MLB Player News

Dunning will start Wednesday's game in Boston.

Dunning's last eight appearances have all come in relief, although he has been stretched out to more than 60 pitches a couple times over that span. His last appearance came Sunday when he threw two innings against the Yankees, so he likely won't be asked to work deep into Wednesday's outing.

The Rays promoted Curet from High-A Bowling Green to Double-A Montgomery on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old righty earned the bump up to Double-A after turning in a 3.28 ERA and 122:49 K:BB across 93.1 innings at Bowling Green. Curet already possesses a spot on the Rays' 40-man roster, though he probably won't be a realistic option for the Tampa Bay rotation until the second half of the 2025 season.

Horton recently suffered a setback in his rehab for a right lat strain and isn't expected to return from Triple-A Iowa's 60-day injured list this season, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Though Horton is expected to resume throwing before Iowa's season comes to an end Sept. 22, the 22-year-old right-hander won't have enough time to get ramped up for a return to game action. The setback is a tough development for Horton, who is one of the Cubs' top pitching prospects and looked like a candidate to make his MLB debut at some point in 2024 before suffering the lat injury in late May. Over his nine starts with Double-A Tennessee and Iowa this season, Horton compiled a 4.46 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 40:13 K:BB over 34.1 innings.

Wicks (oblique) covered 1.2 innings and struck out two batters while giving up six earned runs on four hits and three walks in his first rehab outing Saturday with Triple-A Iowa.

In his first game action since landing on the injured list in mid-June with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, Wicks looked rusty, but Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that the left-hander came out of the 43-pitch outing feeling healthy, per MLB.com reports. According to Brett Taylor of BleacherNation.com, Wicks' fastball velocity hovered around 91 mph in the rehab outing, a couple ticks below his average for the season. The Cubs are hopeful that Wicks can gradually ramp up both his velocity and volume of pitches during his rehab assignment, which will most likely include at least two more starts. Wicks could still be on track to return from the 60-day IL before the end of August.

Lugo (13-7) took the loss Tuesday as the Royals were routed 13-3 by the Twins, surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits and two walks over four-plus innings. He struck out four.

Minnesota put runs on the board in four of the five innings Lugo worked, including three in the fifth after the veteran right-hander put the first four batters he faced on the bases before getting the hook. Lugo's amazing beginning to the season has wilted in the summer heat -- he's allowed at least five runs in four of his last six starts, stumbling to a 5.73 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB through 37.2 innings over that stretch. He'll look to bounce back in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Angels.

Crawford (8-9) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up four runs on three hits and a walk over 5.1 innings in a 9-4 victory over the Rangers. He struck out four.

The right-hander was actually perfect through five innings as he retired the first 16 batters he faced, but the wheels came off quickly for Crawford in the sixth as he threatened to squander a 6-0 lead. The Boston bullpen was able to put out the fire, however. Crawford has been tagged for at least four runs in five straight starts since the All-Star break, stumbling to a 9.75 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB through 24 innings over that stretch while serving up an incredible 13 homers. The fact that he was able to keep the ball in the yard Tuesday offers some hope he could be turning things around, but he'll still be a risky play in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road this weekend in Baltimore.

Blackburn (5-3) took the loss Tuesday, surrendering seven runs (six earned) on six hits and two walks over four innings as the Mets fell 9-4 to the A's. He struck out four.

After two quality starts in his first two outings for the Mets following a trade from Oakland, Blackburn ran into trouble against his former squad, with the big blow against him being a three-run homer in the third inning by former batterymate Shea Langeliers. Blackburn exited after 82 pitches (48 strikes), and Tuesday's stumble has left him with a 4.43 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 54:20 K:BB through 67 innings on the season. The veteran righty will look to bounce back in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against the Marlins.

The Twins recalled Varland from Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.

Varland will draw the start Wednesday against the Royals. The right-hander started strong but faded late in an outing versus the Guardians this past weekend, ultimately finishing with three earned runs allowed over 4.2 innings. With Joe Ryan (shoulder) and Chris Paddack (forearm) sidelined, Varland will have a shot to hold down the No. 5 spot in the rotation for the Twins, with rookie Zebby Matthews also in the mix for that spot.

Boyle came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 9-4 win over the Mets, giving up four runs on seven hits and three walks over four-plus innings. He struck out six.

Making his first MLB appearance since May 5, Boyle had his usual trouble finding the plate consistently, tossing 54 of 85 pitches for strikes while also hitting a batter and uncorking a wild pitch, but he also generated 29 called or swinging strikes. The 25-year-old right-hander figures to remain in the Oakland rotation the rest of the way in 2024, but he has a long way to go to be of interest in most fantasy formats given his 7.39 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 17.1 percent walk rate through his first 31.2 big-league innings. Boyle lines up to make his next start at home early next week against the Rays.

Morton did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's win over the Giants, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings.

The Giants scratched across a run against Morton in the second and Tyler Fitzgerald took him yard in the third for the only major damage against him. Morton racked up eight strikeouts, which tied his season-best mark. His final strikeout of the evening, which came against Mike Yastrzemski in the sixth, was the 2,000th strikeout of his career. Morton has been alternating good and bad starts over his last four outings. He's allowed 13 runs, seven homers and struck out just five batters combined over the two bad starts, while allowing two runs and striking out 14 batters combined over his two good starts. It's been a struggle for the 40-year-old to find consistency over a longer stretch this season, and he now owns a 4.40 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 120:44 K:BB in 120.2 innings. He lines up to complete a two-start week against the Angels on Sunday.