MLB Player News

Lauer (elbow) will start Friday against the Reds, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Friday is the first day Lauer is eligible to return, so it sounds like he is doing quite well physically. He is throwing a second bullpen session Tuesday in preparation for his first start since Sept. 7. While he will only miss a little more than two weeks, Lauer may not be ready to go deep enough to qualify for the win.

Elder will start Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Spencer Strider's oblique is bothering him, so he will be pushed back a few days and Elder will step into the rotation Wednesday in order to allow Max Fried to line up against the Phillies on Thursday. Elder dazzled in his last two MLB starts, striking out 16 and allowing just one earned run in 13 total innings.

Strider is dealing with a sore right oblique and will be pushed back a few days in Atlanta's pitching schedule, meaning that he may not make a start this week, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

He lined up to start Friday in Philadelphia, so if he is indeed pushed back "a few" days, he could pitch early next week in Washington. Bryce Elder, who is starting Wednesday against the Nationals, could stick around in the rotation if Strider needs to miss more than one turn.

Stroman is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Stroman was set to get five days between starts, but fellow starter Drew Smyly (shoulder) will not start Wednesday as scheduled, so Stroman will go instead on regular rest. Stroman has had a couple rough starts in recent weeks, but he also posted a 2.35 ERA over his last four trips to the mound.

Smyly is experiencing shoulder fatigue and will not start Wednesday against the Marlins, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

According to the report, Smyly is not believed to be dealing with "anything serious," but he will get more time before his next start, and the Cubs will likely be sure he is back at 100 percent before adding him back to the rotation. Marcus Stroman will move up a day and start Wednesday in Smyly's place.

Ashby (shoulder) was activated from the injured list Tuesday.

It was announced Monday that Ashby would return to action Tuesday, and the Brewers made the move official one day later. While Ashby will start Tuesday's contest, he is not ready to handle a full workload, making it unlikely he will be out there long enough to qualify for a win.

Ashcraft (biceps) is scheduled to start Saturday against the Brewers, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft has missed a month of action with his injury, but his absence is expected to last only a few more days. He will be looking to pick up where he left off, having posted a 2.67 ERA over the five starts he made before landing on the injured list.

Anderson (paternity) was activated ahead of his scheduled start in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks.

Anderson, who tentatively lines up for a two-start week, will end up getting exactly a week off in between starts. He has a 1.89 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 18 strikeouts and two wins in 33.1 innings over his last five starts.

Pepiot will serve as the Dodgers' 29th man in Tuesday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks.

It was reported Monday night that Pepiot would be called up Tuesday, and the Dodgers ultimately made the move official. He will not start the first game of the twin bill, but according to Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com, manager Dave Roberts is hoping Pepiot and starter Michael Grove "will be able to cover the first game." As such, expect Pepiot to follow Grove into the game and work several innings.

Priester was promoted from Double-A Altoona to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

An oblique injury limited Priester to 81 innings this year, primarily at Double-A, so he will head to Triple-A to continue adding innings to his 2022 ledger. Priester is also set to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, so he could exceed 100 innings before the end of the AFL. The 22-year-old righty had a 2.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 75 strikeouts in 75.1 innings at Double-A. Priester should spend much of 2023 at Triple-A.