MLB Player News

Woods Richardson did not factor into the decision in Monday's 5-4 win against the Rays, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts over 3.2 innings.

Woods Richardson was pulled at just 71 pitches with two outs and a runner on second in the fourth inning. This was the 23-year-old's lowest pitch count in an outing since June 2, but he has now failed to complete more than five frames seven times in his past 10 starts. On the season, he owns a 3.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 104:40 K:BB across 120.2 innings and lines up for a road matchup with the Royals this weekend.

Littell (5-9) took the loss against the Twins on Monday, allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks with two strikeouts over four innings.

Littell was a bit rusty in his return from the injured list, walking a season-high four batters and surrendering a three-run homer in the third inning. On the plus side, his velocity was mostly in line with his season averages, and he generated a solid 11 whiffs on 78 pitches. The 28-year-old owns a 4.04 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 118:30 K:BB across 133.2 innings this season and lines up for a tough matchup with the Orioles this weekend.

Madden did not factor into the decision in Monday's 3-0 loss to the Padres, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks with two strikeouts over four innings.

Madden was used as a bulk reliever and tossed four scoreless frames before yielding two runs without recording an out in the eighth. The rookie has allowed three earned runs with an unimpressive 3:3 K:BB across nine major-league innings and could make another appearance this weekend against the Athletics, assuming he continues to work as a starter or primary pitcher.

Triple-A Toledo activated Flores (shoulder) from the 7-day minor-league injured list Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Flores has been sidelined since May 14 with an AC Joint sprain and made four rehab appearances prior to being activated. He struggled in his return to Triple-A Toledo, allowing five runs while completing only one inning.

Verlander (3-5) took the loss Monday against the Reds, allowing five runs on eight hits and four walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out three.

Verlander walked the first three batters he faced in the bottom of the first inning, making it the first time in 522 career appearances that he's opened the game with three straight free passes. Verlander has lost all three of his starts since returning from a neck injury in late August and has a 6.75 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB across 14.2 innings during that span. The 41-year-old's current streak of five straight starts of five innings or fewer pitched is the longest of his career.

Clase pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his 41st save of the season Monday against the Royals.

Clase did not allow a baserunner and did not strikeout any hitters on his way to his 41st save, which puts him one behind Ryan Helsley for the MLB lead. Clase was coming off an appearance Friday where he allowed his first earned run since the beginning of July, so it's no surprise to see him back to his dominant from Sunday. The 26-year-old has allowed just five earned runs all season and sports a miniscule 0.70 ERA through 64.1 innings.

Naylor went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run homer and a stolen base in Monday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

Naylor took reliever Kris Bubic deep in the sixth inning for his 29th home run of the season. Naylor reached 100 RBI for the first time in his career with the long ball. The 27-year-old now joins Aaron Judge and teammate Jose Ramirez as the only three players this season to eclipse the century mark. Naylor has multi-hit efforts in four of his last five games following a 10-game stretch during which he went 2-for-35.

Thomas went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run homer and a stolen base in Monday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

Thomas put his team ahead in the fifth inning with his ninth home run of the season off Michael Wacha. It was Thomas' first homer in 30 games since joining the Guardians, and he snapped a streak of 213 at-bats without a home run, which was the eighth longest active streak in MLB among all hitters. The 29-year-old continues to run plenty as he picked up his 32nd steal of the season, which ties him for eighth most in MLB. His .551 OPS since joining Cleveland has resulted in a reduced role, but he could reclaim a more regular spot in the lineup with a hot start to September.

Hendriks (elbow) will make back-to-back appearances with Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday and Thursday and could be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as Saturday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Hendriks has allowed just one unearned run over his first four rehab innings, but he averaged just 92.8 mph with his fastball and 83.8 mph with his slider in his last appearance. Both numbers are significant dips from last season and down considerably from Hendriks' peak velocities in past years. That's not terribly surprising given his long layoff after elbow surgery, but the Red Sox might be anxious to put him into high-leverage spots until he rediscovers some velocity.

Wacha (11-7) allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three over five innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Guardians.

Wacha allowed just one hit through the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth, giving up four hits, including a two-run homer to Lane Thomas. Wacha picked up his first loss since June 22, and he went 7-0 with a 2.86 ERA during that 11-start stretch. The 33-year-old remains a steady presence in the middle of the Royals rotation with a 3.50 ERA through 144 innings this season.