MLB Player News

Wacha (shoulder) faced live hitters Monday, tossing two simulated innings to minor-leaguers in San Diego, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This was the first time Wacha has faced live hitters since he went on the injured list with right shoulder fatigue July 4. Padres manager Bob Melvin said the right-handed hurler "felt good" after the session and indicated that Wacha's next steps will be discussed after seeing how he feels Tuesday. Acee reports that San Diego hopes to slot Wacha back into the rotation during a stretch of 13 straight games without an off day that begins Aug. 11.

Wolf, Alfonso Rivas and Estuar Suero were traded from the Padres to the Pirates on Tuesday in exchange for Rich Hill and Ji-Man Choi, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Wolf, a 6-foot-7 lefty, is extremely deceptive and boasts an above-average slider, but his fastball averaged 88.9 mph in his lone big-league start earlier this year. The 24-year-old prospect has never pitched at Triple-A, but he's logged a 4.08 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 105:22 K:BB in 88.1 innings across 18 starts this year at Double-A. The Pirates will likely continue developing him as a starter for now, but his below-average fastball velocity limits his long-term upside.

San Diego acquired Hill and Ji-Man Choi from the Pirates on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Hill doesn't carry the "wow" factor of a Justin Verlander or Eduardo Rodriguez, whom the Padres have also been connected to, but the 43-year-old left-hander can be a steadying force for the Padres as they try to make up ground in the NL Wild Card hunt. He had registered a 4.76 ERA and 104:47 K:BB through 119 innings (22 starts) this season with Pittsburgh. San Diego will be his 13th different major-league club, one shy of Edwin Jackson's record of 14.

The Cubs acquired Roberson from the Rays on Tuesday in exchange for Adrian Sampson, Manuel Rodriguez and international free agent money, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Roberson was acquired by the Rays from the Marlins in May of 2022 and is on the move once again. The 27-year-old has spent this season at the Triple-A level and has a 5.45 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 43:23 K:BB across 36.1 innings.

Double-A Richmond placed Whisenhunt on its 7-day injured list Friday after he was diagnosed with a left elbow sprain, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants will wait and see how Whisenhunt responds to rest and rehab before re-evaluating him in four weeks. If Whisenhunt hasn't healed as hoped by the start of September, Tommy John surgery or another elbow procedure could be in the cards for the 22-year-old lefty. Regardless, Whisenhunt may face an uphill battle to return to action in 2023, a disappointing outcome for an ascending pitcher in the San Francisco system. In addition to turning in a 2.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 83:23 K:BB in 58.2 innings over three minor-league stops this season, Whisenhunt also turned in a dominant inning of relief in the All-Star Futures Game in July.

Peterson is likely to start Friday in Baltimore, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Friday would have been Max Scherzer's turn in the Mets rotation, but he was traded to the Rangers on Saturday and is slated to make his debut for Texas this Thursday. Peterson, 27, has struggled to a 5.92 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 11 starts and six relief appearances this season with New York.

Greene (hip) is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League.

Greene has been sidelined since mid-June because of right hip discomfort and is currently on the 60-day injured list, so this figures to be a lengthy minor-league rehab stint. Previous reports have indicated that the Reds are targeting Aug. 20 for his return to the major-league rotation. He's first eligible to be activated Aug. 17.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said that he expects Cobb to start Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks after the right-hander recently dealt with an illness, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Cobb had been expected to start Monday's series opener, but since he was under the weather, the Giants opted for a bullpen game for the third consecutive day. Barring a setback leading up to Tuesday's 9:45 p.m. ET start time, Cobb looks like he'll be ready to pitch, and the Giants will be hoping to get plenty of innings out of him to help preserve a bullpen that's been overtaxed of late. Cobb has been a steady performer since returning from the 15-day injured list June 30, going 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB in 27.1 innings over five starts.

Lugo took a no-decision after allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out nine over seven innings in Monday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Rockies.

Lugo turned in his third straight quality start while also pitching seven innings for the third time this season. His nine strikeouts were a season high, though he also walked multiple batters for the fifth time in 16 starts. The 33-year-old now has a 3.54 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 88:19 K:BB through 89 innings overall. Lugo is projected for a home start against the Dodgers over the weekend.

Stroman dropped to 10-8 in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Reds after allowing six runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two batters over three innings.

Stroman got through a scoreless first frame Monday before giving up three runs in each of the second and third innings. He wasn't allowed to go back out for the fourth, ending with his second-shortest start of the campaign. Stroman picked up a win and a quality start in his first outing following the All-Star break, but he's imploded since, allowing 17 earned runs over 10 frames while recording a 10:8 K:BB in his past three appearances. The veteran looked like he could be in the NL Cy Young conversation after posting a 9-4 record with a 2.28 ERA across his first 16 starts of the campaign, but he's well out of earshot for that award now that his ERA has climbed all the way up to 3.85.