MLB Player News

Steele did not travel with the team to Los Angeles while he awaits the birth of his child, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Steele has not officially been placed on the paternity list yet, but he will not make his scheduled start Saturday against the Dodgers. The team has not announced a replacement, though Drew Smyly (oblique) is among the top candidates.

Smyly (oblique) threw a bullpen session Thursday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Smyly is following a similar rehab plan to Marcus Stroman (shoulder), and the duo threw bullpen sessions in front of the Cubs' training and coaching staffs Thursday. Smyly has already made one rehab start with High-A South Bend, so the team could opt to activate him soon and limit his pitch count. Alternatively, he could be sent back to the minors to complete at least one additional outing prior to rejoining the big-league rotation. Clarification on Smyly's status should come in the next couple days.

Stroman (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Thursday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

He recently rejoined the team after one rehab start with Triple-A Iowa, and the bullpen session could be the final step before the right-hander returns from the injured list. Stroman will continue to be evaluated after Thursday's session, and there should be more details regarding his status within the next few days.

Sanchez (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Sanchez resumed mound work in mid-June and has continued to throw side sessions over the last several weeks. The right-hander isn't expected to be cleared to pitch in 2022, but it's encouraging to see him continue to throw off a mound.

Luzardo (forearm) will throw a bullpen session Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Luzardo began his throwing program in mid-June and has now progressed to throwing off a mound. The left-hander has been sidelined nearly two months with a forearm strain, so he'll likely require multiple rehab starts in the minors before being cleared to join the big-league rotation.

Miley (shoulder) played light catch Thursday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

This is at least the second time that Miley has thrown since being placed on the injured list June 11. However, he still needs to ramp up his intensity and will likely require at least a short rehab assignment before being activated. Given that, he almost certainly will not be back prior to the All-Star break and early August could be a more realistic target.

Contreras was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis following the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Contreras picked up his third win of the season during Thursday's matinee by allowing a run on four hits and a walk while striking out seven in six innings. However, he'll head back to the minors after left-hander Eric Stout was recalled to provide an extra arm in the bullpen during the nightcap. Contreras has performed relatively well during his major-league tenure this year, so it seems likely that he'll be back with the Pirates soon.

Sanchez is scheduled to pitch as either a starter or bulk reliever in Sunday's game in St. Louis, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

He'll be awarded a second straight turn through the rotation after he acquitted himself well Tuesday in a home matchup with the Nationals. Sanchez struck out only two of the 18 batters he faced, but he rolled to an easy victory while blanking the Nationals over five innings and allowing two hits and two walks in the Phillies' 11-0 win.

Dunn (shoulder) struck out four over 2.2 scoreless innings Wednesday in his third rehab start for Triple-A Louisville. He allowed two earned runs on no hits and two walks.

According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, Reds manager David Bell said that Dunn was pulled from the start earlier than expected Wednesday due to a particularly strenuous inning rather than any sort of setback with his strained right shoulder. Dunn was able to do some extra throwing in the bullpen after his exit, adding to the total of 48 pitches he tossed in the start. Dunn is being built up a starter and should be ready to return after the All-Star break, though it's unclear if Cincinnati will clear a spot for him in the big-league rotation right away.

Soroka (Achilles) was hit in the knee by a comebacker while pitching in live batting practice a few days ago and doesn't yet have a target date for beginning a minor-league rehab assignment, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Soroka, who is working back from his second surgery in less than two years to repair a torn right Achilles' tendon, isn't dealing with any structural damage to his knee and is merely dealing with a bruise, leaving Atlanta optimistic that his rehab program won't have to be slowed down too long. According to Toscano, Atlanta is preparing for Soroka to return from the 60-day injured list as a starting pitcher, so whenever his minor-league assignment begins, he'll likely need most of the 30-day rehab window to get fully ramped up. Back in May, Soroka said that he and the organization are hoping to keep his innings within the 60-to-100 range in 2022, so his workload shouldn't be much of a concern since he's still realistically at least a month away from making his season debut for the big club.