MLB Player News

McLean only struck out two, lowering his ERA to 4.21 on the year. The walks were uncharacteristic for the sophomore right-hander, whose ERA estimators suggest he’s pitched better than his results thus far. McLean entered Sunday with the second-lowest left-on-base rate among qualified starters. He’ll aim to get back on track when visiting the Padres next time out.

The textbook definition of a modern-era journeyman, Solak gets the call to join San Diego’s bench mix with Miguel Andjuar hitting the injured list with a hamstring strain. The 31-year-old offers plenty of defensive versatility, but he’s appeared in just 41 games between three different organizations at the big-league level since 2022.

So much for avoiding the injured list after an extended layoff. Andjuar finally winds up hitting the shelf after suffering a hamstring injury last weekend that kept him out of San Diego’s lineup for five consecutive contests. He’s unlikely to require a lengthy absence, but there isn’t an official timeline from the Padres yet.

Skubal returns to Detroit’s rotation to face the division-rival Guardians on Saturday following a lightning-quick 38-day recovery from a minimally invasive NanoScope procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow. The 29-year-old back-to-back reigning AL Cy Young Award winner draws a favorable matchup out of the gate against a Cleveland lineup that ranks 27th in OPS (.680) this season. He’s posted a sparkling 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 45/6 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 innings over seven starts prior to hitting the injured list.

Madden understandably loses his spot on Detroit’s roster with two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal coming back from the injured list. The 26-year-old righty has posted a respectable 3.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 23/5 K/BB ratio across 20 innings in a versatile swingman role over the last few weeks. He makes sense in a low-leverage innings-eating role on a contender.

Boone elaborated that Stanton felt some discomfort in his calf while running the bases earlier this week and could potentially undergo followup imaging to determine the severity of the issue. The 36-year-old veteran slugger was on the precipice of a rehab assignment prior to the setback. He’s been on the shelf with a calf strain since late April. There is no timetable for his return following this latest development.

No surprise as Kwan will be spared from having to face Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. That honor goes to Stuart Fairchild instead. The 28-year-old has put together an abysmal season overall, but he went 2-for-4 with an RBI during Friday’s series opener and is hitting .281 (9-for-32) in nine games since returning from bereavement leave earlier this month.

Rutschman will get some extra time off to rest with Samuel Basallo handling the catching duties in this one. The 28-year-old backstop made his return behind the dish during Friday’s series opener after missing a pair of games with left hamstring tightness earlier this week.

Andujar was able to pinch-hit on Wednesday against the Reds, but was held out of the lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Orioles. He’s missed five straight games due to a lingering hamstring issue, but it doesn’t sound like a trip to the injured list is in the cards. It’ll be Will Wagner taking another turn at DH in his absence.

Puk was in the final stages of his rehabilitation from last year’s internal brace procedure on his elbow before the shoulder issue cropped up while pitching at Triple-A Reno. He’s been pulled off a minor league rehab assignment to undergo further evaluation and imaging. The 31-year-old high-leverage arm was trending towards a mid-June return to Arizona’s bullpen. There should be an update on his status later this weekend.

Poulin returns to Washington’s relief corps after spending a couple weeks in the minors. The 29-year-old southpaw has compiled a serviceable 3.28 ERA and 17/16 K/BB ratio across 24 2/3 innings for the Nationals this season.