MLB Player News

Painter (elbow) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Painter could soon advance to facing live hitters as he continues to make slow but steady progress in his recovery from a sprained UCL in his right elbow. The 20-year-old top prospect still has a shot at making his MLB debut at some point before the end of the 2023 season.

Sanchez (hand) is set to take his next scheduled turn in the Phillies rotation Friday against the Mets, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Sanchez took a comebacker off his left hand Saturday in Oakland, but X-rays turned up clean for any structural damage and he'll be ready to toe the slab in Friday's series opener. The 26-year-old southpaw has pitched to a 3.24 ERA with 10 strikeouts through two major-league starts (8.1 innings) this season for Philly.

Colorado recalled Davis from Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.

As expected, Davis gets the call to start for the Rockies in Tuesday night's game against the host Reds. The 26-year-old carries a rough 6.17 ERA in 11.2 major-league innings (three starts) this season and is not a recommended fantasy streamer versus a Cincinnati team that is riding a nine-game winning streak.

Padres manager Bob Melvin confirmed Monday that Lugo (calf) will return from the injured list Tuesday to start in San Francisco, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Lugo hasn't pitched in a game in over a month, so he'll likely be on some sort of a pitch count, though Melvin indicated that the hurler's limit has yet to be decided. The right-hander's return was foreshadowed when San Diego optioned Ryan Weathers -- who had been filling Lugo's spot in the rotation -- to Triple-A El Paso on Friday. Lugo has posted a 4.10 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 38:11 K:BB over 41.2 innings across eight starts this season.

Cueto (biceps/ankle) is scheduled to make his next rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Jacksonville, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Cueto is targeting around five innings or 75 pitches in the third start of his rehab assignment after he most recently covered 3.2 innings for Double-A Pensacola last Friday while allowing four runs on seven hits and zero walks. Assuming Cueto gets through the upcoming rehab outing unscathed, he could be cleared to return from the 60-day injured list next week to make his Marlins debut. With Edward Cabrera (shoulder) recently joining Trevor Rogers (biceps/shoulder) on the IL, the Marlins should have a spot in the rotation available for Cueto.

Gray (4-6) took the loss Monday, allowing six runs on nine hits and one walk over five innings against St. Louis. He struck out six.

Gray surrendered a season-high six earned runs and allowed multiple home runs for the third time over his past four starts. During that stretch, the right-hander has a 6.04 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 21:7 K:BB through 22.1 innings. The homers are a concerning trend considering Gray had given up only three long balls over his previous 10 appearances before his recent struggles. Overall, the 25-year-old's numbers are still solid (3.64 ERA and 1.39 WHIP), and he's entrenched atop the Nationals' rotation moving forward. Gray's next start lines up against the Padres this coming weekend.

Flaherty (4-5) earned the win Monday, allowing six runs on 10 hits and one walk over 6.1 innings against the Nationals. He struck out five.

Flaherty allowed five runs through the first two frames, but he was able to keep the Cardinals within striking distance by tossing four straight scoreless innings before getting into trouble again in the seventh. It was just the third time all season that the right-hander had recorded an out in the seventh inning. Despite earning the win Monday, Flaherty has struggled over his last two starts, allowing 20 hits and 12 earned runs with a 8:4 K:BB across 10.2 innings. Before that, he'd allowed three or fewer runs in six straight starts, posting a 2.06 ERA and 1.37 WHIP during that stretch. Flaherty will look to get back on track in his next outing, which is tentatively scheduled during the Cardinals' two-game set versus the Cubs in London.

Solometo struck out seven batters and allowed two earned runs in five innings in his first start for Double-A Altoona.

The low-slot southpaw carved up High-A hitters to the tune of a 2.30 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 68 strikeouts in 58.2 innings through 12 starts before earning the promotion to Double-A. The 6-foot-5 Solometo has one of the most deceptive arm actions in the minors, somewhat reminiscent of Madison Bumgarner's delivery, and it's possible he could still add a tick to his low-90s fastball in the coming years.

Lesko (elbow) will make his pro debut Tuesday in the Arizona Complex League, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The best prep pitcher in last year's draft class, Lesko had Tommy John surgery last spring, and he will be eased into pro action against rookie-level hitters. Assuming his stuff is back to where it was pre-surgery, Lesko should quickly ascend to Single-A Lake Elsinore.

Wacha allowed two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings in a no-decision in Monday's 7-4 extra-inning loss to the Giants. He didn't strike out any batters in the 93-pitch start.

Wacha was far from overpowering in the outing -- he notched just three whiffs and didn't strike out any batters -- but he still managed his fourth straight quality start. The right-hander kept the Giants off the scoreboard for four frames before giving up a solo homer in each of the fifth and sixth innings. Wacha improved his ERA to 2.90 with the performance, and that mark is a remarkable 1.14 since the start of May. The veteran has also posted a 0.81 WHIP and 46:16 K:BB over 55.1 innings across nine starts during that span.