MLB Player News

GM Alex Anthopoulos said the team is "optimistic" Soroka (Achilles) could be activated from the injured list by late August, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old was seemingly ruled out for the season by manager Brian Snitker during a television appearance in late May, but those comments were quickly walked back, and the organization is now publicly expressing optimism about the right-hander's outlook for later in 2021. However, until Soroka resumes throwing, especially off a mound, it's worth maintaining a healthy dose of skepticism as he recovers from a second procedure on his Achilles in mid-May.

The Cardinals list Kim (back) as their probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Marlins, an indication he'll be reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of the contest, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Kim checked out fine Sunday following a bullpen session, the final test of his health as he works his way back from lower-back soreness. The southpaw will be returning from the IL in the minimum 10 days, so he shouldn't face any major restrictions with his pitch count while making his first start since June 4.

The Phillies are expected to recall Falter from Triple-A Lehigh Valley ahead of Monday's series opener in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

According to Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies are expected to deploy Falter as a "piggyback" pitcher behind Monday's starter, Spencer Howard, who hasn't covered more than four innings in any of his three starts to date. A tandem-starter arrangement between Howard and Falter could serve to maximize the effectiveness of both pitchers while also keeping their innings in check over the course of the season. Like Howard, Falter is one of the more prized young arms in the organization, and he proved worthy of a stiffer test after a strong start to the season at Triple-A. Through his seven outings at Lehigh Valley, Falter posted a 1.82 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 42:8 K:BB in 29.2 innings.

The Nationals promoted Cavalli from High-A Wilmington to Double-A Harrisburg on Monday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Though he didn't make his professional debut until May after getting selected in the first round of the 2020 first-year player draft, Cavalli already entered the season as the Nationals' No. 1 pitching prospect. He's more than justified the hype through his first seven pro starts, limiting opponents at High-A to a .171 average while generating 71 punchouts to go with a 1.77 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 40.2 innings. The right-hander's sketchy injury history during his college days at Oklahoma will likely prompt the Nationals to manage his innings carefully for the remainder of 2021, but with a strong showing at Double-A to close out the season, Cavalli could put himself in position to earn an early call-up to the majors in 2022.

The Cardinals are expected to activate Kim (back) from the 10-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Kim threw a successful bullpen session Sunday, which seemingly assuaged any lingering concern the Cardinals might have had about his health since he was placed on the IL on June 5 with lower-back soreness. Given that he's on track to return from the IL in the minimum amount of time, Kim likely won't face significant restrictions with his pitch count if he indeed gets the starting nod Tuesday. Prior to landing on the shelf, Kim posted a 4.05 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 8.1 K/9 in nine starts.

Martinez (3-7) took the loss Sunday against the Cubs after allowing two runs (zero earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out six over seven innings.

The only damage done against Martinez came in the third after the Cardinals extended the inning on a fielding error by Paul DeJong and allowed the Cubs to score twice. The 29-year-old otherwise had some of his best stuff of the season but got no run support from his team. Martinez has been a bit unpredictable this season, as he came into Sunday allowing 15 runs over his last 4.2 innings but his most recent performance shows the kind of potential he has. He now owns a 5.54 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 44:22 K:BB over 65 innings and lines up to face Atlanta later in the week.

Davies (4-3) picked up the win over the Cardinals on Sunday after pitching 6.2 shutout innings and allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out six.

Davies was dominant yet again as he led the Cubs to a series sweep over the Cardinals. He allowed his first baserunner after retiring the first 13 batters and eventually saw his day come to a close in the sixth once the Cardinals got two men on base. The 28-year-old had a 9.47 ERA over five starts in April but since owns a 1.86 ERA and 29:18 K:BB over 48.1 innings. He'll look to keep things rolling in an expected home start against the Marlins during the week.

Buehler (6-0) fired six scoreless innings on five hits and three walks while striking out five to earn the win over the Rangers on Sunday.

Buehler threw 64 of his 96 pitches for strikes in his six scoreless frames. He is 5-0 in his last six starts with just five runs allowed. The 26-year-old leads the Dodgers rotation with a 2.38 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 83.1 innings. However, his 8.3 K/9 to this point in the season is the lowest rate of his career. His next start is scheduled for Saturday in Arizona.

Gore (finger) struck out one over two perfect frames for Triple-A El Paso in Saturday's 4-3 win over Oklahoma City.

Gore was cleared to make his first appearance for El Paso since May 24 after battling a blister for the past two-plus weeks. Because of the layoff, Gore was limited to 19 pitches in the outing, but he should ramp up his workload in future starts once the finger injury is further in the rear-view mirror.

Senzatela (2-7) was tagged with the loss Sunday against the Reds after allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out four across six innings.

Senzatela has dropped three of his last four decisions and is currently among the leaders in MLB in the loss department, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's been awful on the mound. In fact, Sunday's outing snapped a streak of four appearances in which Senzatela had given up two or fewer earned runs. He owns a 4.86 ERA across 70.1 innings this season and is expected to make his upcoming start against the Brewers at home next week.