MLB Player News

Stroman (finger) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

If the workout goes smoothly, Stroman should be locked in for his next scheduled turn in the Cubs' rotation this weekend versus the Guardians. He had a blister open up on his right index finger Sunday in London against the rival Cardinals.

Pfaadt could join the Diamondbacks' rotation Thursday versus the Rays, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Pfaadt has met up with the team in Arizona and is the likely replacement for Merrill Kelly, who landed on the injured list Tuesday due to a blood clot in his right calf. Pfaadt struggled in his first taste of major-league action back in May, but he's registered a promising 3.16 ERA and 28:5 K:BB in 25.2 innings (five starts) since returning to Triple-A Reno at the beginning of June. Displaying improved command on the farm, the 24-year-old top prospect would be worth another look in most fantasy formats should he get an extended opportunity in the big leagues.

Darvish (illness) may not be ready to start Friday's game in Cincinnati as expected, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Darvish fell ill -- and was scratched -- ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday against the Pirates, and he was still feeling unwell as of Wednesday. The Padres are tentatively targeting Friday for Darvish to slot back into the rotation, but it's unclear if he'll show enough improvement to be a realistic option for the series opener with the Reds. Expect the Padres to provide another update on Darvish following Thursday's series finale in Pittsburgh.

Quintana (ribs) will make another rehab start Friday at Triple-A Syracuse, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

If the outing goes well, Quintana could potentially be cleared to make his Mets debut sometime next week. Recovered from March surgery on his rib cage, the 34-year-old left-hander has pitched to a highly encouraging 1.04 ERA and 9:2 K:BB through 8.2 innings (three starts) on the farm. David Peterson seems most at risk of losing his rotation spot to make room for Quintana's arrival, though nothing is set in stone quite yet. Peterson is starting Sunday versus the Giants.

Grove will get the start Wednesday at Colorado, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

Grove has been serving as a swingman for Los Angeles this season while struggling to a 7.59 ERA across 32 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander makes for a risky fantasy streaming option in Wednesday night's tilt at Coors Field.

Atlanta optioned Shuster to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Shuster allowed four earned over just 3.2 innings in his last start Saturday versus the Reds and heads back to the farm showing a 5.00 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 25:22 K:BB across his first 45 major-league innings. It looks like Michael Soroka might be joining Atlanta's rotation Friday against Miami and it also appears that Kolby Allard will get another turn next week following his excellent outing Wednesday afternoon against the Twins.

Rutledge was promoted Wednesday to Triple-A Rochester, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Rutledge was selected by the Nationals with the 17th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, but his prospect shine had faded over the last few years due to injuries and inconsistency. He has turned it all around this season, delivering a 3.16 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 68.1 innings (12 starts) at Double-A Harrisburg to earn the bump to Triple-A. The 24-year-old right-hander could perhaps get the call to Washington before the end of the 2023 campaign and should be a consideration for the Opening Day rotation in 2024.

Soroka could be called up to start Friday against the Marlins, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Kolby Allard (oblique) has been activated from the injured list to handle Wednesday's series finale versus the Twins, and Atlanta currently has a "TBA" listed for Friday's series opener versus Miami. Soroka seems poised to occupy that spot on several days of rest after tallying nine strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball in his most recent turn at Triple-A Gwinnett last Thursday. The 25-year-old has posted an encouraging 1.42 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 19 innings (three starts) since being optioned back to the minors in early June.

Allard (oblique) was activated from the 60-day injured list in advance of his start Wednesday against the Twins.

It's a pretty solid home matchup for Allard, as the Twins lead the majors in strikeout rate (26.9 percent). Allard, who was originally drafted by Atlanta with the No. 14 overall pick in 2015, will be making his first start for the team since 2018, after spending four years with the Rangers. He had a 2.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 8:2 K:BB in 6.2 innings across two rehab starts.

Montgomery (5-7) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk over 6.2 innings in a 4-2 victory over the Astros. He struck out six.

The southpaw continues to roll. He delivered his fourth straight quality start with another strong performance, and the chronically unlucky Montgomery has managed to get the win in three of them -- an impressive feat for a pitcher who's never recorded double-digit wins in a season. After posting a 1.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 30:6 K:BB through 31.2 innings in June, he'll take plenty of momentum into his next outing, which is likely to be a weekend matchup in St. Louis against his former club, the Yankees.