Cortes (elbow) struck out two and allowed three hits and no walks over four scoreless innings in his rehab start Thursday with High-A Wisconsin.

The southpaw has pitched effectively over two rehab starts with Wisconsin and Triple-A Nashville, tossing seven scoreless frames with a 6:0 K:BB. He built up to 54 pitches (36 strikes) in Thursday's outing, and Cortes may need just one more outing to get stretched out before making his return from the 60-day injured list shortly after the All-Star break. Though the Brewers are flush with appealing rotation options, Cortes' strong track record over the last four seasons should be enough for him to reclaim a starting role. After being acquired in the Devin Williams trade this winter, Cortes made just two appearances for the Brewers before being placed on the IL on April 6 due to a left elbow flexor strain.

Ogasawara is slated to start Saturday's game against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

With Trevor Williams (elbow) hitting the injured list last week with a season-ending UCL tear, Ogasawara was summoned from Triple-A Rochester to fill the opening in the rotation. The 27-year-old proceeded to get thrashed in his MLB debut last Sunday, surrendering four earned runs on seven hits and no walks over 2.2 innings in a loss to the Red Sox. With prospect Cade Cavalli (14 earned runs allowed over his last two starts) struggling at Triple-A, the Nationals don't have many appealing alternatives for their fifth starter spot, so Ogasawara will receive at least one more turn as he looks to build a case for sticking around with the big club coming out of the All-Star break.

Sproat has not allowed a run over his last three starts for Triple-A Syracuse, registering an 18:5 K:BB while giving up seven hits in 18 innings over that stretch.

Sproat had pitched quite poorly at Triple-A prior to this three-start stretch. He hadn't struck out more than four batters in an outing since May 7, until he fanned six in six scoreless innings June 28 and eight over five scoreless innings July 4. Among top Mets pitching prospects, Nolan McLean has had better results all season -- even recently, as he's logged back-to-back starts with 10 strikeouts -- but Sproat has pitched his way back into the mix if New York needs to summon a starting pitcher from Triple-A.

The Padres will reinstate Bergert (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to start Friday's game against the Phillies in San Diego, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.

Bergert landed on the IL on June 25 due to a right forearm contusion but made a quick recovery. The rookie right-hander gave up four earned runs on nine hits and one walk over a 4.2-inning, 63-pitch rehab start with Triple-A El Paso last Sunday, so he should be capable of handling something close to a typical starter's workload in his return. Through nine appearances (five starts) for the Padres this season, Bergert owns a 2.67 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 23:12 K:BB in 27 innings.

Lowder (forearm/oblique) continues to rehab in Arizona but has not yet participated in more advanced baseball activity, MLB.com reports.

Lowder endured elbow soreness and a forearm injury during spring training before an oblique injury paused his rehab assignment in May. The oblique is the issue now, and it threatens to scrap a year of development for the 23-year-old right-hander.

Miley (forearm) is playing catch and could return at some point in 2025, MLB.com reports.

Miley was rehabbing an elbow injury early this season and had a couple of encouraging starts before landing on the 15-day injured list with a left flexor strain. Even if the veteran southpaw does make it back from the IL late in the year, there may not be a spot for him in the Cincinnati rotation with Chase Burns having been called up and Hunter Greene (groin) likely healthy by then.

Lodolo (6-6) notched the win Thursday against the Marlins, giving three hits and no walks in six scoreless innings. He struck out four.

Lodolo scattered three singles while enjoying his fourth appearance of the season without allowing an earned run. The 27-year-old left-hander has worked at least six frames in 11 of his 19 outings this year, and each of those performances has been a quality start. He closes out the first half with a strong 3.38 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 97:22 K:BB over 106.2 inning.

Quantrill (3-8) took the loss Thursday against the Reds, giving up six runs (five earned) on seven hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out five.

The six runs were Quantrill's most yielded since April 19, and the seven hits allowed were his most since May 30. The soft-tossing right-hander has yet to last six innings in an outing in 2025, and he's exceeded five strikeouts just five times in 18 appearances. Quantrill will bring a poor 5.62 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 67:24 K:BB over 81.2 frames into the All-Star break, and he'll have little fantasy appeal even as a streaming option in the second half.

Rodriguez (3-6) allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three over four innings to take the loss Thursday versus the Padres.

Rodriguez's July is off to a terrible start, as he's allowed 13 runs (12 earned) across 8.1 innings in his two starts this month. He's had particular trouble with the long ball, surrendering five homers across those outings, including serving up solo shots to Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado in this contest. Even by his standards this year, Rodriguez has not been pitching well lately. He's now at a 5.94 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 90:29 K:BB through 80.1 innings over 16 starts. He'll get some extra time off for the All-Star break, which could be just the pause he needs to reset and get on track for the second half.

Soroka (3-7) took the loss Thursday against St. Louis, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out four.

Soroka allowed seven runs to the Red Sox in his previous start, making Thursday's outing a bounce-back effort. Still, the Nationals didn't offer much run support, leaving the 27-year-old with his fourth loss in six outings. Soroka will take a 5.35 ERA and a 74:19 K:BB over 63.1 innings into the All-Star break.