MLB Player News

Kluber (6-5) earned the win Sunday against Baltimore, striking out three in six innings while allowing four runs on eight hits, a walk and a hit batsman.

After holding Baltimore scoreless through three innings, Kluber struggled in the fourth and gave up two runs on four hits. In the sixth, Rougned Odor tagged Kluber for a two-run homer with two outs to make it a 6-4 game. He came out after throwing 83 pitches, which has been normal for the 36-year-old all season, as he's averaging 77 pitches per outing and has not eclipsed six innings in any start. Coming off three injury-riddled seasons, the Rays have been hesitant to overwork the veteran, and it has paid off as he's compiled a 3.73 ERA and 82:15 K:BB through 94 innings.

Lyles (6-8) took the loss Sunday in Tampa Bay, allowing six runs on six hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out five in 2.2 innings.

The Rays got to Lyles early and often Sunday with the big blows being Randy Arozarena's two-run homer in the first and Brett Phillips' three-run, two-out blast in the fifth. Five of the six hits he allowed went for extra bases, and nine of the 16 batters he faced reached safely. The veteran had been quite effective in his five starts before Sunday's disappointing outing, throwing at least six innings in each start and compiling a 2.76 ERA in 32.2 innings. Despite Sunday's short start, with 107.2 innings pitched, Lyles has proven to be an innings-eater, ranking 11th in the American League in innings and pitching at least five innings in 16 of his 19 starts.

The Royals placed Lynch on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a blister on his pitching hand.

Lynch is back on the IL for the second time in less than a month on account of a blister, after he was previously deactivated June 24 due to an abrasion on his left index finger. The Royals haven't specified which digit is bothering Lynch this time around, though he sustained a cut to his left middle finger in his first start back from the IL on July 11. Lynch was ultimately able to make a second straight turn through the rotation in Saturday's game in Toronto, but he failed to escape the fourth inning and may have still been afflicted by the blister during the outing. As a result of his return to the IL, Lynch won't be eligible to pitch for the Royals until Aug. 1.

The Red Sox confirmed that Sale was diagnosed with a fractured left pinkie finger after taking a comebacker off the hand during the first inning of his start Sunday against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The team didn't offer a timeline for Sale's return, but Bill Koch of The Providence Journal notes that a rehab program for an injury of this sort to a pitcher's throwing hand typically entails a recovery period of up to two months. If the Red Sox determine Sale needs surgery to address the injury, he would likely miss the rest of the regular season and would need Boston to make a deep playoff run to have a shot at pitching again in 2022. The setback is a devastating blow for the Red Sox and for Sale, who missed all of the 2020 campaign and most of the 2021 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, then was sidelined for the first three months of the current season with a fractured right rib cage. Sunday's outing against New York marked just his second start of the season.

Heaney (shoulder) tossed 2.2 innings in a rehab appearance with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday, allowing four runs on six hits and no walks while striking out two batters.

Heaney logged his first game action since June 19 and looked rusty in the minor-league start. He served up a pair of home runs in 2.2 frames after allowing just one long ball across 15.1 innings with the Dodgers this season. The left-hander is working his way back from a shoulder issue and is expected to make at least one more rehab start, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

May (elbow) still doesn't have a set date to begin a minor-league rehab assignment, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated Friday that such a stint will happen "soon," Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

May has been tossing live batting-practice sessions since late June and has been said to be "really close" to going on a minor-league rehab assignment since early July, but the right-hander remains without a set date for that to happen. Nonetheless, May hasn't suffered any setbacks in his recovery from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last May. He'll likely need a few weeks of game action to ramp back up once the rehab stint begins, so May isn't likely to be back with the Dodgers until at least mid-August.

Sale was removed in the first inning of his start Sunday against the Yankees after he took a comebacker to his left pinkie finger, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. He was charged with three runs (two earned) on two hits while recording just two outs prior to his departure.

The Red Sox likely won't have a firm diagnosis for Sale's injury until later Sunday or Monday, but the southpaw may be dealing with a dislocation or fracture after he was smoked on his pitching hand by an Aaron Hicks line drive that was clocked at 106.7 miles per hour. If a fracture is confirmed, Sale could be in store for his second extended stint on the injured list of the season after he missed the first three months of the campaign while recovering from a stress fracture to the right side of his rib cage.

Matz (shoulder) and the Cardinals won't face the Reds on Sunday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather in St. Louis, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Matz, who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Sunday, will thus have to wait until after the All-Star break to make his first start with the big club since May 22. The Cardinals and Reds will make up the postponed game Sept. 17 as part of a split doubleheader.

Ashcraft and the Reds won't face the Cardinals on Sunday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather in St. Louis, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

As a result of the postponement, Ashcraft will have to wait until after the All-Star break to make his 11th start of the season. The rookie, who has gone 4-2 with a 4.45 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 54.2 innings in the big leagues this season, is expected to be part of a six-man rotation coming out of the break with Tyler Mahle (shoulder) trending toward a return from the injured list for the Reds' first series of the second half.

Painter pitched four scoreless innings for High-A Jersey Shore on Saturday, striking out nine and allowing just two hits without a walk. He now has a 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB through 12 innings in High-A.

Painter certainly hasn't been asked to do too much since being promoted, as the Phillies are presumably looking to monitor his workload in his first full professional campaign. He threw six innings in each of his final two Single-A starts, so we know Painter is capable of going deeper into games. For now, the important thing is that Painter is missing bats just as impressively as he did at the lower level. Collectively, he's struck out 88 batters while allowing just 28 hits in 50.2 minor-league innings this season.