MLB Player News

Malone (lat) has resumed throwing side sessions recently, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Malone had been shut down due to a sore right lat for nearly a month, but he's been able to do some throwing recently. The right-hander still doesn't have a timetable for his return to game action.

Contreras (forearm) has resumed rehabbing at Double-A Altoona, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Contreras stepped away from Double-A Altoona in early June due to a forearm muscle strain, but he's rejoined the minor-league club. It's not yet clear when the right-hander will be able to return to game action, but he appears to be trending in the right direction in his recovery.

Strasburg (neck) tossed a 27-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Strasburg appeared to experience a setback over the weekend when he acknowledged that he wasn't feeling well physically following a recent simulated game, but he's seemingly turned the corner quickly. The Nationals planned to hold Strasburg back from throwing for a few days, but after he played catch Tuesday without discomfort, he was cleared to get back on the mound. The minor hiccup in the rehab process shouldn't affect Strasburg's timeline for a return from the 10-day injured list, though the Nationals probably won't pinpoint a target date for the right-hander until he's ready to start a rehab assignment.

Mikolas (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Memphis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The right-hander threw 60 pitches of live batting practice Tuesday, which was the final step in his rehab before pitching in minor-league games. Mikolas has been on the shelf since late May while recovering from the forearm injury, and he's expected to make a handful of starts for Memphis while building up for his potential activation in mid-August.

Mets manager Luis Rojas said Tuesday that Peterson (oblique) could start throwing off a mound as soon as this weekend, but the lefty remains "weeks away" from returning from the 10-day injured list, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Peterson resumed playing catch shortly before the All-Star break and will likely continue to stretch out his throwing distance for at least a few more days before stepping on a mound. Once that happens, he'll still likely need at least two weeks to fully ramp up for starting duty, making it difficult at this point to gauge a target date for his return. Fantasy managers shouldn't count on Peterson pitching for the Mets any earlier than mid-August.

Mets manager Luis Rojas said a decision hasn't been made whether Carrasco (hamstring) will be activated from the 60-day injured list to start Sunday's game against Toronto or remain on a minor-league rehab assignment, The Bergen Record reports.

The pitching-needy Mets could surely use another capable rotation arm after moving yet another starter (Robert Stock, hamstring) to the injured list Wednesday, but Carrasco may not be ready to make his New York debut quite yet after a rocky rehab outing with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday. He needed 41 pitches (23 strikes) to record five outs, giving up five runs on three hits -- all home runs -- and three walks. The low pitch count and poor command suggest that Carrasco could probably benefit from at least one more tune-up at Triple-A, but the Mets' lack of healthy rotation alternatives could make the club willing to activate the 34-year-old this weekend.

Gomber (forearm) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's start against the Mariners.

Gomber had been on the injured list for just over a month due to right forearm tightness, but he tossed 62 pitches during his lone rehab outing at Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday and allowed three runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four in four innings. It's not yet clear whether the southpaw could be on a pitch count in Wednesday's series finale, but he should be available going forward.

Houser is expected to work out of the bullpen this week with the Brewers listing Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff as their probable starters for the three-game weekend series versus the White Sox, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Milwaukee is playing only five games this week, and with manager Craig Counsell opting to keep a six-man rotation intact, Houser finds himself as the odd man out. Houser's most recent start came last Friday in Cincinnati, so he should be available in relief beginning with Wednesday's series finale with the Royals. Expect Houser to slot back into the rotation at some point during the Brewers' series in Pittsburgh, which begins July 27.

Nola (6-6) was tagged with the loss Tuesday against the Yankees after allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk while fanning five across 5.1 innings.

Nola was activated from the COVID-19 list ahead of this game but was far from effective, as he threw 101 pitches (55 strikes) and couldn't even complete six innings. His recent numbers have not been encouraging, either, as he has given up at least four runs in each of his last three starts. He owns an inflated 6.10 ERA across eight outings dating back to the beginning of June and will aim to bounce back in his next start, which is scheduled to occur Sunday against Atlanta.

Toussaint (1-0) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up one run on three hits and two walks over 6.2 innings in a 2-1 victory over the Padres. He struck out five.

Matched up against San Diego ace Yu Darvish, Toussaint rose to the occasion and tossed 48 of 79 pitches for strikes in his first big-league appearance of the year. The 25-year-old has flashed impressive upside in the past but has never been able to find consistent success, making him a risky fantasy option this weekend in Philadelphia despite this performance.