MLB Player News

Medina (elbow) underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.

Since the Tommy John surgery is the first known elbow procedure of Medina's career, he should have a good chance at returning to pitching in games in 12-to-14 months, provided he experiences no setbacks in the rehab process. The timing of the surgery nonetheless means that Medina will be sidelined through most, if not all, of the 2025 season. Medina turned in a 5.18 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 40 innings over his eight starts with Oakland before being shut down with a right elbow sprain in mid-July and eventually going under the knife.

The Twins will recall Varland from Triple-A St. Paul to start one of the games during Friday's doubleheader versus the Guardians, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Bailey Ober will also make a start for Minnesota during the twin bill, and the club has not yet made a decision on the order in which the two arms will appear. Varland holds a 1.19 ERA and 27:9 K:BB over 22.2 innings covering his last four starts at St. Paul.

Stroman's next scheduled start has been pushed back to Sunday against the Rangers as he works through some mechanical issues, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Stroman's next turn would have been Friday, but the Yankees will give him a couple extra days as he irons some things out with his delivery. The right-hander has posted a 7.56 ERA and 1.92 WHIP over his last six starts and lasted just 2.2 innings his last time out versus the Blue Jays. Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole will each move up a day to start on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The Rays reinstated Rasmussen (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Rasmussen is expected to vie for a spot in the Tampa Bay rotation in 2025, but he'll be operating as a reliever down the stretch of the current season while he makes his return from the internal brace procedure he underwent last July. Though Rasmussen had a pair of Tommy John surgeries on his resume before he underwent his latest elbow operation last summer, he didn't seem to have much trouble regaining velocity or control during his rehab assignment. Over his five appearances at Triple-A Durham, Rasmussen gave up seven runs on 11 hits over 7.1 innings, but his 8:0 K:BB was encouraging. He's expected to operate as a one- or two-inning reliever for the Rays and will likely be eased back in with low-leverage work, though he could eventually push for usage in higher-leverage spots.

The Angels recalled Kochanowicz from Double-A Rocket City on Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Kochanowicz will serve as the 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader against the Yankees, giving the Angels an option for long relief. The big right-hander has been walloped for 12 runs (11 earned) over seven innings in his two starts with the big club this season.

The Rays will activate Rasmussen (elbow) from the 60-day injured list prior to Wednesday's game in St. Louis, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Rasmussen has completed the long rehab from an internal brace procedure on his right elbow and is slated to serve as a one- or two-inning reliever for the Rays down the stretch, per Topkin. The right-hander allowed seven runs over 7.1 innings during his minor-league rehab assignment but also had an 8:0 K:BB and touched the upper-90s with his fastball. While the Rays will manage Rasmussen's workload in the final two months as a reliever this season, the plan is for him to return to a starting role in 2025.

Bibee (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday and could be cleared to start Sunday in Minnesota, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Bibee's last start came July 29, when he gave up two runs over six innings in a win over the Tigers. He experienced right shoulder discomfort coming out of that outing, and while he's now missed more than a week, Bibee seems to have shown some improvement in recent days and still looks poised to avoid a stint on the injured list. After playing catch earlier in the week, Bibee will take another major step forward in the recovery process when he steps back on the mound Thursday. Assuming Bibee experiences no renewed discomfort after the bullpen session, he should be on track to rejoin the rotation Sunday, though he could be operating under some light restrictions.

Castillo (9-11) took the loss Tuesday against the Tigers, allowing three runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out nine over six innings.

Castillo kept the Tigers off the board until they plated the first run of the game in the fourth. Two more runs were scored against him in the fifth after the Tigers compiled four singles in the inning. It was the fourth time this season he's given up at least eight hits in a game, though only one hit went for extra bases. He also tied his season high in strikeouts and posted his sixth straight quality start. Castillo has been one of the most consistent pitchers in all of baseball this season, posting a 3.48 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 139:38 K:BB in 142.1 innings this year. He lines up to face the Mets on Sunday to complete a two-start week.

Montero (2-5) got the win over the Mariners on Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings.

Montero had his best outing of the season in a dominant effort Tuesday night. It was just the second time he's allowed one or fewer runs in a start and his eight strikeouts set a new career high. He faced the minimum through three, with his lone mistake coming on a solo home run to Luke Raley in the fifth. Montero ran into some trouble in the sixth but was able to get out of a jam with two runners on and nobody out. The 23-year-old now owns a 5.62 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 42:13 K:BB in 49.2 innings and will look to keep rolling in a projected start against the Giants over the weekend.

Mahle (0-1) took the loss Tuesday as the Rangers were downed 4-2 by the Astros, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.

Making his season debut after completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Mahle tossed an efficient 76 pitches (49 strikes) but had the misfortune of facing Framber Valdez, who took a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Mahle should fill a rotation spot for Texas the rest of the way in 2024, and he should get stretched out further in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Boston.