MLB Player News

The Reds returned Spiers to Double-A Chattanooga on Sunday.

The Reds have been shorthanded for starting pitchers over the past couple weeks with multiple players on the COVID-19 injured list, which allowed Spiers to make his first two starts in the big leagues. The 25-year-old allowed seven earned runs over seven frames between the two outings, so it's hardly a surprise he's heading back to the minors.

Richardson was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.

The 23-year-old started for the past few turns through Cincinnati's rotation, but he'll head back to Triple-A after he posted a 7.90 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 10:12 K:BB across 13.2 innings. Richardson should return to the rotation at Louisville, where he has a 3.60 ERA in three starts.

Stroman (ribs) will throw a session of live batting practice Monday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The 32-year-old threw 29 pitches in his first session of live BP on Thursday, and he should continue building on that workload Monday. If all goes well, Stroman could soon be cleared for a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining the big-league rotation.

Pfaadt is no longer starting Sunday's game against the Cubs but could pitch behind opener Joe Mantiply, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks haven't announced their pitching plans beyond Mantiply opening the contest, but Pfaadt is the likely candidate to handle the bulk innings after originally being penciled in to start. The 24-year-old has covered just 7.2 frames and allowed eight earned runs in his past two contests, and working behind an opener could improve his chances of getting into the win column since he won't have to complete five full innings.

Green (illness) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list and is starting Sunday against the Cardinals, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 24-year-old has been unavailable since shortly after his previous start Aug. 30, but he'll rejoin Cincinnati's rotation Sunday versus the Cardinals. Greene has a 4.75 ERA in 17 starts this season but will look to build on his last outing, during which he limited San Francisco to three hits and a walk over 5.1 scoreless frames.

Waldron is listed as the Padres' probable starting pitcher for Sunday's game in Houston.

At least for one turn through the rotation, the Padres will turn to Waldron to replace Rich Hill, who could be moved to the bullpen after delivering a 10.71 ERA and 1.97 WHIP across 19.1 innings over his first six outings since joining San Diego at the trade deadline. Since being called up from Triple-A El Paso on Aug. 28, Waldron has made two extended relief appearances, working five innings on Aug. 31 and 4.2 innings this past Monday. He stretched out to 88 pitches in his most recent outing, so Waldron should be able to provide the Padres with plenty of length as he moves into the rotation Sunday.

Kelly did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and five walks over 5.2 innings against the Cubs while striking out six.

Kelly managed to hold the Cubs to one run over his 5.2 innings of work despite matching his season high with five walks on the day. He's now allowed just one run through each of his first two starts this month after surrendering a season-high seven runs in his final August start. The right-hander also has not given up a home run in four consecutive outings, though he's now issued at least three walks in three of his last five.

Dodd was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Dodd made his first big-league start since June versus the Pirates on Saturday, but he'll return to Triple-A after he surrendered four runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings. The left-hander has a 7.62 ERA and 14:11 K:BB across 28.1 frames in the majors this season, so he likely won't be atop the list of candidates should Atlanta need another spot starter down the stretch.

Smith-Shawver was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Smith-Shawver returned from the injured list at Gwinnett last weekend but lasted just two-thirds of an inning, and it appears his next outing will come in the majors. The 20-year-old started in four of his five appearances for Atlanta this season, but he may work out of the bullpen this time around with Allan Winans taking the mound Sunday against the Pirates. Smith-Shawver could also help cover some innings during Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader in Philadelphia after Spencer Strider was pushed to Wednesday due to an illness.

Peterson (3-8) took the loss Saturday, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk over six innings against Minnesota. He struck out eight.

Peterson hit Donovan Solano with a pitch and then gave up a single to Jorge Polanco to open the bottom of the first before fanning the next three batters to get out of the jam. However, he would go on to allow three runs over the next two frames, which would ultimately decide the contest. The lefty has now allowed at least three runs and seven hits in three of his last four outings and has not recorded a win since July 27. On a positive note, he does hold a healthy 20:4 K:BB over his last three starts.