MLB Player News

Manager Scott Servais said that he expects Paxton (pectoral) to throw off a mound Friday or Saturday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Since hitting the disabled list Aug. 10 with a left pectoral strain, Paxton has been limited to playing catch, but the lefty has made enough progress in the last few days to move on to the next phase of the rehab process. Servais said that Paxton and Felix Hernandez (shoulder), who remains on a similar recovery timetable to Paxton, would both throw 20-to-25 pitches in the bullpen session. If Paxton endures no further setbacks along the way, he could be on track to rejoin the Mariners' rotation as soon as mid-September, which would put him in line for about two or three more starts before the end of the regular season.

Bergman gave up an earned run on five hits over two innings in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Orioles.

Just recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Tacoma, Bergman immediately fulfilled the multi-inning role he was summoned for. The 29-year-old right-hander has had multiple stints with the big-league club this season, and given the uncertainty of the length of his stay, his fantasy value remains negligible for the moment.

Heaney (1-0) picked up his first win of the season after tossing six innings of one-run ball while striking out a career-high 10 batters in Monday's victory over the Athletics.

The 26-year-old bounced back in fine fashion after getting hit hard (8.10 ERA) in his first two starts back from the disabled list. Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register noted that Heaney's early struggles were related to his ineffective breaking ball, an aspect of his game that he clearly rediscovered Monday. It is tough to immediately trust pitchers coming off of Tommy John surgery, but the talented southpaw showed fantasy owners what he is capable of when he brings his A-game. Heaney will look to carry this momentum into his next start against the Rangers on Sunday.

Stroman allowed just two runs (one earned) on seven hits and struck out four over six innings Monday against Boston, only to be stuck with a no-decision.

Stroman now has four quality starts in his last five outings, a stretch in which he owns a nifty 25:7 K:BB over 32.1 innings. Unfortunately, he's gone just 1-1 over that stretch thanks to little help from his mates, including the bullpen promptly giving away Stroman's lead in the seventh inning Monday. Stroman's 11-6 record this year is solid, but with a 3.11 ERA over 170.2 innings, he could have a lot more wins if he had the benefit of a little more support from his team.

Severino (11-6) took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and three walks despite nine strikeouts over 6.2 innings Monday against Cleveland.

This marks just the second time Severino has allowed more than one earned run in his past nine starts, with the other being an eight-run blowup against Boston on Aug.12. This one could have been much worse, as Severino gave up three home runs, but he managed to keep the floodgates from bursting by keeping the bases clear ahead of the big flies. Severino has been on a mighty roll since the All-Star break, and even with this modest hiccup, he induced a ludicrous 17 swinging strikes to strike out at least nine batters for the ninth time in 2017.

Kluber (13-4) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk and struck out seven over eight innings to pick up the win Monday against the Yankees.

Kluber still hasn't lost two consecutive starts all season long, as he was able to follow up a tough-luck defeat last time out against Boston with another dominant outing against another AL East opponent. Kluber is now 5-1 over his last six starts and hasn't given up more than three runs in any of the six. His ERA is down to a pristine 2.63, buoyed by an absurd 215 strikeouts over 160.2 innings.

Gonzales allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks across 3.1 innings in a no-decision Monday against the Orioles. He struck out two.

Gonzales put a constant stream of runners on base in this one, yielding two runs in the second and one in the third before he was chased by a two-run rally in the fourth. He failed to induce a single groundball out and threw first-pitch strikes to just seven of 19 batters. Gonzales has struggled mightily at the big-league level this season, posting an 8.25 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP across 24 innings. He'll look to produce a better result Sunday against the Athletics.

Mejia (biceps) will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Rochester.

Mejia reported no issues with his strained left biceps while he completed a bullpen session last week, so the Twins will have him test things out against hitters in his first game appearance since Aug. 8. The rookie will undoubtedly face some sort of pitch count Wednesday, so he could need an additional start in the minors before returning from the 10-day disabled list in September. Once Mejia is activated, he'll most likely replace Dillon Gee in the Twins' rotation.

The Mariners selected Bergman's contract from Triple-A Tacoma on Monday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Bergman will rejoin the Mariners to provide the team with a long-relief option after Dan Altavilla, who was optioned to Tacoma in a corresponding move, tossed three innings in Sunday's loss to the Yankees. With a 4.91 ERA and 5.8 K/9 in 51.1 innings this season, Bergman won't warrant much consideration in most fantasy leagues, especially since he won't be guaranteed any starts in his latest stint with the big club.

Blackburn (wrist) will miss longer than the minimum 10 days with his injury, Alex Simon of MLB.com reports. "Right now, he hasn't gotten to the point where he's able to play catch or really even grip a baseball," Athletics manager Bob Melvin said. "It may take a little longer than we originally anticipated."

The rookie has been dealing with swelling in his injured right hand, as well as limited range of motion. While he's eligible to return Sept. 2, Blackburn's lack of progress has rendered that date irrelevant. With more testing on tap in the coming days, Blackburn may not be able to return until close to mid-September, which would potentially afford him two or three more starts before the end of the season.