MLB Player News

Littell (6-6) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings as the Nationals were downed 6-2 by the Royals. He struck out two.

All four runs came on solo shots by Carter Jensen, John Rave, Lane Thomas and Michael Massey, not exactly a fearsome array of sluggers. It's the first time since April 28 that Littell has served up multiple homers in an outing, but after a five-start win streak he's dropped two straight decisions, getting tagged for nine runs in 6.2 innings during the sudden downturn. Littell will carry a 5.45 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 41:23 K:BB through 71 innings into his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Phillies.

Atlanta transferred Strider (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Strider landed on the 15-day IL on June 13 with right elbow inflammation, and it was later deemed that he would be shut down for at least four weeks. Although the 27-year-old avoided any structural damage to his elbow, Atlanta made the decision to transfer him to the 60-day IL in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Carlos Carrasco. Strider has only appeared in eight games this season for Atlanta after having the start of his campaign delayed due to an oblique injury that sidelined him until May 3.

Boyd (knee/shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

The location of Boyd's rehab outing has yet to be announced, but it will be his first game action since he suffered a setback with his shoulder following his June 6 rehab outing at Triple-A Iowa. It's also not clear whether Saturday will mark the left-hander's only rehab outing or if he'll require additional appearances coming off the setback. If he is cleared to rejoin the Cubs after Saturday, Boyd would be lined up to make his return to the big-league rotation next week.

Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Cabrera's right hand is feeling better, and he's expected to be on a normal schedule leading up to his next start, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Cabrera was removed from his start Tuesday due to cramping in his right hand, but the Cubs don't seem to be very concerned about the issue. As long as he gets through his upcoming bullpen session without any problems, he should be ready for his next turn through the rotation against the Mets.

Lodolo (2-2) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up seven runs on 11 hits and two walks over 4.2 innings as the Reds were routed 9-1 by the Mets. He struck out two.

The southpaw escaped potential trouble in the first two innings thanks to double plays, but Lodolo's luck began to run out in the third as New York strung together three straight two-out RBI singles. He finally got the hook after 90 pitches (54 strikes), with the only silver lining on Lodolo's performance being that he didn't serve up a homer for only the second time in eight starts this season. The 28-year-old has been unable to find any sort of rhythm since missing the first six weeks of the campaign with blister issues, and he'll carry a 6.12 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 32:17 K:BB through 42.2 innings into his next outing, which is set to come at home early next week against the Brewers.

The Athletics reinstated Civale (shoulder) from the injured list ahead of his start Wednesday against the Pirates.

Civale was brilliant during his rehab outing at Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday, striking out seven batters without allowing a man to reach base in 4.1 innings. He now has the green light to rejoin the Athletics' rotation, though he will be making his return against a Pirates offense that's posted a .764 OPS since the beginning of June. The 31-year-old righty is also likely to have his workload limited Wednesday after tossing just 56 pitches during his appearance in the minors. Luis Morales was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Canning (1-5) earned the win against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 4.1 innings.

Canning entered in the second inning and was actually the only Padres pitcher to allow a run, which came via a single in the fifth. The 30-year-old has opened June in uneven fashion, yielding one earned run in two of three outings with a seven-run blowup in between. Overall, he owns a 6.64 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 41:25 K:BB across 42 innings this season. With German Marquez (forearm) closing in on a return, it's unclear what Canning's role will be for his next turn through the rotation.

The Athletics optioned Morales to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Morales will head back to Triple-A after just being recalled to the big-league club Monday. The 23-year-old made no appearances in his brief two-day stint in the majors. The Athletics activated Aaron Civale (shoulder) from the injured list to start Wednesday against the Pirates.

Mclean (4-4) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one unearned run on three hits and one walk over seven innings in a 9-1 victory over the Reds. He struck out nine.

The right-hander had walked 12 batters in 15 innings over his prior three starts, but McLean showed better command Wednesday as he tossed 63 of 101 pitches for strikes en route to his seventh quality start of the season and highest strikeout total since April 21. He'll take a 3.67 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 97:32 K:BB through 83.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Cubs.

Lambert (6-4) earned the win against the Tigers on Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks with five strikeouts over seven innings.

Lambert cruised through six frames before allowing a solo homer in the seventh, throwing 60 of 89 pitches for strikes while limiting the Tigers to just four hard-hit balls. The 29-year-old has now recorded back-to-back quality starts and has yielded only four earned runs across three outings in June. He'll take a 3.23 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 58:25 K:BB over 64 innings this season into a road matchup against the Blue Jays next week.