MLB Player News

Skubal (11-3) earned the win against the Phillies on Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts over seven innings.

Skubal outdueled fellow ace Zack Wheeler, spinning six scoreless frames before allowing three runs in the seventh. He generated 20 whiffs on 98 pitches and has now notched double-digit strikeouts eight times this season. The southpaw leads all qualified starters with a 0.83 WHIP and paces the American League with a 2.18 ERA and 181 strikeouts over 140.2 innings. He lines up to face the Angels at home next weekend.

Lugo was placed on the 7-day injured list at High-A Cedar Rapids on Friday with a thumb injury, Seth Stohs of TwinsDaily.com reports.

Lugo had been playing well since coming over in a trade for Jorge Alcala in June. He's hitting .297 with three home runs and a .855 OPS in 29 games for Cedar Rapids after hitting four home runs with a .757 OPS at High-A in the Red Sox organization.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy clarified after Saturday's 6-4 win over the Mariners in 11 innings that Garcia exited the contest due to a mid-back spasm, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

After Garcia was pulled in the 10th inning in the middle of a Eugenio Suarez at-bat, the initial word was that he was dealing with a left scapula spasm. However, further assessment determined that Garcia is instead managing a spasm in his mid-back. Bochy said that he expects Garcia to be fine, but the Rangers' closer may be due for a day off or two after pitching three times in the past four days.

Wallner went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Guardians.

Wallner has homered three times over his last six games, but he is batting just .225 (9-for-40) since the All-Star break. That's a little better than his .208 average for the season, though he should have little trouble holding a starting role in right field the rest of the way after the Twins' fire sale at the trade deadline. Wallner has added a .778 OPS, 14 homers, 24 RBI, 28 runs scored and no stolen bases over 251 plate appearances (69 games) this season.

Ober (hip) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings in a no-decision Saturday versus the Guardians.

Ober missed a month due to a left hip impingement. He had only stretched back out to 65 pitches during his rehab assignment, but he was able to throw 91 pitches (62 strikes) Saturday, so he should have no further workload restrictions as long as he feels good between starts. The next goal for the right-hander will be putting a strong finish on what's been a difficult campaign -- he's pitched to a 5.38 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 78:23 K:BB through 97 innings across 18 starts. Home runs have been the big issue; after allowing two of them against Cleveland, he's yielded 23 long balls on the year, four off his career-high 27 across 178.2 innings last year. Ober is projected to make his next start at home versus the Royals.

Bichette went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

All three knocks were singles, but it was still another strong performance from Bichette. Over 16 games since the All-Star break, the shortstop is batting .377 (25-for-69) with eight doubles, a homer, eight runs and 15 RBI.

Perkins is moving into the Athletics rotation and will start Sunday versus Arizona, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

When Mason Miller was traded to San Diego on Thursday, Perkins looked to be next in line to move into the closer role. Instead, the rookie right-hander will get a look in the rotation, and his start Sunday doesn't appear to be a one-off arrangement. Perkins has pitched well for the Athletics, posting a 2.75 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB over 19.2 innings spanning eight appearances, but he hasn't gone more than 3.1 innings or 54 pitches in any outing. That said, he had handled a full-time starting role for Triple-A Las Vegas prior to being promoted June 22, logging a 2.86 ERA while striking out 68 over 44 innings. Perkins will likely be on some sort of a pitch count Sunday, though he may need only two or three outings to get stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload.

Hoffman struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his 26th save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Royals.

The right-hander has put his May struggles behind him. Over 21 innings since the beginning of June, Hoffman has converted 13 of 14 save chances while posting a 3.00 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB, and the Blue Jays' bullpen additions at the trade deadline may allow them to ease the workload on their first-year closer over the final two months of the regular season.

Kayfus went 0-for-4 with one RBI in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Twins.

Kayfus got the start in right field and earned his first major-league RBI on a groundout in the second inning. The 23-year-old looks to have a path to playing time in right field initially, but his performance will dictate if he's able to maintain an everyday role. Prior to his promotion, he batted .283 with an .893 OPS, 13 home runs, 43 RBI, 39 runs scored and two stolen bases over 68 games in his first taste of Triple-A action, so he looks more than ready to get an extended big-league audition.

Schneemann went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Twins.

Schneemann had gone 14 games without a homer, batting a modest .238 (10-for-42) in that span, but he ended the power drought in the third inning. Schneemann had been seeing a decent share of playing time in right field, but the promotion of C.J. Kayfus will likely lead to Schneemann slipping into more of a utility role. He has primarily played against right-handed pitchers this season, logging just 43 of his 286 plate appearances against southpaws. The 28-year-old hasn't done enough to earn a larger role, slashing .226/.312/.397 with 10 homers, 29 RBI, 35 runs scored, 13 doubles and eight stolen bases across 89 games.