MLB Player News

Snell (elbow) felt good following a bullpen session Friday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Snell threw only fastballs and changeups, but the session nevertheless represents an important step as he works his way back from late July arthroscopic elbow surgery. He's expected to throw two more bullpen sessions and one live batting practice session before returning to the Rays sometime in mid-September, though he'll likely pitch in shorter stints at first given his relatively accelerated return process.

Means will start Friday against the Royals, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Means returns to action after having been on the Family Medical Emergency List since Sunday. After posting a 2.50 ERA prior to the All-Star break, he owns a 6.23 ERA in the second half. He'll square off against fellow lefty Eric Skoglund.

Means was reinstated from the Family Medical Emergency List on Friday.

Means had been on the list since Sunday. He was originally expected to return to the rotation Friday or Saturday in Kansas City. While the Orioles have yet to clarify their rotation plans, the early reinstatement suggests that Means will take the mound right away Friday.

Clevinger (10-2) tossed eight scoreless frames with 10 strikeouts and no walks while allowing four hits to earn a victory over the Tigers on Thursday.

The 28-year-old has been outstanding since July, posting a 9-0 record and 1.86 ERA over his last 11 starts. The last time Clevinger lost was June 28. Overall, he is 10-2 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 123 strikeouts in 86 innings this season. Clevinger will look to keep his hot streak alive Tuesday at home against the White Sox.

Lynn did not factor into the decision during Thursday's loss to the Mariners, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and a pair of walks while striking out five across six innings.

The second inning was no friend to Lynn, who gave up a pair of singles and a walk. Then for the first time in his career, the right-hander hit a batter with the bases loaded, allowing a run to score. Prior to Thursday's game, Lynn had faced just 10 hitters with the bases loaded this season. On the bright side, the 32-year-old reached a new career high in strikeouts (202). He'll carry a 3.77 ERA and 1.25 WHIP into a tough road matchup with the Yankees on Tuesday.

Berrios (11-7) allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight across six innings to earn the win Thursday against the White Sox.

Berrios was given a nine-run lead early in the game and took advantage to earn his 11th win of the season. He ran into a bit of trouble in his final two frames, surrendering three runs on two extra-base hits and three singles. Still, it was a positive outing for him as he had allowed three or more earned runs in each of his past four outings -- including nine and five-run appearances -- and managed to turn in just his second quality start in his last five chances. For the season, he still owns a strong 3.57 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 163 strikeouts across 169 innings. He's likely to draw his next start Tuesday at Boston.

Greinke did not factor into the decision against Tampa Bay on Thursday, pitching 5.2 innings and giving up five runs on six hits and one walk while striking out eight.

After four consecutive victories to start his tenure with Houston, Greinke was touched up for five runs Thursday to walk away with a no-decision. Four of those runs were courtesy of Travis d'Arnaud, who sandwiched RBI singles in the second and sixth innings around a two-run homer in the fourth. Despite the rough outing, Greinke's eight strikeouts were the most he has posted since joining Houston and a vast improvement over the lone whiff he collected in his previous outing. The 35-year-old will carry an overall 2.99 ERA and 1.01 WHIP into his next scheduled start, at Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Bassitt allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out one across 4.2 innings Thursday against the Royals. He did not factor into the decision.

Bassitt surrendered a two-run home run to Jorge Soler in the opening frame but appeared to settle in afterward by throwing three scoreless innings. However, he ran into problems again in the fifth inning and was ultimately pulled after Cheslor Cuthbert doubled to left field, accounting for Bassitt's final two runs allowed. Looking forward, Bassitt could be out on paternity leave in the near future, leaving his next start in limbo but also potentially opening a spot in the rotation for Sean Manaea (shoulder), Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports. Through 23 starts this season, Bassitt now owns a 3.67 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 118 strikeouts across 130 innings.

Springs (biceps) will make his next rehab appearance for Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.

Springs will move his rehab to the highest level of the minors after losing a pair of perfect innings for the team's Arizona League affiliate, striking out three batters in the process. The southpaw has been on the shelf since mid-June with biceps tendinitis but is trending toward rejoining the Rangers sometime in September.

Cease (3-7) allowed eight runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out three over two-plus innings and picked up the loss to Minnesota on Thursday.

Cease's outing went so awry that manager Rick Renteria and a staff trainer paid him a mound visit following one particularly wild pitch, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com. His raw stuff was good -- Cease topped out at 100 mph and induced 10 swinging strikes -- but he never found a groove and departed with none out in the third after allowing back-to-back home runs. The young right-hander has had some growing pains during his introduction to MLB, but this outing was his worst by far. He'll tote a 6.92 ERA into his next start Tuesday on the road in Cleveland.