MLB Player News

Woodruff (5-2) yielded eight runs (five earned) on 10 hits and two walks over 4.1 innings Sunday, striking out three and taking a loss against Toronto.

Woodruff struggled early Sunday and never recovered. The Blue Jays posted three unearned runs in the first inning, and Woodruff would later cough up five more runs, all earned. He set a new career high with eight total runs allowed. After posting a 2.47 ERA in his first eight starts of the year, Woodruff has given up 10 earned runs over 10 frames in his last two outings. The recent struggles have ballooned his ERA to 3.69 with a 66:14 K:BB through 53.2 innings this season. Woodruff is projected to start in Pittsburgh next weekend.

Harrison was scratched ahead of his scheduled start with Triple-A Worcester and could be called up to start or pitch in bulk relief Wednesday against the Guardians in Boston, Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reports.

Harrison had been a candidate to join the big-league rotation this past week when the Red Sox moved Walker Buehler to the bullpen and later released him, but the southpaw was bypassed for a promotion in favor of fellow Triple-A starter Payton Tolle. Though Tolle impressed in his MLB debut while striking out eight batters and allowing two earned runs over 5.1 innings in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Pirates, the Red Sox appear committed to keeping the 22-year-old on at least a five-day rest schedule between outings. As a result, Tolle doesn't appear to be in line to start Wednesday's series finale versus the Guardians, opening the door for Harrison or another pitcher to temporarily step into the rotation. The Red Sox could also opt to treat Wednesday's game as a bullpen day in lieu of calling up Harrison, who has submitted a 3.65 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 49.1 innings with Worcester this season.

Rogers went 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 5-0 victory over the Royals.

The Detroit backstop started his 34th game of the season and drove home two with his sixth career triple in the fifth inning. Rogers is not a viable fantasy option while he is the clear backup to Dillon Dingler. Through 123 total plate appearances, the 30-year-old is now slashing .200/.295/.362 with 18 RBI and 14 runs scored.

The Cubs plan to use Civale out of the bullpen after claiming him off waivers from the White Sox on Sunday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Civale was reluctant to pitch out of the bullpen for Milwaukee before he was traded to the White Sox on June 13, but he'll have to settle for a relief role as he moves on to his third team of the season. The veteran righty had a stretch of three straight scoreless outings coming out of the All-Star break, but he otherwise turned in an unremarkable 13-start run with the White Sox, logging a 5.37 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 55:26 K:BB in 67 innings. The Cubs will likely keep Civale stretched out in a long-relief role in the event that a spot in the rotation opens up in September, but for now, the team appears set to proceed with Colin Rea and Javier Assad as its back-end starters until Jameson Taillon (groin) and/or Michael Soroka (shoulder) return from the injured list.

Skubal (12-4) pitched seven scoreless innings with four strikeouts to collect the win Sunday at Kansas City. He allowed four hits and two walks.

The Detroit ace didn't have his sharpest stuff in this 93-pitch outing, generating only eight whiffs, as he tallied four or fewer punchouts for just the fourth time this season. The Royals lineup never sniffed a run against Skubal, who has now posted a quality start in four consecutive appearances. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has continued his run as one of the game's best pitchers, firing a 2.18 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 216:27 K:BB across 173 total innings. Skubal currently lines up to make his next start at home against the White Sox next weekend.

Lukes went 2-for-5 with a two-run double in Sunday's win over Milwaukee.

Lukes put the Blue Jays on the board early with a two-run double in the first inning. He produced his third multi-hit performance over his last six appearances. Lukes has gone 8-for-23 (.348) during that span. The 31-year-old outfielder is slashing .259/.333/.411 with 27 extra-base hits and 55 RBI through 340 plate appearances.

Wacha (8-11) took the loss Sunday against the Tigers, conceding four runs on five hits and a walk over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

The veteran righty returned from the paternity list and did not look sharp in this 71-pitch appearance, inducing only five whiffs. Wacha fired four scoreless frames before falling apart in the fifth, coughing up four runs on four hits, including two extra-base knocks. Through 153.1 innings, the 34-year-old now sports a 3.52 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 112:39 K:BB. Wacha will look to bounce back in his next outing, currently scheduled to come at home against the Twins next weekend.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Sheehan will have his next turn through the rotation skipped, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Since Blake Snell returned from the injured list earlier in August, the Dodgers had been running a six-man rotation featuring Sheehan, but the team will temporarily scale back to five starters amid a stretch of three games in five days. Because Sheehan is in his first season back from May 2024 Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers have some added incentive to hold the right-hander out for a turn. Sheehan was available out of the bullpen but went unused in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks, and assuming he's not needed in relief for the Dodgers- upcoming three-game series in Pittsburgh, he could re-enter the rotation next weekend in Baltimore.

Sosa went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Yankees.

The Chicago infielder gave his team a lead it didn't surrender with a 418-foot solo shot off New Yorker reliever Tim Hill in the eighth. The long ball caps a breakout power month for Sosa in August, as he hit .241 with eight homers, 20 RBI and 13 runs scored in 27 games. The 25-year-old should continue to occupy a key lineup spot thanks to his 18 homers, 61 RBI, 45 runs scored and .735 OPS through 457 total plate appearances.

Mlodzinski is listed as the Pirates' starting pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers at PNC Park, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Mlodzinski will receive another turn through the Pittsburgh rotation, but for the second outing in a row, he'll most likely be deployed in tandem with rookie Bubba Chandler. In his previous start this past Wednesday versus the Cardinals, Mlodzinski was lifted after allowing one earned run over three innings and 46 pitches, with Chandler then taking over and getting credited with the win after tossing four shutout frames. Even if he's able to keep the Dodgers offense at bay Tuesday, Mlodzinski is unlikely to reach the five innings he would need to qualify for a win, making him an unappealing streaming option.