MLB Player News

The Orioles optioned De Leon to their spring training complex Wednesday.

De Leon recorded one strikeout and allowed two hits without conceding a run over two-thirds of an inning during the first game of Wednesday's twin bill against Toronto. He'll now be pushed off the active roster to make room for Trey Gibson, who was recalled to start the nightcap.

Gibson will be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to start the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The move is not yet official, and lineups for Game 2 are still pending, but Gibson might face a slightly lesser Toronto lineup after the Blue Jays were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a loss in the matinee. Gibson should nonetheless be considered a high-risk option given his mediocre numbers both in the majors (7.36 ERA, 1.91 WHIP) and at Norfolk (4.32 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) this season.

Luzardo (shoulder) played catch Wednesday for the fourth day in a row and is expected to throw off a mound as soon as Thursday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Luzardo was placed on the 15-day injured list just last week with inflammation in his pitching shoulder, but the injury appears to have responded well to rest, and the left-hander is nearly ready to test things out from the bump. If Luzardo is ready to pitch during the wild-card round, it would likely be in a relief role.

Keller (shoulder) said Wednesday that he feels fully healthy and plans to resume throwing in late October, Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com reports.

Keller has remained shut down since being diagnosed with a right teres major strain in early August. The rest appears to have accomplished its goal thus far, and Keller looks to be on track to have a normal offseason throwing program. Keller held a 5.29 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 89:42 K:BB over 115.2 innings for the Pirates this season.

Sasaki allowed two hits and struck out two batters over one scoreless relief inning against San Diego on Tuesday.

Sasaki logged his first game action since landing on the IL due to a finger blister in late August. The right-hander entered in the fourth inning and worked around a pair of two-out singles to work a scoreless frame. Sasaki twice hit triple-digits with his fastball and seemed to have no lingering issues from the blister. The outing was his first out of the bullpen this season, and that could be his role in the playoffs as well, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. While Sasaki has had a mostly promising second MLB campaign, Los Angeles' postseason rotation may not have room for him if Blake Snell (groin) is ready to go, and Sasaki has already demonstrated he can be successful as a late-inning reliever based on his performance during the team's championship run last year.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Scherzer could pitch on short rest Sunday versus the Reds, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Scherzer is starting the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader in Baltimore, but it might not be his final outing of the season. Bringing the 42-year-old back on short rest could serve two purposes. One is that the impending free agent would get to pitch in front of the home crowd in Toronto one more time. Another is that Scherzer is currently 11 strikeouts behind Justin Verlander on the all-time list, so he could pad that total this weekend. Scherzer has yet to commit one way or another in regard to continuing his career in 2027.

Burns (groin) worked on adding a sinker in his September outings before getting placed on the 15-day injured list to end his season, Charlie Goldsmith of FOX19 reports.

Burns used the sinker nine times in his last start against the Cubs, with the purpose of giving his fastball another look. "It was moving a lot," Burns said. "Why not? My normal fastball is a cut-carry. This looks different to them. Having two fastballs is the big new thing. You look at Cam Schlittler. He has a cutter, a fastball and a sinker."

Freeland (4-11) took the loss after allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out two over three innings in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Freeland's struggles continue, as he's allowed 12 earned runs on 23 hits over a total of 10.2 innings in his last three outings. The left-hander needed 73 pitches to complete three frames Tuesday, but at least he didn't allow a homer after giving up five long balls in his previous two starts. He's lined up to make his final start of the season Sunday on the road against the White Sox.

Soroka (9-5) earned the win after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk while striking out nine over seven innings in Tuesday's 7-2 victory over the Rockies.

The Diamondbacks needed a strong outing from Soroka to keep their playoff chances alive, and the veteran delivering by fanning nine -- his highest mark since April 10, when he struck out 10. He's now allowed just one earned run in his last two starts, posting a 15:2 K:BB across 12 innings in that span. He's expected to make his final start of the season Sunday against the Padres.

Eovaldi (11-10) took the loss and was charged with his first blown save after allowing three runs on three hits and a walk over one inning in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Mets. He did not record a strikeout.

Eovaldi entered to begin the sixth with Texas protecting a 3-2 lead but couldn't hold the advantage. Brett Baty doubled and Marcus Semien reached before Francisco Alvarez delivered a two-run double to put New York ahead 4-3. Luis Torrens followed with a sacrifice fly that brought Alvarez home and completed the three-run inning. Eovaldi needed 29 pitches to record three outs, and this rough appearance increased his ERA to 4.27. This was Eovaldi's first time allowing more than one earned run since the end of July, and he will continue to pitch in relief down the stretch.