MLB Player News

Williams (3-10) took the loss Tuesday against the Twins, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

The Cleveland right-hander's losing streak now stands at three, although, he performed much better in this 89-pitch outing. Williams entered having allowed eight runs across his last six innings and managed to generate a solid 16 whiffs en route to his seven punchouts. The 25-year-old just couldn't handle Matt Wallner, as the Minnesota slugger drove in both runs allowed via a pair of RBI singles. Williams has now pitched to a 5.12 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 76:30 K:BB across 70.1 innings this season. He lines up to make his next start against the Cardinals in St. Louis this weekend.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that there's a "big chance" Houck (shoulder) will start Wednesday's game against the Rays, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The 28-year-old was scratched from his scheduled start Friday versus the Yankees after receiving extra rest between outings in order to combat a "dead arm" phase, but he's now on the cusp of making his first start since Sept. 5. Assuming Houck pitches Tuesday as indicated by Cora, the right-hander could have some workload limitations while making his first start in two weeks.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday that Springs (elbow) is feeling better but will not return from the 15-day injured list this season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Springs landed on the IL earlier this month with left elbow fatigue, roughly six weeks after he returned to the majors following a long rehab from Tommy John surgery. While Springs' current elbow issue doesn't seem to be overly concerning, the Rays would have little to gain by rushing him back before the regular season concludes.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Tuesday that it's possible Rodriguez (lat) temporarily pitches out of the bullpen when he eventually returns from the 15-day injured list, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rodriguez is throwing off a mound and is "moving in the right direction," per Elias, as the right-hander works his way back from a lat strain. However, he is simply running out of time to get built back up before the end of the regular season, so the Orioles might have no choice but to use him in relief initially as they rebuild his stamina on the fly. Rodriguez has been sidelined since early August.

Monegro posted a 0.61 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 54:14 K:BB in 44 innings over his final nine appearances for High-A Greenville.

Monegro logged exactly five innings in eight of those nine starts. The lanky 6-foot-4 righty built up to a career-high 76 innings this year after logging 65.2 innings in 2023, so he is making strides, but still hasn't shown he can handle a full starter's workload. Monegro is so projectable that his already good stuff could keep getting better in the coming years.

Gonzalez has a 1.84 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 49:17 K:BB in 44 innings across his last 12 appearances for Double-A Portland.

Gonzalez had a rough stretch from May 10 through June 21, where he gave up 25 earned runs while walking 19 in 24 innings. However, he flipped the script in late June and into July, logging three straight scoreless appearances to start this run. He's been even better of late, going at least four innings in five straight outings, including seven Ks over five scoreless frames in his last start last Tuesday. Even when Gonzalez is going well, he'll walk a decent amount of batters, but his stuff is good enough to get by if he can just keep his walk rate in a manageable range. He is already on the 40-man roster, so Gonzalez could begin his big-league career out of the bullpen if there is a need in 2025, but he did enough to close this season to keep the long-term dream of starting alive.

Bido (wrist) is with the Athletics but has yet to begin playing catch since going on the IL last Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Bido had been dealing with the wrist issue for several starts before finally getting to the point where he was having difficulty gripping the ball, so his recovery could potentially carry through the end of the regular season. Manager Mark Kotsay remains hopeful the promising right-hander will be able to make it back for at least one more start, yet time is working against Bido at this point with less than two weeks remaining in the 2024 campaign.

Stripling (back) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday and another several days after, MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander has been on the injured list since last Tuesday with a lower-back strain, and Wednesday will mark the first time he'll attempt to do any throwing since that point. If all goes well with the session, Stripling is slated to repeat the process at some point after the Athletics begin a homestand Friday against the Yankees. Despite the recent developments, a return for Stripling before the end of the regular season isn't a certainty in the view of manager Mark Kotsay, per the Associated Press.

Boyd escaped with a no-decision in Monday's 4-3 win over the Twins, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out five.

The veteran southpaw got the hook after 64 pitches (39 strikes) when four straight batters reached base in the third inning thanks to two walks and two hard-hit singles. Boyd has failed to last five innings in either of his last two outings, but he still has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his seven starts since joining the Guardians' rotation, delivering a 2.52 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 40:10 K:BB through 35.2 innings. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in St. Louis.

Lopez came away with a no-decision in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Guardians, giving up two runs on eight hits and two walks over 6.1 innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander got staked to a 3-0 lead in the third inning and left the mound with the Twins still ahead, but Griffin Jax melted down in the eighth to deny Lopez his 16th win of the year. The quality start was Lopez's 18th of the season and seventh straight, a stretch in which he's posted a 1.35 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 43:8 K:BB through 46.2 innings. He lines up for his next outing this weekend in Boston as Minnesota tries to hang onto a wild-card spot in the American League.