MLB Player News

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Lorenzen (oblique) will rejoin the rotation Saturday versus the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Out since mid-July with a left oblique strain, Lorenzen built up to 85 pitches in his last rehab start, so he should be ready for a normal workload Saturday. Lorenzen has posted a 4.61 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 99.2 innings for the Royals this season. Bailey Falter has been moved to the bullpen to make room for Lorenzen in the rotation.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Falter will move to the bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Michael Lorenzen (oblique) is ready to rejoin the rotation this weekend, and it's Falter who will shift to relief to accommodate Lorenzen's return. Falter has been pummeled for nine runs on 11 hits and five walks over eight innings in two starts since the Royals acquired him at the trade deadline. The lefty is likely to be used in a mop-up role.

The White Sox activated Perez (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

After being placed on the shelf in late April with a left flexor strain, Perez made two rehab starts, allowing three runs with a 5:3 K:BB over 6.2 innings. The veteran left-hander will be used in relief for the time being, per Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times, although Perez is s a candidate to eventually receive some starts once he gets further stretched out. Perez held a 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 18:11 K:BB over 20 innings in his first four starts of the season before getting hurt.

Melton will start Wednesday's game against the White Sox in Chicago, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Melton was knocked around in his first major-league start July 23 in Pittsburgh but has yielded just one run with an 8:2 K:BB over 12.1 innings covering one start and two relief appearances since then. The righty hasn't made a start in more than two weeks and worked 3.1 innings while tossing 46 pitches in his most recent relief appearance Friday against the Angels. Melton likely won't be asked to handle a full starter's workload against the White Sox and may not reach the five innings he would need to qualify for a win.

Allen didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Marlins, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw wasn't sharp, throwing just 53 of 93 pitches for strikes, but Allen kept the Miami offense at bay until the fifth inning, when a two-out walk to Otto Lopez set the stage for a three-run rally that tied the game. After an 11-start stretch in which Allen didn't issue more than two free passes in an outing, he's now walked eight batters in 10 innings over his last two trips to the mound. He'll take a 3.94 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 92:48 K:BB over 118.2 frames into his next start, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against Atlanta.

Junk came away with a no-decision Tuesday against the Guardians, giving up three runs on six hits over five innings as the Marlins lost 4-3. He struck out two without walking a batter.

Four of the six hits off Junk went for extra bases, including back-to-back solo shots by Jose Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo in the first inning. The right-hander was taken off the hook for his seventh loss of the season when Miami was able to tie the game at 3-3 in the fifth frame. Junk hasn't recorded an out in the sixth inning since the All-Star break, working exactly five innings in each of his last five starts while stumbling to a 6.84 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 14:4 K:BB. He could get bumped aside by top prospect Robby Snelling at some point, but for the moment Junk lines up to make his next start on the road this weekend in Boston.

Singer (10-9) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing three hits over six scoreless innings in a 6-1 victory over the Phillies. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The 29-year-old righty retired the first 12 batters he faced and only ran into trouble in his final inning, when a pair of two-out hits put runners at second and third. Singer was able to coax a groundout from Kyle Schwarber to end the threat, however. The quality start was his 10th of the year, and after a rough outing against the Nationals on July 21, Singer's posted a 1.96 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 26:6 K:BB in 23 innings over his last four trips to the mound. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week against the Angels.

Suarez (8-6) took the loss Tuesday as the Phillies fell 6-1 to the Reds, coughing up six runs on 10 hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out three.

The southpaw didn't get much run support, but Suarez kept his team in the game until the sixth inning, when a leadoff walk was followed by four straight Cincinnati hits to break things open. Suarez took a 2.15 ERA into the All-Star break, but he's been struggling since, getting tagged for at least five runs in three of his last five starts while stumbling to a 6.59 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB over 28.2 innings. He'll try to get back on track in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Mariners.

Kremer (8-9) took the loss Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over eight innings as the Orioles were downed 1-0 by the Mariners. He struck out six.

The right-hander put together one of his best performances of the season, completing eight innings for the first time as he dialed up his seventh quality start of the year on 101 pitches (67 strikes). Seattle squeezed a run across in the top of the first inning, however, and Baltimore's bats couldn't solve George Kirby and the M's bullpen. Kremer hasn't gotten into the win column since the All-Star break, but he hasn't pitched poorly, posting a 3.94 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 28:9 K:BB over five starts and 32 innings. He'll try to end his winless streak in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in Houston.

Melton is likely to work as the bulk pitcher for the Tigers in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Tony Paul of The Detroit News reports.

The Tigers are building in an extra rest day for all five members of their rotation this week, so Melton will be tasked with covering most of the innings Wednesday in what could be a bullpen day. One of the Tigers' top pitching prospects, Melton has had a breakout season in the minors and has been excellent for Detroit after a blowup outing in his big-league debut July 23. In his last three appearances, Melton has a 0.73 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, eight strikeouts and two wins in 12.1 innings. Melton last logged 3.1 innings in a relief appearance Friday, so he should be able to offer the Tigers a decent amount of length in his return to the bump.