MLB Player News

Woodford was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Woodford struggled during the Cardinals' weekend series against the Pirates and allowed three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out one in two innings across two relief appearances. The right-hander will be stretched out with the Triple-A club and could be an option to rejoin the big-league club as a starter at some point, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Left-hander Brandon Waddell was recalled as part of a corresponding move.

Stroman (personal) is expected to start Saturday's game against the Yankees, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Stroman took the loss against the Phillies on Sunday, but he'll be away from the team in the coming days following his grandmother's death. However, he'll apparently be able to go through his progression between starts and should be back on the mound Saturday. The right-hander has posted a 1.88 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 24 innings across his last five outings.

Walker will make his next start Friday against the Yankees, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

The right-hander previously lined up to take the mound Wednesday in Atlanta after starting in last Friday's twin bill, but he'll instead be pushed back a couple days to receive some extra rest before facing the Mets' cross-town rival. Walker will come out of June having made five starts with a 3.26 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 33:6 K:BB across 30.1 innings during the month.

Gray (groin) plans to start Friday's game against the Cubs, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Gray has been on the injured list since June 9 due to a right groin strain, but he made a rehab start for Triple-A Louisville on Saturday and allowed one hit and three walks while striking out four in three scoreless innings. He's slated to return to the majors to pitch on five day's rest in Friday's series opener against the Cubs, but it's not yet clear whether he could be on a pitch count following his brief rehab assignment.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday that Ynoa (hand) has resumed playing catch and taking part in long-toss throwing, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old remains without a clear timeline for a return after fracturing his pitching hand May 17, but his ability to begin a throwing program offers hope that he'll be ready to come off the 60-day injured list at some point in August. Before suffering the untimely injury, Ynoa had surprisingly emerged as one of the more reliable members of the Atlanta rotation. Over his eight starts, Ynoa compiled a 3.09 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 50:11 K:BB in 43.2 innings.

Seijas (undisclosed) returned from the 7-day injured list Friday for Double-A Springfield, retiring one of the two hitters he faced in relief.

Seijas had been sidelined for a month with the unspecified injury. The 22-year-old had been working as a starter prior to landing on the IL, but the Cardinals may keep him in a relief role for the time being while he builds up his pitch count coming off the prolonged shutdown.

Lauer (2-3) secured his second win of the season Sunday against the Rockies after tossing six shutout innings while allowing two hits, two walks and striking out six.

Lauer was in peak form Sunday as he blanked the Rockies while allowing just four baserunners over six innings. The only real scoring threat they had was bases-loaded in the second but Lauer was able to escape after striking out Chi Chi Gonzalez. All six of his strikeouts and all 12 of his total whiffs came via his fastball. Lauer lowered his ERA to 4.50 and has a 47:16 K:BB over 44 innings. He has another favorable matchup on tap against the Pirates later in the week.

Oviedo (0-4) was tagged with the loss Sunday against the Pirates after allowing five runs on six hits and four walks across four innings. He struck out five.

Oviedo has failed to complete five innings in all but two of his appearances this season and had another below-average outing on the mound, as he dropped a second straight decision while showing a severe lack of control. In addition to his four walks, he also tossed 39 of his 90 pitches outside the strike zone. The right-hander owns a woeful 5.23 ERA while posting a 35:25 K:BB across 43 innings (nine starts) this season.

Kershaw (9-7) allowed one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out 13 across eight innings, earning the win over the Cubs on Sunday.

Kershaw struck out a season-high 13 batters in his longest start of the campaign. He induced 22 swinging strikes on his slider, tied for the highest mark on the pitch in his career. The lone run he allowed came on a fourth-inning solo shot by Javier Baez. The future Hall of Famer is third in baseball with 102.1 innings pitched, showing that he is still very reliable and capable of a quality performance each time he steps on the mound. He has pitched at least six innings in each of his last nine starts. The 33-year-old has a 3.25 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP with a 10.9 K/9 in 2021.

Mahle (7-3) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk over six innings Sunday, striking out seven and taking a loss against Atlanta.

Mahle allowed a pair of runs in the third inning and then served up solo homers to Ronald Acuna and Austin Riley in the fifth and sixth. He had won his previous five decisions and hadn't taken a loss since May 20. The 26-year-old righty saw his ERA climb to 3.74 alongside a 105:27 K:BB through 84.1 frames. Mahle is lined up to face the Cubs at home next weekend.