MLB Player News

Fluharty will serve as the Blue Jays' opener in Friday's game against the Yankees, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Spencer Arrighetti (foot) is expected to come off the 15-day injured list and work in bulk relief behind Fluharty, who has been been in a groove in August. Over 11 appearances on the month, Fluharty has tossed eight scoreless innings while yielding no hits and two walks.

Duran went 2-for-2 with two walks, a triple, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 2-0 win over the Nationals.

Duran's made little impact over the last two weeks, but he broke out Thursday. He entered the contest on a 6-for-47 (.128) run with one RBI over the previous 13 games. The stolen base was his 10th of the season, giving him double-digit steals in two consecutive seasons. The 27-year-old utility player enters uncharted terriotory, as Duran established a new career high in plate appearances (455) this week.

Leiter (ankle) allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out five over three-plus innings for Double-A Frisco on Thursday.

Leiter made his second rehab start for the RoughRiders and threw 59 pitches (38 strikes). The right-hander was sharp the first two innings before unraveling in the third. He walked the leadoff batter in the fourth before being removed. Leiter told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that there have been no discussions about continuing his assignment, but given his pitch count, another outing would not be surprising. The 26-year-old is rehabbing from June 23 arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body in his right ankle.

Adell (knee) entered Thursday's game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-2 in a 5-2 win over San Francisco.

Adell, who was held out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive day, pinch hit for Travis Bazzana in the sixth inning and finished out the game as the designated hitter. His usage off the bench suggests Adell could rejoin the starting nine Friday, when the Guardians face the Rockies in Colorado.

Massey went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Athletics.

Massey logged a trio of hits, including an RBI double to the right-field wall in the fifth inning. The second baseman has been swinging a hot bat, hitting .357/.373/.589 with three homers, seven RBI and nine runs across 16 games in August. Overall, he's slashing .278/.311/.447 with 11 homers, 43 RBI, 45 runs and two stolen bases in 107 contests this season.

Burke (5-5) was charged with the loss and a blown save Thursday against St. Louis, allowing six unearned runs on two hits and three walks while striking out one.

Reds manager Terry Francona eschewed using closer Emilio Pagan for a second straight day, instead bringing in Burke to close out a one-run lead to begin the top of the ninth inning. Burke was on the verge of getting the job done, but an error on a routine fly led to six unearned runs. Pagan had thrown 19 pitches Wednesday, and Francona may have considered the team's top closer unavailable, but his decision to turn to Burke may also have been matchup-based -- top right-handed setup man Pierce Johnson hasn't pitched since Monday but went completely unused in the contest.

Pagan was not used to protect a 5-4 lead in the ninth inning of Thursday's 10-9 loss to the Cardinals.

Manager Terry Francona opted for southpaw Brock Burke instead of Pagan to close out the game, after the veteran righty had thrown 19 pitches the night before. The top of the ninth turned into a nightmare, as an error on a routine flyball, along with three walks and a HBP from Burke, lead to six unearned runs for the Cardinals. If Pagan is currently unable to pitch on back-to-back days, it could open up save opportunities for other Cincinnati relievers, but Burke's usage Thursday may also have simply been matchup-based -- top right-handed setup man Pierce Johnson, who hasn't pitched since Monday, went completely unused in the contest.

Guzman went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in an 18-3 rout of Houston on Thursday.

Guzman began the game on the bench but entered on defense in the sixth inning after the Angels had built a 14-2 lead. He struck out in his first at-bat but then took advantage of facing a position player (LaMonte Wade) in the ninth inning by mashing a two-run homer to left field. The long ball was his first since July 31, a span of 17 games. Guzman has six home runs overall through 194 plate appearances this season while slashing .236/.280/.368 with 19 runs, 22 RBI and two stolen bases.

Neto went 5-for-6 with a home run, a double, two total runs and seven total RBI in an 18-3 victory over the Astros on Thursday.

Neto began the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. The talented young shortstop was just getting started -- he added four more hits before the game was over, including another RBI single in the fourth, a three-run homer in the fifth and a two-run double in the seventh. The five hits and seven RBI were both career-high marks for Neto, who came into the contest batting a meager .169 through his first 16 games in August. The offensive outburst lifted his season OPS nearly 20 points from .717 to .736.

Lambert (8-7) allowed nine runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 3.2 innings in a loss to the Angels on Thursday.

Lambert fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, but that looked like a pitching masterclass compared to how the rest of his outing went. The right-hander gave up three runs in the second frame and five in the fourth, though three of those runs were charged to him after he had given way to a reliever. Overall, the nine runs were by far a season-worst mark for Lambert, who entered Thursday having given up no more than two earned runs in any of his previous eight starts. The disastrous performance pushed the veteran hurler's season ERA from a solid 3.11 all the way up to 3.68. Lambert will try to bounce back in his next start, which is lined up to be a matchup against the Yankees in New York.