MLB Player News

Soroka (Achilles) hasn't had any setbacks in his recovery process and has been doing some mound work recently, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Soroka hasn't appeared in a game since August of 2020 due to multiple tears of his Achilles tendon. His most recent surgery was in early July of 2021, and it's encouraging that he's now able to throw off a mound. The team is hoping the right-hander will be able to return to game action around the All-Star break, but there's still a long way for him to go in his rehab before the team will be able to pinpoint a return date.

Wainwright landed on the injured list Friday after testing positive for COVID-19, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals originally didn't announce which injured list Wainwright was being placed on nor why he was absent, as has become standard protocol for players hitting the COVID-19 injured list. It turns out that he did in fact test positive for the virus, but the right-hander noted on his personal Twitter page that he's symptom-free. He'll have to test negative twice before returning to action, but if he remains unaffected by the illness he should be no worse for wear once he makes it back.

Matz (personal) was activated from the bereavement list Friday.

Matz was placed on the bereavement list Tuesday but has rejoined the team as expected without missing his turn through the rotation. The left-hander is scheduled to start Saturday against the Giants and has a 4.56 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 27:5 K:BB across 23.2 innings this season.

Wainwright was placed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons Friday.

Not only did the Cardinals' announcement not specify the reason for Wainwright's absence, it also didn't specify which injured list the veteran righty had been placed on. That's the pattern teams have used when placing players on the COVID-19 injured list, which seems to be the case here. If Wainwright has tested positive for the virus, he could miss a handful of starts, but if he's out for other reasons, it's possible he returns without missing a single turn. His absence allows the Cardinals to activate Steven Matz from the bereavement list.

Gibson and the Phillies won't play Friday against the Mets after the game was postponed due to inclement weather.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader in August. The Phillies will adjust to the cancellation simply by pushing their starters back by a day, so Gibson will take the mound Saturday. Over his last three starts, he's posted a 2.81 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 16 innings.

Steele won't start during Saturday's doubleheader against the Dodgers and isn't listed as the probable pitcher for Sunday's series finale, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The 26-year-old was originally penciled in to start Saturday, but the Cubs have altered their pitching plans after the postponement of Friday's game, which is being made up via a twin bill Saturday. Drew Smyly and Daniel Norris will start in the doubleheader, while Marcus Stroman is scheduled to take the mound Sunday. Assuming Steele doesn't work out of the bullpen this weekend, he should pitch during the upcoming three-game series in San Diego, which begins Monday.

Anderson and the Dodgers won't play Friday against the Cubs due to inclement weather, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Anderson was named the starting pitcher for Friday's matchup, but he'll instead start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader while Clayton Kershaw takes the mound in the matinee, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Anderson's posted a 2.55 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 17.2 innings over four appearances (two starts) this year.

Smyly (personal) and the Cubs won't play Friday against the Dodgers after the game was postponed due to inclement weather, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Smyly was a potential starter for Friday's matchup after spending time on the bereavement list, but the game ultimately won't be played. The southpaw will take the mound in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, while Daniel Norris will start in the nightcap, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Mikolas (2-1) allowed one run on seven hits and three walks over 5.2 innings against San Francisco on Thursday to earn the win. He struck out three.

The right-hander allowed plenty of traffic on the basepaths, but only one of the hits against him went for extra bases, and he got help from his bullpen to escape a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning and remain in line for the win. Mikolas mostly pitched to contact -- he registered only five swinging strikes and three punchouts -- but was able to extend his streak of starts with two or fewer runs allowed to six games to begin the season. He has posted a 1.53 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 35.1 innings thus far, and he'll look to keep rolling in his next projected start, which lines up to come against Baltimore at home next week.

Luzardo (2-2) took the loss against San Diego on Thursday, pitching six innings and allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven.

If not for Manny Machado, the outcome could have been dramatically different for the left-handed hurler. Machado swatted a pair of solo homers for San Diego's only two runs of the game, and the Marlins offense was unable to muster much of a protest against a trio of Padres pitchers. Despite the disappointing outcome, this was another positive outing for Luzardo, as he racked up 13 swinging strikes and finished with his second consecutive quality start. He'll carry a 3.08 ERA into his next appearance, which is tentatively slated to come in Arizona on Tuesday.