankees, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports. "We have options," Montoyo answered, when asked if Manoah would join the rotation this week.

Toronto is looking for a new fifth starter after optioning Anthony Kay to the minors last week. The team will have long reliever Trent Thornton work as an opener in front of Ross Stripling in Monday's game against the Rays, which could lessen the chances of Toronto treating Wednesday as a bullpen day. If Toronto does in fact choose to go with a traditional starter Wednesday, Manoah would be available to go on six days' rest, provided he's scratched ahead of his scheduled turn Tuesday for Buffalo. Though Manoah impressed in spring training and has dazzled over his first three outings at Triple-A, the Blue Jays may not be keen on starting his MLB service clock just yet. Nate Pearson would be another option to step into the rotation if the Blue Jays prefer to fill the opening with a pitcher who's already on the 40-man roster.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo confirmed Stripling would serve as a primary pitcher behind opener Trent Thornton in Monday's game against the Rays, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Thornton will likely work the first 2-to-3 innings of the contest before the Blue Jays turn the game over to Stripling. The transition from a traditional starting gig to a bulk-reliever role can only help Stripling, who has posted a 7.20 ERA and 1.76 WHIP through his first six outings.