MLB Player News

Messick is slated to make his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Rays at Progressive Field.

Messick will unsurprisingly receive a second straight turn through the Cleveland rotation after he excelled in a no-decision in his MLB debut this past Wednesday, when he limited the Diamondbacks to one run on seven hits and one walk over 6.2 innings while striking out six batters. The 25-year-old lefty may eventually cede his spot in the rotation to the rehabbing John Means (elbow), but Messick could make it tough for the Guardians to justify moving him to the bullpen or back to Triple-A Columbus if he comes through with another strong start Tuesday.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed that Horton (finger) will start Saturday's game against the Angels in Anaheim, MLB.com reports.

During his most recent start in Monday's loss to the Brewers, Horton was lifted in the third inning due to a minor blister on his pitching hand. Counsell acknowledged that the rookie had dealt with a blister in the same spot in the past, but the righty apparently checked out fine during his between-starts bullpen session and will take the hill Saturday for his 18th outing of the season. Horton has been the Cubs' top-performing starter since the All-Star break, going 4-1 with an 0.58 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB in 31 innings.

Finnegan (3-4) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Friday's 7-5 victory over the Royals. He walked one and struck out one.

Finnegan worked the seventh and eighth innings to earn the win out of the bullpen, with Will Vest covering the ninth. The former has two wins since joining Detroit at the trade deadline to go along with four saves and a hold. He's also sporting an impressive 0.00 ERA and 0.38 WHIP with 12 strikeouts across 10.2 innings with his new team. Both Finnegan and Vest are seeing ninth-inning work for the Tigers, giving both pitchers fantasy appeal but also capping their respective ceilings.

Cruz (concussion) is slated to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Saturday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz suffered a concussion in a collision with teammate Jack Suwinski on Aug. 12 versus Milwaukee.He was subsequently placed on the 7-day injured list, but Cruz is apparently no longer dealing with concussion symptoms now that he's been cleared for game action in the minors. It's not clear how long Cruz's rehab assignment will last, but enough time has passed that he's eligible to be activated by the big club at any point.

Torres went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 7-5 win over the Royals.

Occupying his familiar No. 2 spot in the lineup, Torres continued to provide a spark for the Tigers. The veteran infielder has three multi-hit performances across his last six games, and he's slashing .261/.360/.399 overall in 115 contests. The .360 on-base percentage would be a new career best for Torres, driven in part by a 13.2 percent walk rate, which is up from 10 percent in 2024 with the Yankees.

Guerrero (hamstring) isn't in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against Miami.

Guerrero is out of the lineup for Toronto's fourth straight game while he battles left hamstring inflammation. The star first baseman participated in pre-game warmups Friday, taking batting practice and doing sprints at about 80 percent effort, but manager John Schneider indicated that the team wants to take a cautious approach with Guerrero's return, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. "Trying to learn from past injuries of that nature, we definitely can't afford to lose him for an extended period of time, so we're being cautious, yeah, but at the same time trying to get him back to him," Schneider said of Guerrero on Friday. Meanwhile, the slugger suggested that he's not in for a long-term absence, saying, "It's going to be soon, but we've got to take it day by day." Ty France has stepped in at first base while Guerrero has been out and is starting there again while batting sixth Saturday.

Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 win over the Angels.

Crow-Armstrong had been in a bit of a power drought, as Friday's home run was his first since July 23, a span of 26 games. The talented youngster still leads the Cubs with 28 long balls on the year, which also puts him in a tie for 10th in the majors. Crow-Armstrong is 10th in the majors in steals as well with 30, and he's closing in on his first career 30-30 season.

Freeland (finger) is slated to start Saturday's game against the Pirates at PNC Park.

Freeland developed a blister on his pitching hand during his most recent outing in Monday's 4-3 win over the Dodgers, but it apparently didn't prevent him from completing his between-starts bullpen session. He'll return to the mound on his standard four days' rest and shouldn't face any restrictions as he takes the hill for his 24th start of the season.

Tucker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 win over the Angels.

The home run was Tucker's first since July 19 and his 19th of the season. The outfielder has been in a well-documented slump, as he's batting just .171 with a .530 OPS across his last 20 games. Tucker is reportedly fully recovered from a hairline fracture in his right hand that had impacted his swing, and Friday's long ball could be a sign that he's starting to feel comfortable at the plate again.

Lopez (illness) isn't starting Saturday's contest against the Blue Jays.

Lopez had to be scratched from Friday's lineup due to an illness, and he's slated to miss at least one more game. Maximo Acosta is Miami's starting shortstop Saturday with Lopez out of action.