MLB Player News

Woodruff (ankle) played catch Thursday and maintains hope he'll be ready to return from the 15-day injured list when first eligible June 12 or shortly thereafter, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Woodruff noted that his sprained right ankle felt better Thursday than it had at any point since he suffered the injury May 27. So long as the swelling in his ankle continues to subside as he starts the ramp-up process, Woodruff should have a good chance at meeting his goal of returning from the IL in expedient fashion. Jason Alexander entered the rotation Wednesday as a replacement for Woodruff and should get at least one more turn through the rotation after delivering a quality start in his MLB debut.

Miley (shoulder) was scheduled to throw a bullpen session earlier Thursday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The Cubs have yet to reveal how Miley felt coming out of the workout, but the fact that he isn't being shut down from throwing four days after landing on the injured list suggests that his strained left shoulder isn't a long-term concern. Chicago replaced Miley in the rotation with Matt Swarmer, who will pick up his second start in Saturday's doubleheader with the Cardinals after limiting the Brewers to four runs over six innings Monday in his MLB debut.

Sanchez (shoulder) was cleared to begin "dry mound" work this week, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

De Nicola notes that Sanchez will be throwing at around 75 miles per hour, so he's not yet arrived at the point in his rehab program from shoulder surgery where he's throwing normal bullpen sessions. That said, the activity marks another step forward for Sanchez, who had previously been limited to throwing off flat ground. Sanchez is without a definitive timeline to make his season debut, but he looks to be multiple weeks away from pitching in minor-league games, at the very least.

Lodolo (back) threw approximately 30-to-35 pitches in a bullpen session Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The rookie southpaw plans to throw off a mound again Saturday as he builds up following a lengthy shutdown due to a lower-back strain. Because he hasn't pitched in a game since April 24, Lodolo could need at least two minor-league rehab starts before the Reds are comfortable reintegrating him into the big-league rotation.

Clevinger (triceps) is in line to come off the 15-day injured list to start Sunday's game against the Brewers in San Diego, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Clevinger looks to be on track to return from the shelf in the near-minimum amount of time after he was placed on the IL on May 22 with a strained right triceps. The right-hander will rejoin the big-league rotation without requiring a minor-league rehab assignment beforehand, but the Padres could ease him back into the mix Sunday with a lighter workload than usual. Assuming the Padres keep a six-man rotation in place when Clevinger returns, Nick Martinez is likely to move back to the bullpen.

The Dodgers optioned Grove to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Los Angeles brought up Caleb Ferguson to join the bullpen as a replacement for Grove, whom the organization likely wants to continue making regular starts at Triple-A. Grove was summoned from the minors Saturday when the Dodgers were in need of a multi-inning arm out of the bullpen, but he made just one appearance during his latest stint in the big leagues. He was charged with three earned runs on three hits and a walk in an inning of relief in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Pirates.

Freeland (ankle) is listed as the Rockies' starting pitcher for Saturday's game against Atlanta in Colorado.

Freeland appeared to be at risk of landing on the injured list after he was diagnosed with a left ankle impingement following his most recent outing Sunday in Washington, but he apparently checked out fine following his between-starts bullpen session and looks like he'll be ready to return to the mound on five days' rest this weekend. The southpaw owns a 6.25 ERA and 1.67 WHIP across 31.2 innings at Coors Field this season.

Strider is listed as Atlanta's starting pitcher for Saturday's game in Colorado.

Though Strider failed to escape the fifth inning and allowed five runs -- one shy of the total he surrendered in his first 11 relief appearances -- in his first MLB start Monday in Arizona, the hard-throwing rookie had some positive takeaways from the outing. He retired 11 of the 19 batters he faced via strikeout or groundout, and Mark Bowman of MLB.com notes that defensive misplays by Marcell Ozuna and Adam Duvall that didn't go down in the scorebook as errors contributed to Strider's ERA ballooning from 2.22 to 3.45. A trip to Coors Field isn't ideal for Strider as he attempts to whittle down his ERA, but he still looks like Atlanta's best option for the No. 5 starter role with the team having already cycled through a number of other pitchers at the back end of the rotation, to little success.

Denaburg (elbow) has given up four earned runs on four hits and seven walks while striking out seven over five innings across two starts with Single-A Fredericksburg since being activated from the 7-day injured list May 24.

A 2018 first-round pick, Denaburg is back pitching in games again for the first time since 2019 after he underwent shoulder surgery in the winter of 2019 and then had Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2021. Because of his extensive arm injuries, the 21-year-old's workload is expected to be monitored carefully this season.

Greene (2-7) took the loss Wednesday, allowing four runs on six hits and zero walks over 3.2 innings against Boston. He struck out eight.

After striking out seven and allowing just one baserunner through the first three innings, the rookie got into trouble in the fourth after the first four batters of the inning reached safely. Eventually, all four of those baserunners would come around to score, setting Greene up for his seventh loss of the season. Across 10 starts and 48 innings, the right-hander has 64 strikeouts, but he's allowed 15 home runs and sports a 6.19 ERA.