MLB Player News

Means allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out seven across six innings Wednesday against the Tigers. He did not factor into the decision.

Means was effective against the weak Tigers' lineup, with his only troublesome spot coming in the fourth inning. Otherwise, he proved effective by generating 12 called strikes and 13 swinging strikes on 103 total pitches. He also showed strong command starting 14 of the 21 batters he faced with a strike, lowering his BB/9 to 2.5 across 54.2 innings for the season. Means has also emerged as a strong source of ratios, lowering his ERA to 2.80 and WHIP to 1.10. It was also encouraging to see him work relatively deep into the game, with Wednesday's effort marking only his third quality start in nine chances for the campaign. He'll look to replicate this effort in his next start, but will draw a tough matchup against the Rangers at hitter-friendly Globe Life Park on Wednesday.

Canning allowed one run on three hits with zero walks and five strikeouts across six innings during a no-decision against the Athletics on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old was in line for the win when he departed, but the Angels' bullpen blew two leads, the first of which cost Canning the chance at the win. Canning is really pitching well, though, after a rough start to his major league career. He's allowed just two runs over his last 18 frames in three starts. Behind that hot streak, Canning is 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, .185 batting average against and 34 strikeouts in 32.1 innings this season. The rookie will make his next start at the Cubs on Monday.

Bieber (4-2) allowed six earned runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out six across five innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Bieber consistently ran into trouble in the start, surrendering three home runs and two doubles across his five frames of work. He salvaged some value out of the outing by racking up six strikeouts on the strength of 15 called strikes and 12 swinging strikes as well as earning his fourth win of the season. Bieber's skills remain elite -- he has a 11.1 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 -- which has led to solid 3.67 ERA, even after Wednesday's relatively poor outing. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, though will draw another tough matchup Tuesday against Minnesota.

Paxton threw four shutout innings with no hits and two walks allowed while striking out seven in a no-decision against the Padres on Wednesday.

Making his first start in his return from a knee injury, Paxton was limited to only 66 pitches. He finished three outs shy of capturing the win. Still, it's great to see Paxton back and clearly, he's healthy, as he induced 17 swinging strikes. Overall, Paxton is 3-2 with a 2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 41.2 innings this season. His next start is scheduled for Tuesday at the Blue Jays.

Turnbull will be activated off the bereavement list to start Friday's game against the Braves.

Turnbull was placed on the bereavement list Tuesday but will make his regularly scheduled start Friday after being away from the team for the three-day minimum. The 26-year-old has a 2.97 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 62:23 K:BB through 11 starts this season.

Smyly allowed seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four across five innings Wednesday against the Mariners. He did not factor into the decision.

Smyly followed Jose Leclerc into the game, beginning his outing in the second inning. However, he was still hit hard, surrendering two home runs -- both two-run shots -- and three other extra-base hits. Smyly has struggled regardless of when he's entered contests this season, racking up a 6.98 ERA and 1.76 WHIP with 39 strikeouts and 28 walks across 38.2 innings. He'll get a better matchup in his next scheduled outing, currently slated for Tuesday against Baltimore.

Severino (lat) was able to throw off flat ground Wednesday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Severino has now thrown on two occasions this week, a positive sign as he continues to work back from a right lat strain. The Yankees plan to have Severino gradually stretch out his throwing distance over the next week or two before he resumes mound work. Severino has already been ruled out through the All-Star break.

Whitley was placed on the 7-day injured list with shoulder fatigue Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley has struggled to a 12.21 ERA in 24.1 innings and seen his strikeout rate (which typically sits above 30 percent) fall to 24.4 percent while his walk rate has spiked to 12.6 percent. He'll head to the Astros' spring training facility to rehab and sort himself out, so it sounds as though he could be taken out of action for quite some time. Any plans of him making his big-league debut any time soon appear to have been put on hold, but he's close enough to the majors and talented enough that a late-season debut remains possible if he can return to being healthy and effective.

The Royals optioned Lively to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

After Kansas City's game Monday against the White Sox was suspended due to inclement weather, both teams were afforded a 26th man for the resumption of the game Tuesday along with the normally scheduled contest that followed. Lively wasn't needed for either game and will now head back to the minors. Three of his previous 10 appearances at Omaha came as a starter, but it's unclear how he'll be deployed in his return to the farm.

Smyly will serve as the Rangers' primary pitcher behind opener Jose Leclerc in Wednesday's game against the Mariners, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Manager Chris Woodward is hopeful that deploying a righty (Leclerc) in front of a southpaw (Smyly) will help neutralize a Mariners lineup that ranks 11th in wRC+ (105) versus left-handed pitching this season. Smyly has made only one previous appearance as a primary pitcher, which came May 11 in Houston. In that outing, he served up five runs (four earned) on four hits and four walks over 4.2 innings.