MLB Player News

Flaherty (shoulder) will make his next rehab start Sunday with Double-A Springfield, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The right-hander threw 52 pitches over three scoreless innings during Tuesday's rehab outing with Springfield, and he'll remain with the affiliate for his next start. If Flaherty requires another rehab start after Sunday, it would put him on track for early-September activation.

Lucchesi (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A St. Lucie on Sunday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Lucchesi has been recovering from Tommy John surgery since June 2021, but he was recently cleared to face hitters and will now be able to begin a rehab assignment. The southpaw will presumably require a fairly lengthy ramp-up process, although it's possible he'll be able to return slightly sooner than expected if the Mets choose to bring him back as a reliever.

Malone (shoulder) underwent surgery Tuesday to repair damage to his labral tissue, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Malone has dealt with right shoulder issues over the last few months and was ultimately placed on the 7-day injured list in mid-June after experiencing soreness. The right-hander's season is over, and his absence could end up stretching into the 2023 season. Malone has tossed just 27 innings in the minors since being drafted in the first round in 2019.

Alexander was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.

Alexander made two relief appearances for the Brewers after being called up last week, and he tossed 3.2 scoreless innings. However, he'll head back to the minors after Trevor Kelley was recalled from Nashville on Wednesday.

Walker (back) underwent an MRI on Wednesday which showed no structural damage, though his availability for Sunday's scheduled start in Philadelphia remains up in the air, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The veteran right-hander was pulled from Tuesday's start after two innings due to back spasms, but the injury appears to be a minor concern. However, it remains to be seen if Walker will be able to make his next scheduled turn through the rotation or if he'll need to be pushed back a few days.

The Pirates recalled Contreras from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Red Sox in Pittsburgh, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Reliever Austin Brice was designated for assignment to clear space on the active roster for Contreras, who is back with the big club for the first time since early July. Though Contreras was one of the Pirates' better starters prior to being optioned to Triple-A -- he turned in a 3.78 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 50:22 K:BB in 50 innings -- the organization is mindful of not overworking the right-hander during his age-22 campaign. With that being the case, Contreras likely won't be asked to work more than five or six innings in any starts he makes down the stretch, and it's also possible that the Pirates look to build in additional rest days for him between outings.

Syndergaard is now scheduled to make his next start Monday at home versus the Reds, after he had previously been lined up to take the hill for Sunday's series finale with the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

For the second time this season, Syndergaard will be missing out on a matchup with one of his former teams, as he was previously pushed off a potential start versus the Mets in June while he was a member of the Angels. For fantasy managers, the main impact is that Syndergaard will be denied a two-start week, though he'll tentatively line up for one the following week with matchups against the Reds on Monday and against the Pirates on Aug. 27.

Soroka (Achilles) struck out eight while allowing one hit and no walks over four scoreless frames Tuesday in his first rehab start for High-A Rome.

Making his first regular-season appearance at any level since Aug. 3, 2020 after an extended recovery from two surgeries to address ruptures of his right Achilles' tendon, Soroka looked about as good as Atlanta could have hoped. The 25-year-old retired the first 11 batters he faced and pumped in 35 of his 45 pitches for strikes, with his workload suggesting that Atlanta intends to bring him back as a rotation option once he's reinstated from the 60-day injured list. The 2019 All-Star is expected to require at least two or three more rehab starts to get fully stretched out, so Atlanta likely won't plan on activating him until the active roster expands to 28 men after Sept. 1.

Gore (elbow) has been throwing up to 120 feet and could throw a bullpen session as early as this weekend, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Gore has been on the injured list with left elbow soreness since the end of July, but he's been cleared to begin a throwing program. While the southpaw wouldn't throw with much intensity if he's able to resume mound work soon, he seems to be trending in the right direction in his recovery process.

Morton (6-5) picked up the win Tuesday, scattering three hits and a walk over 6.2 scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory over the Mets. He tied his season high with 12 strikeouts.

New York didn't even get a runner into scoring position until the seventh inning as Morton was firmly in control all night, collecting his eighth quality start of the season and his first win in over a month. The veteran righty generated 19 swinging strikes among his 97 pitches, and since the All-Star break, he's alternated scoreless outings with shakier ones. The inconsistency has resulted in a 2.67 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 39:8 K:BB through 30.1 innings over those five starts.