MLB Player News

Means (elbow) was activated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Means will make his long-awaited season debut on Tuesday with a start against the Cardinals. The left-hander hasn't pitched in the majors since April 2022 and had a lengthy setback with his Tommy John surgery rehab earlier this season when he dealt with a back issue. He's healthy now, though, and will hope to give the Orioles a shot in the arm after posting a 3.74 ERA and 22:8 K:BB over 21.2 innings covering six rehab starts with Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. Means went five innings in each of his last two rehab outings and topped out at 86 pitches, so he should be able to handle a decent-sized workload Tuesday. The O's will certainly keep a close eye on him, though, following his long layoff.

Manoah is unlikely to pitch again this season, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manoah was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo a month ago and was cleared of any health issues last week after having testing done and meeting with multiple specialists. However, the righty hasn't thrown off the mound in a month and one source told Nicholson-Smith that Manoah's lingering health concerns have led to him prioritizing rest and recovery. Jeff Blair of Sportsnet.ca reported on his "Blair and Barker" podcast that Manoah never reported to Buffalo after being optioned to Triple-A, in large part because he was upset about the Blue Jays' decision to demote him. Manoah and the Blue Jays look as though they will need to repair their relationship over the offseason, not to mention the work the 25-year-old has ahead of him as he looks to bounce back from a dreadful 2023 campaign.

Lorenzen could be moved to the bullpen with the Phillies expected to shift back to a five-man rotation, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The plan has been for Philadelphia to pare down to five starters after Monday's doubleheader versus Atlanta, and that remains likely to happen even if it hasn't officially been decided yet. "Umm, I would think so," manager Rob Thomson said when asked about moving back to a five-man rotation. "But that's not 100 percent either. But I would think so. It all depends on how guys feel and how they come out of this. How Sanchy comes out of his start (Wednesday)." Lorenzen has plenty of past bullpen experience, of course, and part of the appeal in acquiring him at the deadline was knowing he could easily shift to relief, if needed. With Seranthony Dominguez struggling, the Phillies could use another right-handed setup man, a role Lorenzen could potentially fill. If Lorenzen does indeed move to the bullpen, it would be Cristopher Sanchez filling the fifth starter role.

Freeland allowed three runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out two batters over six innings in a no-decision versus the Cubs on Monday.

Freeland allowed just one run through four frames before fading a bit and yielding a single score in each of the fifth and sixth innings. That was still enough to earn him his second straight quality start, the first time he has accomplished back-to-back quality starts since mid-May. Freeland isn't really on the fantasy radar outside of deeper leagues, however, as he has posted a poor 5.07 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 93:41 K:BB over 152.2 innings on the campaign.

Wicks allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out two batters over six innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Monday.

Wicks entered the contest having given up two or fewer runs in each of his first three big-league starts, and even a date at Coors Field didn't halt that streak. The southpaw allowed a first-inning run Monday but kept the Rockies off the scoreboard for the remainder of his outing, which ended up as his second straight quality start. Wicks has just six punchouts over 17.2 frames since fanning nine in his major-league debut versus Pittsburgh on Aug. 26, but that's been about the only unimpressive part of his production. He's registered a 1.99 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB overall across his first 22.2 innings.

Stone allowed seven runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out two over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Padres.

Stone pitched with a lead for much of his outing, but he let it slip away in the sixth inning. The right-hander was making his first major-league appearance since Aug. 27, but he's now allowed at least four runs in five of his six outings this season. It shakes out as a 10.80 ERA, 2.19 WHIP and 12:9 K:BB through 23.1 innings overall. It's unclear if he'll remain in the majors, though it seems like the Dodgers would fare better with Emmet Sheehan as their fifth starter after Stone's latest disappointing effort.

Valdez (11-10) took the loss against Oakland on Monday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters over seven innings.

Valdez racked up 18 swinging strikes and finished with his third double-digit punchout game of the season, but he also served up two long balls. Those were enough to send him to the loss in a game during which Houston was held to three hits and no runs by a trio of Oakland hurlers. Valdez nonetheless extended his streak of quality starts to four, and he's allowed just six runs over 27 innings during that stretch. The Dominican hurler is tied for fourth in the majors with 19 quality starts on the campaign and also holds a 3.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 178:48 K:BB over 181.2 frames.

Williams allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out two over six innings in a no-decision versus the Giants on Monday.

Williams gave up a solo home run to Mike Yastrzemski on his second pitch, but he was able to settle in. Williams found more trouble in the third inning and was a bit wild with four walks, matching his season high for the fifth time. The rookie right-hander has given up four runs across his last 12 innings over three appearances. He's now at a 3.43 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 74:35 K:BB through 76 innings through 15 starts overall. Williams is projected for a home start versus the Rangers over the weekend.

Cobb (hip) allowed two unearned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings in a no-decision versus the Guardians on Monday.

Cobb threw 47 of 79 pitches for strikes after having this start pushed back a couple of days while he dealt with hip soreness stemming from an impingement. The right-hander's lone mistake was a two-run home run by Josh Naylor in the third inning. Cobb has endured a shaky second half of the campaign but still has a 3.62 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 130:36 K:BB through 149.1 innings over 27 starts this season. He's lined up for a road start in Colorado over the weekend.

Gilbert allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over seven innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Monday.

Gilbert was mostly solid aside from a pair of home runs by Logan O'Hoppe that accounted for all three runs on the Seattle starter's line. Gilbert has four quality starts in his last five outings, and he hasn't taken a loss since June 28. He's at a 3.62 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 176:31 K:BB through 174 innings over 29 starts this season. The 26-year-old is projected for a tough home start against the Dodgers this weekend.