MLB Player News

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters afterwards that Scherzer has been dealing with the issue recently before expressing confidence he’ll be able to make his next start. We’ll see. Scherzer’s fastball velocity was noticeably down from his season debut last week, averaging just 92.1 mph before he departed after 36 pitches over two innings. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer is scheduled to take the ball against the Twins on Sunday. It goes without saying that any sort of absence would put additional strain on an injury-ravaged Toronto rotation mix that is already without Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (elbow), José Berríos (elbow) and Cody Ponce (knee).

McGonigle had a day off on Tuesday but will be right back in the lineup today. The rookie took a bit of a step back in May but still hit .238 with 16 runs scored, seven steals, and an 18/16 K/BB ratio in 27 games.

Taylor Walls left yesterday‘s game with hamstring tightness, so the Rays will give him a day off and let Williamson start at shortstop. Walls is allegedly available off the bench tonight, so this might be just a one game situation with Williamson as the starting shortstop.

Sogard apparently began feeling the soreness over the weekend and then also didn’t play on Tuesday against the Orioles. He’ll be out for at least two weeks as he tries to get healthy.

Seigler was the third person who came to the Red Sox in the Kyle Harrison trade, along with Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio. Seigler is hitting .298 with three home runs and 21 RBI in 104 at-bats for Triple-A Worcester this season but hit .344 in May. He makes a ton of contact and has some experience as a catcher but has only played second and third base this season, so it remains to be seen what his role will be in Boston.

Martin is the unfortunate casualty of an overworked bullpen. The right-hander threw three innings on Monday, and then the Rays needed to use the majority of their other fresh relievers on Tuesday after Steven Matz’s short start, so they need to add more fresh arms. Martin should be back up in short order.

The 26-year-old has a 5.63 ERA in 16 innings for the Rays this season. He’ll be up to give them a fresh arm in the bullpen after Steven Matz’s short outing on Tuesday.

He also struck out one while throwing five of his eight pitches for strikes. He sat 95.1 mph on his fastball and topped out at 95.6 mph. He averaged 96.4 mph last season, so the velocity is down, but this was his first rehab outing. Also, the narrow gap between his fastest pitch and his average velocity suggests that Puk was not trying to rear back and let it fly in this first appearance. The 31-year-old will likely need a couple more weeks before he becomes an option in Arizona, but he could quickly become a late-inning complement to Paul Sewald when left-handed hitters are due up.

In 6 1/3 innings since being demoted to Triple-A, Walker has allowed one run on five hits while striking out seven and walking two. In the meantime, nobody has really distinguished themselves in the Giants’ bullpen. He certainly has a chance to pitch himself back into the closer’s role at some point this season.

Márquez has been out since the beginning of May with forearm nerve inflammation. He allowed just one hit on Tuesday while striking out three and not walking a single batter. He threw 23 of his 36 pitches for strikes and should try to push near 50 pitches in his next outing. He will likely need at least two more rehab starts before potentially rejoining the Padres rotation.

Since being demoted, Lewis is 14-for-41 (.314) with seven home runs, 14 RBI, and one steal. He’s likely to get another shot with the Twins pretty soon. Perhaps he could even entice a team like the Red Sox or Mets on the trade market.