MLB Player News

Miller (elbow) came away from throwing live batting practice Tuesday feeling good, and the Athletics are currently assessing the next step in his rehab, the team's official site reports.

Miller threw 15 pitches as he faced hitters for the first time since May 8. The Athletics remain optimistic that Miller, who showed plenty of promise with a 3.38 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 9.3 K/9 across his first four big-league starts, will pitch again in the majors this season, but he's likely in store for a fairly lengthy rehab assignment first.

Sale (shoulder) was activated from the 60-day injured list Friday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Sale will make his long-awaited return to the Red Sox' rotation following a two-month absence due to a stress reaction in his left scapula. The veteran left-hander threw just 54 pitches in his second of two rehab starts with Triple-A Worcester and is expected to be limited to around four innings against Detroit on Friday.

Manoah was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

After getting tagged for four runs in four innings Thursday against Cleveland, Manoah will once again return to the minors in order to get back on track. The right-hander was optioned all the way down to the Florida Complex League in early June to work on his mechanics, and he's put up a 4.91 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through 29.1 innings since returning to the major-league rotation. Hagen Danner was recalled from Buffalo in a corresponding move.

Manoah (3-9) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks over four innings against Cleveland. He struck out six.

Manoah struggled with his command early on, allowing three walks and two hits over the first two innings, which would lead to two runs coming across for the Guardians. The right-hander then put together two 1-2-3 innings and even struck out the side in the fourth before surrendering back-to-back doubles to open the bottom of the fifth, which led to him being relieved by Genesis Cabrera. The right-hander has allowed at least three runs in four of his last five starts and has failed to make it through five innings in three of those outings.

Irvin will have his workload managed for the remainder of the season as the Nationals deploy a six-man rotation, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The 26-year-old right-hander has thrown 106.1 innings between Triple-A and the majors this season, which already tops the 103.1 frames Irvin worked the year before in his return from Tommy John surgery in October 2020. Shifting to a six-man rotation will cost the Nats' regular starters a turn or two over the remainder of the season, and if younger arms like Irvin or MacKenzie Gore show serious signs of fatigue in August, the team could re-evaluate the situation when rosters expand in September. Irvin has a 5.20 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB through 36.1 innings since the beginning of July.

Gore will have his workload managed for the remainder of the season as the Nationals deploy a six-man rotation, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The 24-year-old southpaw has already thrown a career-high 117 innings this season, 30 more than he tossed across all levels in 2022. "I was hurt last year, I didn't throw many innings. So that's a real thing that we're going to have to deal with," Gore said Wednesday after his start against the Phillies. Shifting to a six-man rotation will cost the Nats' regular starters a turn or two over the remainder of the season, and if younger arms like Gore or Jake Irvin show serious signs of fatigue in August, the team could re-evaluate the situation when rosters expand in September. After wrapping up May with a 3.57 ERA, Gore has regressed to a 5.64 ERA over his last 59 innings, albeit with a strong 60:22 K:BB.

Syndergaard (1-1) earned the win Thursday, allowing one run on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings in a 4-3 victory over Toronto. He struck out five.

Syndergaard struggled early but settled in after that, hurling three consecutive 1-2-3 innings before once again running into trouble in the sixth. He was replaced by Nick Sandlin with two outs in the frame, just missing out on a quality start. Syndergaard has allowed one run or fewer in two of his first three starts with the Guardians, and Friday's win was his first since April 30.

Means (elbow/back) allowed one hit while striking out two over two scoreless frames in his first rehab start with Double-A Bowie on Thursday.

Means required just 28 pitches to navigate through his two innings. The left-hander is about 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery and past the back injury which slowed his rehab. He will need multiple rehab outings as he builds back up, but Means is on track to potentially rejoin the Orioles' rotation by the end of the month.

Nola did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over five-plus innings against Washington. He struck out six.

After clunkers in his previous two starts, Nola got back on track Thursday, working into the sixth inning before back-to-back singles led to his removal with the score tied 0-0. Phillies reliever Matt Strahm then allowed an RBI double to Ildemaro Vargas, saddling Nola with the only run on his line. In five outings since the All-Star break, the 30-year-old fantasy stalwart holds a 1-2 record with a 4.91 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 33:5 K:BB across 29.1 innings during that stretch. He is currently slated to face Toronto on the road next week.

Falter did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks over four innings against Atlanta. He struck out three.

It was an ugly start for Falter as the recently acquired lefty allowed runs in each of the first three innings to put the Pirates in an early 4-0 hole. He finally managed to pitch a scoreless inning in the fourth, but he would not return in the fifth after reaching 86 pitches. Falter did manage to avoid taking his eighth loss thanks to Pittsburgh's late comeback, but he has yet to collect his first win of the season. He's now allowed at least four earned runs in three of his last five outings.