MLB Player News

Wheeler is at risk of missing an extended period, as the injured nail on his right middle finger may need to be removed, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Wheeler caught the nail on his zipper while putting on pants Thursday. For now, he's only seen his start bumped back from Friday to Monday, but the Phillies don't seem confident he'll be able to pitch at that time. If the nail does indeed have to be removed, he could be sidelined for quite some time. The Phillies will go with a bullpen day in what would have been his start Saturday against the Marlins, though Wheeler is expected to throw a side session that day as the team looks to see whether he'll be able to pitch through the issue next week.

Smyly (finger) worked four innings of long relief in Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Padres, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk while striking out eight.

After being reinstated from the injured list earlier in the day following a six-week absence due to a left index finger strain, Smyly wasn't fully stretched out for a traditional starting role, so manager Gabe Kapler elected to have him piggyback Trevor Cahill, who took the loss after giving up four runs in three innings. Smyly responded to the role change about as well as the Giants could have hoped, as the lefty's eight strikeouts were the most by a San Francisco reliever since 1984, per Andrew Simon of MLB.com. According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, Kapler said after the game that he was impressed with how the southpaw located his pitches and maintained velocity throughout the outing, but the skipper was unwilling to say how Smyly will be deployed moving forward. Smyly could re-enter the rotation, continue to piggyback Cahill, or work in more of a hybrid role based on the Giants' needs.

DeSclafani is not scheduled to start this weekend against the Cardinals, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 30-year-old hasn't completed five innings during a start since Aug. 8 and has surrendered 20 runs over those four outings, and he won't be taking the mound this weekend in St. Louis. Tejay Antone will receive another start in his place for the Reds, though DeSclafani could still start during Monday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

Gonsolin will rejoin the Dodgers' starting rotation next week, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The 26-year-old covered five innings out of the bullpen Thursday after Dustin May exited with a foot injury, so his next start won't come before Tuesday. Regardless of May's status for his next start, the placement of Walker Buehler (finger) on the injured list opens up a rotation spot. Gonsolin has a 1.57 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 28:6 K:BB over 28.2 innings through six outings this season.

Gray (5-3) took the loss against the Cubs on Thursday, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four over 3.1 innings.

Gray made it through three innings without surrendering a run, but he imploded in the fourth, yielding a pair of walks and three hits while collecting only one out. By the end of the frame, Gray had been charged with five runs en route to his second straight loss. Over his last two starts, the right-hander has given up a combined 11 earned runs in four innings to see his ERA balloon to 3.94. He'll try to get his once-promising campaign back on track in a home matchup against Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Kim (chest/kidney) was able to throw Thursday to a catcher and is likely to throw a bullpen session this weekend, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Kim continues to work his way back from the kidney issue that landed him in the hospital briefly last weekend, and he appears to be making deliberate but uninterrupted progress. Rogers notes there's even a chance Kim could join the Cardinals at some point during a three-city road trip next week. However, the southpaw is currently on blood thinners, so there would have to be particular caution exercised with respect to bringing Kim back into game action. "The big thing is, we're just trying to understand the risk proposition given the medication he's on and being involved in a major-league game," president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. "That's something internally we'll work through."

Alcantara pitched six innings against the Phillies on Thursday, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out four. He did not factor in the decision.

Alcantara wasn't particularly sharp, but he was also the victim of poor fielding as half of the runs he allowed were unearned. The right-hander made it through six frames for the third time in his four starts and reached the 100-pitch mark for the second straight outing. He departed in line for his second loss but managed to escape with a no-decision when the Marlins' offense pushed through in the final two frames for a comeback win. Alcantara will next toe the mound Tuesday in a home start against Boston.

Manager Dave Roberts said that X-rays on May's foot came back "inconclusive" and that May will have to undergo further testing Friday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

May has already been diagnosed with a foot contusion, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, but it sounds like there's a chance the injury is worse. The right-hander will be evaluated again Friday, at which point the club should have a better understanding of the extent of the injury.

Paddack left Thursday's start against San Francisco due to a sprained right ankle and is considered day-to-day.

The right-hander fanned four and allowed a solo homer to Wilmer Flores over his two innings pitched. X-rays came back negative and it isn't yet known if he'll be able to make his next start. He was slated to take the ball Tuesday against the Dodgers.

Gomber didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Tigers, allowing five hits and a walk over three scoreless innings. He struck out six.

The southpaw continues his impressive campaign, tossing 44 of 63 pitches for strikes in his longest appearance of the year. Gomber has only been scored upon once in 10 outings, leading to a 0.53 ERA and 19:10 K:BB through 17 innings, and with the Cards' schedule holding three more doubleheaders over the next eight days, another spot start is likely headed his way.