MLB Player News

Junk (6-9) took the loss against the Cubs on Friday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts over five innings.

Junk allowed just one run in the second inning but was outdueled by Shota Imanaga. While he's exceeded five frames only once in 10 outings (one relief appearance) since the All-Star break, the 30-year-old Junk has limited opponents to two earned runs or fewer in nine of those contests. He'll carry a 4.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 74:29 K:BB across 108 innings this season into a home matchup with the Mets next week.

Imanaga (9-10) earned the win against the Marlins on Friday, allowing one run on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts over six innings.

Imanaga cruised through six scoreless innings and was charged with a run in the seventh after departing following a leadoff single. He filled the zone with 64 strikes on 94 pitches while generating a whopping 22 whiffs, including 17 with his splitter. It's been an up-and-down campaign for the 33-year-old, but he's posted a 3.35 ERA with five quality starts in nine outings since the All-Star break. He'll take a 3.91 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 152:35 K:BB across 156.1 innings this season into a road matchup with the Brewers next week.

Ginn (undisclosed) has made minimal progress in his recovery and may not pitch again this season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The A's pushed Ginn back from his most recent start and will send him to see an orthopedist Saturday to get a better read on the right-hander's condition. So far, the team has not provided specifics beyond fatigue and soreness. Ginn has not yet been placed on the injured list, but it sounds like that could happen in the coming days.

McLean (11-8) earned the win against the Giants on Friday, allowing two runs on six hits and four walks with seven strikeouts over six innings.

McLean was given an early lead and ran with it despite issuing four walks and generating only seven swinging strikes on 105 pitches. The end result was the 25-year-old's fifth straight quality start, and he's now yielded two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his past 12 outings. He owns a 3.06 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 179:65 K:BB across 161.2 innings this season and lines up for a road matchup with the Marlins next week.

Wilkinson (0-3) took the loss against the Mets on Friday, allowing seven runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts over three innings.

Six of the seven runs off Wilkinson came via the long ball, and he threw just 36 of 62 pitches for strikes with only three whiffs. The southpaw logged a quality start Saturday but has managed just 8.2 innings over his other three major-league outings since debuting Aug. 19. He'll take a 6.14 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB across 14.2 innings with the Giants into a home matchup with the Cardinals next week.

Taillon was removed from Friday's game against the Royals with right elbow discomfort.

Taillon was just activated Friday after missing time with a forearm issue, and he lasted only two innings and 29 pitches in his return. His availability for his next start is very much up in the air, yet the Blue Jays might not have much of a choice but to make a roster move to replenish the bullpen after Taillon's abbreviated outing.

Gray (elbow) would like to pitch in the majors this season, even if it's out of the bullpen, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports. "I think that's the goal for this year, to get innings up here, help the team win some games," the right-hander said Monday from the big-league clubhouse.

It's been a long time since Gray was able to make a contribution for the Nationals, as his last major-league action came April 4, 2024. Since then, he's undergone Tommy John surgery in July of that year, endured a lengthy rehab that only began to ramp up last September, and then dealt with a right flexor strain that cropped up this spring. Gray was able to begin a new rehab assignment at Single-A Fredericksburg in mid-August but has been limited to short outings, working his way up to Double-A Harrisburg on Wednesday and tossing a shutout inning. It's still not clear if the Nationals have any plans to take him off the 60-day IL and find a spot for him on the 40-man roster before the end of the season, but at the very least Gray seems to be on his way to wrapping up the campaign in good health.

Montero escaped with a no-decision in the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Guardians, coughing up six runs on eight hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander was staked to a 6-1 lead after three innings, but a grand slam by Brayan Rocchio in the fourth brought Cleveland level and helped send Montero to the showers after 82 pitches (51 strikes). The six earned runs allowed were a season worst for Montero, while four innings represented his shortest outing since July 17, when he worked in relief. Over six trips to the mound since the beginning of August, he's produced a 4.13 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB in 32.2 innings. Montero will look to bounce back in his next start, which lines up to come at home next week against the Twins.

The Athletics recalled Estes from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.

Estes has mostly struggled in the harsh pitching conditions of the Pacific Coast League this season, posting a 6.88 ERA and 1.64 WHIP over 86.1 innings with Las Vegas. He has worked exclusively as a starter this year, and while he figures to be available out of the bullpen immediately upon his return to the majors, Estes could make a start next week in place of Jack Perkins, who was sent down Friday in a corresponding move.

Quintana (elbow) is in line to begin a rehab assignment next week, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Quintana has been steadily building up his pitch count in bullpen sessions since early August as he progresses in his recovery from a left elbow sprain that landed him on the injured list in late May. It's been a lengthy recovery for the veteran southpaw, so even if he's cleared to embark on a rehab assignment, it's unclear whether he'll see major-league action before the conclusion of the regular season.