MLB Player News

Gore (elbow) threw off a mound Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Gore increased his throwing distance to 120 feet last week, and Wednesday's throwing session marked the first time that he's thrown off a mound since joining the Nationals. The southpaw still needs to ramp up his intensity, but the team hopes that he'll be able to return prior to the end of the regular season.

Manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Gray will have his turn in the rotation skipped this week as the Nationals aim to manage his innings load, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Gray had been lined up to start this weekend against the Reds, but the Nationals will instead call up prospect Cade Cavalli from Triple-A Rochester to fill his spot in what's shaping up to be a six-man rotation for Washington. Though Martinez noted that Gray won't be shut down after having accumulated 123.1 innings through his 23 starts this season, the right-hander won't necessarily make every turn through the rotation over the final six weeks of the campaign. Dougherty speculates that the soonest Gray will make his next start will come during the three-game series against the Mets that begins Sept. 2.

The Cardinals optioned Liberatore to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

As expected, Liberatore was returned to the minors after the Cardinals designated him as their 27th man for Tuesday's doubleheader with the Cubs. He appeared out of the bullpen in the Cardinals' 13-3 win in Game 2, covering the final 2.2 innings of the contest and striking out three batters while allowing two earned runs on three hits and no walks. The rookie now sports a 5.46 ERA and 1.69 WHIP across his first 29.2 innings in the majors.

The Nationals plan to call up Cavalli from Triple-A Rochester to have him make his MLB debut in Friday's home game against the Reds, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Washington hasn't given fans much to rejoice about in the midst of a 41-83 season, but the impending promotion of Cavalli is at least one reason for excitement. The 2020 first-round pick owns a 3.71 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 20 starts at Rochester this season and has perhaps been the International League's most dominant starter since the beginning of July. Over his final seven outings for Rochester spanning 36.2 innings, Cavalli generated a 1.47 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 43:12 K:BB. Pitching behind a weak offense at a hitter-friendly home park is less than ideal for Cavalli as he heads to the majors, but the potential help he could offer in the ratio categories is enough to make him an interesting speculative pickup in most fantasy leagues.

The Phillies optioned Falter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

As expected, Falter was returned to Lehigh Valley after being designated as the 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader with the Mets. He started the second game of the twin bill and picked up the win after striking out three over six innings of one-run ball. Falter should be the top choice to enter the rotation if the Phillies require a new fifth starter at any point over the final six weeks of the season.

Fried (12-4) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over eight innings in a 6-1 victory over the Pirates. He struck out seven.

The Atlanta offense didn't get rolling until the fifth inning, but Fried made sure the game was close until then, and a Michael Chavis solo shot in the second was the only real blemish on his line. The southpaw extended his quality start streak to six with the performance, and since the beginning of July, Fried has a dazzling 2.14 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 48:10 K:BB over 59 innings.

Marquez gave up six earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out seven over six innings in a 7-6 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday. He did not factor into the decision.

Marquez got off to a rough start, giving up two home runs in the first inning to Marcus Semien and Nathaniel Lowe. The Rangers later added to their offensive outburst in the fifth to tag Marquez for six total runs. The 27-year-old right-hander has a 4.88 ERA over four starts in August and a season-long WHIP of 1.43. Marquez has given up a ton of hard contact this year and his hard-hit rate allowed is in the second percentile according to Baseball Savant. He will look to earn his seventh win of the 2022 campaign in his next expected start at the Mets.

Walker (back) didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander was held to 81 pitches (49 strikes) after exiting his last start with back spasms, but Walker seemed to emerge unscathed from this outing. Since the All-Star break, the 30-year-old has stumbled to a 6.31 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 15:10 K:BB through 25.2 innings, and while much of that damage came in a brutal one-inning stint against Atlanta on Aug. 5, Walker will still be a risky fantasy option until he can string together some better performances.

Brubaker (3-11) allowed six earned runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out eight across 6.2 innings to take the loss Tuesday against Atlanta.

Brubaker held Atlanta scoreless through four innings but allowed five of his six runs in the fifth frame. While he's shown flashes of effectiveness this season, Brubaker has struggled to work deep into games and been hit hard across his last five starts. In that span, he has allowed 18 earned runs across 27 innings while also failing to complete more than five frames on three occasions. On the campaign, he owns a 4.39 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 24 starts.

Davies gave up one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out one over 5.1 innings in a 7-3 win over the Royals on Tuesday. He did not factor into the decision.

Davies threw 45 of his 84 pitches for strikes and gave up only one run against the struggling Royals but was not able to pick up the win. Davies is winless in his last 12 starts and only has two victories on the season despite pitching 102.2 innings. The 29-year-old right-hander lowered his WHIP to a respectable 1.19 with the performance. He is tentatively expected to make his next start against the Phillies on Monday.