MLB Player News

The Cardinals transferred Flaherty (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

When Flaherty was moved back to the IL on July 27 after experiencing a setback with his right shoulder, the Cardinals had been keeping his timeline for a return open-ended. The decision to move him to the 60-day IL, however, likely indicates that Flaherty hadn't progressed as quickly as the Cardinals hoped in the two weeks since he was shut down. With Flaherty now on the 60-day IL for the second time this season and ineligible to return until late August, fantasy managers in redraft leagues could be justified in dropping him for a healthier option rather than waiting it out for the next six weeks (or longer).

Megill said he plans to throw a baseball Friday for the first time since being shut down June 17 with a strained right shoulder, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Megill was moved to the 60-day injured list June 27, so he won't be eligible to return until mid-August even if he encounters no setbacks as he initiates his throwing program shortly before the All-Star break. According to Healey, Megill acknowledged that the uptick in velocity he's shown in 2022 compared to his rookie season has likely contributed to him landing on the IL on two occasions due to arm-related issues, so the 26-year-old may look to scale back the number of max-effort pitches he throws upon returning and instead keep his fastball more consistently around the 94-to-96 mile-per-hour range.

Senzatela (shoulder) is scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Senzatela is expected to work about five innings or 75 pitches. Assuming things go to plan, he is projected to return to the rotation Sunday against the Pirates -- the last game prior to the All-Star break. Prior to being placed on the injured list, Senzatela had maintained a 4.95 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 34:15 K:BB across 60 innings on the season.

Sanchez (shoulder) is expected to face hitters this week for the first time since March 2021, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old continues to take small steps forward in his recovery from 2021 shoulder surgery. Sanchez recently began throwing his slider again and tossed a 30-pitch bullpen session Saturday, but his fastball only reached 91 mph -- a far cry from the triple digits he flashed prior to his injury. "From our perspective, he's not having any issues with the shoulder," general manager Kim Ng said. "This is just a natural progression for him, so there's going to be some rust, of course. He'll still work all that out." On the bright side, Sanchez says he feels healthy, and while he's been frustrated with the pace of his recovery, he doesn't appear to be holding back on the mound and pitching like he's afraid of getting hurt again. "His work ethic has been great. We're excited. I know he feels great and he wants to be out there. It's just continuing his progression and being on him -- and I think his work ethic, right now, is he's ready to go," added Hector Crespo, the Marlins' director of Minor League operations. Without any further setbacks, Sanchez could compete for a spot in the Marlins' rotation next spring.

Alexander is listed as the Brewers' scheduled starting pitcher for Tuesday's game in Minnesota, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Alexander will be making his second straight turn through the rotation and his seventh start with the big club overall, despite being tagged for seven runs (six earned) across 5.1 innings his last time out July 5 against the Cubs. With Adrian Houser (elbow) on the shelf through the All-Star break, Alexander tentatively lines up for two starts this week, with his second outing set to come Sunday in San Francisco.

Peralta (lat) threw a bullpen session Friday and told Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin that he felt good following the workout.

Peralta said he will throw one more bullpen session during the upcoming week before likely graduating to throwing live batting practice, if all goes well. After that, Peralta could head out on a rehab assignment at some point during the upcoming All-Star break, and he'll likely need at least two or three outings to get stretched back out for starting duty because he's been sidelined since late May with a strained right shoulder. Peralta is seemingly tracking toward an early-August return from the 60-day injured list.

Anderson allowed two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out five in 5.1 innings during Sunday's extra-innings win over the Nationals. He didn't factor into the decision.

Anderson picked up the win during his last outing but was forced to settle for the no-decision in Sunday's matchup that lasted 12 innings. The right-hander hasn't gone six innings in any of his last four starts, but he's given up just three runs in 10.1 innings over his last two appearances. The 24-year-old has been inconsistent over his last seven starts, posting a 5.45 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 33 innings. He tentatively lines up for a rematch against the Nationals on the road Friday.

Lauer allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk, striking out seven in five innings in an 8-6 loss Sunday against Pittsburgh. He did not factor into the decision.

Lauer gave up a run in the second, fourth and fifth innings. The Pirates had runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings, leading to two runs. The final run against the lefty came on a solo blast by Ke'Bryan Hayes with two outs in the fifth. Lauer has allowed 10 homers in his last 32.2 innings spanning six starts, and his 18 homers allowed on the season is the second-most in the National League. He'll likely take the mound one more time before the All-Star break when the Brewers face the Giants this weekend in San Francisco.

Quintana gave up four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four in 4.1 innings Sunday in an 8-6 win in Milwaukee. He did not factor into the decision.

Quintana allowed three straight hitters to reach safely with two outs in the third inning, leading to two runs. In the fifth, he was removed with one out after allowing two doubles and a single that resulted in two more runs charged to the lefty. It was his 13th start among his 17 outings in which he did not allow a homer and the 11th straight start in which he walked two or fewer batters. His next start will likely be this weekend in Colorado.

Urena is scheduled to start Monday's game against the Padres in Colorado.

He'll get a second turn through the rotation after he passed his first test with the Rockies following his promotion from Triple-A Albuquerque last week. In a tough road start in Los Angeles, Urena took a no-decision while limiting the Dodgers to one run on five hits and three walks while striking out two in 6.2 innings. Pitching in altitude at hitter-friendly Coors Field will present an even stiffer test for Urena, who looks like a high-risk fantasy option to close out the first half even though he'll line up for two starts. His second start of the week would also come at home Saturday in Pittsburgh, so he has the potential to inflict major damage on fantasy managers' ratios.