MLB Player News

Kolek is slated to start Thursday's game against the Guardians at Progressive Field.

With Seth Lugo (back) recently joining Cole Ragans (shoulder) on the injured list, Kolek will stick around with the Royals to make a second turn through the rotation following his call-up from Triple-A Omaha last Thursday. During his start in this past Saturday's 11-2 win over the Twins, Kolek went seven strong innings and struck four batters while permitting two earned runs on six hits and one walk. He now maintains a respectable 3.88 ERA over 92.2 innings between San Diego and Kansas City, though it's supported by a weak 9.3 K-BB%.

The Blue Jays placed Bichette on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left knee sprain.

Bichette appeared to tweak something on a slide into home plate during Saturday's game against the Yankees. He finished that contest but was then out of the lineup Sunday, and subsequent testing has revealed a sprain. The severity of the sprain isn't known at this time, so it's uncertain whether Bichette has a chance to return when eligible Sept. 17. Ernie Clement is starting at shortstop Tuesday versus the Astros, but Isiah Kiner-Falefa should also be in the mix for starts at the position while Bichette is shelved.

The Astros are expected to recall France from Triple-A Sugar Land during their series in Toronto that runs through Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

France's last appearance with Sugar Land was a start, but his three outings prior to that came out of the bullpen, and he's expected to fill a multi-inning relief role with Houston. The right-hander missed the first half of this season while recovering from shoulder surgery and holds a 6.38 ERA and 23:20 K:BB over 24 innings during his time with Sugar Land.

Sugano said Tuesday that his right foot hasn't swelled up as much as anticipated, and he expects to be ready to make his next scheduled start, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Sugano was lifted from Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Dodgers after being struck on the foot by a comebacker, but the injury doesn't look like it will cost him any additional time. The right-hander is tentatively schedule to start Sunday's game in Toronto.

Harrison is headed to Sacramento to join the Red Sox and could be recalled from Triple-A Worcester prior to Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.

The Red Sox have not yet announced a starter for Wednesday's game, though manager Alex Cora said that lefty Payton Tolle is expected to be used in some capacity. Harrison could also be in the mix, perhaps in a tandem start with Tolle. The left-handed Harrison pitched one inning with Triple-A Worcester on Sunday after overcoming an ankle injury, so he would be pitching on two days' rest Wednesday. Harrison holds a 3.75 ERA and 50:27 K:BB over 50.1 innings with Worcester since the Red Sox acquired him from the Giants on June 15.

Urquidy (elbow) is set to make one more rehab appearance for Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday or Wednesday before being evaluated for a potential return, MLB.com reports.

Urquidy has already made a total of nine rehab appearances, including five with the Mud Hens. The veteran righty looked sharp in his last two outings, logging a total of six scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Urquidy, who is working his way back from June 2024 Tommy John surgery, last pitched in the majors in 2023, so the Tigers are likely to be very cautious with his return. He'll likely slot into a bullpen role to close out this season, though he figures to compete for a 2026 rotation spot next spring.

Sewald (shoulder), who has logged two scoreless innings in a rehab assignment with High-A West Michigan, could return from the injured list as soon as Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Sewald has yet to pitch for Detroit after getting acquired in a trade before the deadline. The 33-year-old righty last saw the mound on July 11 when he was with Cleveland, and he posted a 4.70 ERA and 18 strikeouts across 15.1 innings for the Guardians before going down with a right shoulder strain. The Tigers are hoping Sewald can provide some veteran bullpen depth for the stretch run, though he's unlikely to see save chances ahead of Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan (groin) once he's healthy.

Oakie has 22 strikeouts over 9.1 scoreless innings in his last two starts for Single-A Lynchburg.

Oakie has raised his stock as much as any lower-level prospect over the past few weeks, as he has shown monster stuff at the end of an up-and-down season. His upper-90s fastball can be borderline unhittable when he's locating it, and he compliments it with a plus hard slider. He received a $2 million bonus after the Guardians selected him with the No. 84 overall pick last year. Oakie has a 14 percent walk rate and 1.53 WHIP on the year, so there is plenty of reliever risk to go with a sky-high ceiling if he can stay healthy and continue refining his craft. He doesn't turn 20 until May.

Sullivan is slashing .198/.378/.286 with two home runs and six steals in 26 games for Double-A Corpus Christi.

The lefty-hitting Sullivan was promoted from High-A Asheville to Double-A on July 16 after slashing .233/.411/.462 with 15 home runs and 34 steals in 75 games for the Tourists. Given that he's already 23 and Asheville is a notoriously hitter-friendly park, Sullivan's run at Double-A is more representative of his current offensive abilities. He is overly passive (swing rate below 35 percent at High-A and Double-A) but does an OK job making contact when he does swing. Sullivan's groundball rate spiked from 41.5 percent at High-A to 53.4 percent after the promotion, which helps explain his dip in power and adds another concerning element to the profile. If it all works out, Sullivan could start in center field and lead off against righties while contributing 20-plus steals.

Montgomery was placed on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday with a small fracture in his right foot, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Montgomery will not make it back before the end of the Barons' regular or postseason, but he is expected to play in the Arizona Fall League. One of the key pieces acquired from the Red Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade, Montgomery finishes his first pro season with a .270/.360/.444 batting line, 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases over 121 games covering three levels in the minors.