MLB Player News

Civale is expected to be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start Saturday against the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Civale will step into the starting rotation for Mike Clevinger, who landed on the 10-day injured list Friday with an ankle sprain. It's likely to be a spot start for the 24-year-old since the Indians won't require a fifth starter again until after the All-Star break. Civale has a 2.85 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 40:10 K:BB over seven starts between Columbus and Double-A Akron this season.

Montas was handed an 80-game suspension Friday after testing positive for PEDs, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

This is a huge blow for the Athletics, as Montas has undeniably been their top starter so far this year. He's posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with a 97:21 K:BB across 90 innings, but he won't be eligible to return until the last week of the regular season in September -- and given how long it'll be since he pitched at that point, Montas likely won't be seen on a mound again until 2020.

Clevinger (ankle) was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 18, with a left ankle sprain.

Clevinger suffered the ankle sprain in Monday's start against the Rangers, which was his first start after missing two months with a back injury. The 28-year-old has no set timeline for his return but will miss at least one turn through the rotation. According to Zack Meisel of The Athletic, Aaron Civale is slated to be called up to start for the Indians on Saturday.

Montas recorded nine strikeouts and allowed just one earned run on four hits across eight innings against the Rays on Thursday, but he did not factor into the decision.

The right-hander undeniably deserved his 10th win of the season going by his numbers, but the Athletics weren't able to break through for a memorable comeback win until the bottom of the ninth inning. Montas nevertheless continued to delight fantasy owners with another dominant performance, one in which he notched a whopping 17 swinging strikes over his efficient 93 pitches. The 26-year-old has truly hit his stride over his four June starts, not allowing more than two earned runs in any of them while recording at least nine strikeouts in three consecutive outings. Thursday's no-decision snapped a three-start winning streak for Montas, but he still hasn't been hit with a loss since April 29, a span of nine trips to the mound. He'll look to get back on the victory train against the Cardinals either next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Morton didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's loss to the Athletics and allowed an earned run on four hits and two walks across 6.1 innings. He struck out six.

Morton turned in another trademark effort, but he received precious little run support from the Tampa offense while he was in the game. The veteran right-hander continued to flash his ability to consistently miss bats, notching 14 swinging strikes overall over his 105 pitches. Morton has now gone two straight outings without a victory following a four-appearance winning streak, as he'd suffered his first loss of the season against the Angels his previous time out. He'll look to get back on the right track in a scheduled road turn against the Twins next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Bundy (3-9) pitched 5.1 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out eight in a losing effort against Seattle on Thursday.

Bundy was handed a two-run lead before throwing his first pitch and managed to hold the Mariners to one run through five innings but unraveled by giving up four straight hits and three runs in the sixth. It was the second straight appearance in which Bundy was pulled in the sixth inning following a string of four consecutive hits. On a positive note, the 26-year-old racked up eight strikeouts for the second game in a row, tying a season-high mark that he has now reached five times. Bundy will carry a 4.59 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 86:27 K:BB into his next start at home against San Diego on Wednesday.

Cortes was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Thursday's game against the Astros.

Cortes picked up the victory in Thursday's contest, but the Yankees have sent him to the minor leagues to make room for the return of Aaron Judge (oblique) from the injured list. Cortes owns a 4.09 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 23 strikeouts over 22 innings this season in the big leagues.

Cortes (2-0) allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one across three innings to earn the win Thursday against the Astros.

Cortes got plenty of run support to earn his second big-league win. He entered the contest following two scoreless innings from Chad Green and remained unscathed through 2.2 innings until surrendering back-to-back homers to Jake Marisnick and Alex Bregman to tarnish his outing. Still, Cortes has displayed decent skills, posting a 4.09 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with a 23:6 K:BB across 22 innings for the season.

Valdez (3-3) allowed five earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three across 3.1 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Yankees.

Valdez ran into trouble through his first innings of work but allowed two home runs in the span of four batters to begin the fourth frame. He was pulled later that inning after issuing his third free pass of the game, which eventually became his fifth earned run. Valdez had been strong in two previous starts, allowing only three earned runs with 15 strikeouts across 13 innings entering Thursday's outing. He'll look to get back on track in his next start and will draw a favorable matchup Wednesday against Pittsburgh.

Suarez allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings Thursday against the Blue Jays. He didn't factor into the decision.

Suarez's outing didn't get off to a good start, as he yielded three runs in the first inning, following by another in the fourth and one run in the fifth on a solo blast. The 21-year-old southpaw is currently filling in for Trevor Cahill (elbow), though he simply wasn't able to get the job done Thursday evening. Suarez sits with a 5.57 ERA and 1.48 WHIP with 19 strikeouts across 21 innings this season.