MLB Player News

Martinez (illness) threw what manager Mike Shildt described as a "low-intensity live batting practice" Monday, and the team currently isn't planning to have him return as anything but a starter, Richard Justice of MLB.com reports. "Carlos wants to start, and I understand that, and I appreciate that," Shildt said. "Ultimately, we're going to perform with guys that have their heart in a certain position."

The right-hander and Shildt had a conversation about Martinez's role following the session, and the skipper's remarks imply he empathizes with Martinez's desire to start to the extent he's willing to forgo any potential plans to reintegrate him as a reliever. However, the tradeoff to that approach is that Martinez will require a longer buildup time before he's deemed ready for activation. "It's gonna take longer for him to just get back to being able to handle the load of what we would expect the starter to handle," Shildt said. "And candidly, we can't stay in a mode where we can just keep building guys up on the fly."

Lopez (3-1) allowed six hits and two walks while striking out three over five scoreless innings on the way to a win Monday night against Washington.

Lopez dealt with plenty of traffic on the basepaths, but he managed to exit the contest with a 7-0 lead, and his club would hang on for an 11-8 victory. The right-hander tossed first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 23 batters he faced. Lopez has looked sharp in five starts this season, surrendering two or fewer runs in each outing, good enough for a 1.98 ERA to go along with a 1.24 WHIP and a 27:7 K:BB across 27.1 frames.

Kelly (shoulder) was moved to the 10-day injured list Monday.

Kelly was scratched from Monday's start due to a right shoulder nerve impingement, and he'll need at least a 10-day stay on the injured list while on the mend. Riley Smith was recalled from Arizona's alternate training site in a corresponding move.

Kelly won't make his scheduled start Monday night against the Rockies due to a right shoulder nerve impingement, Fox Sports Arizona reports.

Kelly was on track to make his sixth start of the 2020 campaign Monday, but he's since been scratched due to the injury. Taylor Clarke will toe the rubber in Kelly's place. The right-hander can be considered day-to-day until another update surfaces.

Quintana (thumb) will join the Cubs' bullpen upon activation from the injured list Tuesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

The Cubs will welcome Quintana back after a left thumb laceration delayed his start to the season. However, Quintana only threw 28 pitches in his simulated game last Friday and the team will have him contribute out of the bullpen initially, with an eye toward possibly starting one game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Reds. Alec Mills and Adbert Alzolay will also be candidates for one half of the twin bill, if Quintana needs additional time to build up.

Anderson could be called up from the Braves' alternate site to start Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

After recently optioning Kyle Wright to the alternate site and moving Touki Toussaint to the bullpen, the Braves are down to a three-man rotation at the moment. Due to off days Monday and Thursday, the Braves will be able to get by with four starters until Sept. 1, but the team will still need a replacement for Toussaint on Tuesday. Assuming the Braves are ready to start his service clock, Anderson would probably rank as the best option to join the rotation, as the 22-year-old righty would be on a normal rest schedule after completing his most recent simulated game at the alternate site Thursday. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 first-year player draft, Anderson split the 2019 campaign between Triple-A Gwinnett and Double-A Mississippi, finishing tied for fourth in strikeouts in all of minor-league baseball (172). Control was an issue for Anderson, however, as he posted walk rates north of 10 percent at both affiliates.

Toussaint came on in relief in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Phillies, giving up a run on two hits and two walks while striking out one over 1.1 innings.

Though the Braves headed into the weekend with just three healthy rotation members -- including two in Josh Tomlin and Robbie Erlin who were recently promoted from the bullpen -- manager Brian Snitker decided he had seen enough from Toussaint as a starter. Over his four starts, Toussaint gave up 13 runs (12 earned) on 13 hits and 10 walks over 17.2 innings, prompting the Braves to move him back to a relief role. The Braves will have to settle on a new replacement in the rotation for Toussaint on Tuesday against the Yankees, with Mark Bowman of MLB.com speculating that 22-year-old prospect Ian Anderson could get the chance to make his MLB debut.

Cabrera (arm) has begun a throwing progression at the Marlins' alternate training site in Jupiter and could be an option to join the big club in the second half of September, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera would have been a candidate to join the Marlins earlier this month after the team had 18 players test positive for COVID-19, including multiple starting pitchers. Unfortunately for Cabrera, the right arm injury he developed late in summer camp prevented him from earning a callup. The Marlins don't view the arm issue as a long-term concern, but the 22-year-old will still be built up slowly after being shut down the past few weeks. He split time between High-A Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville in 2019, logging a 2.23 ERA and a 116:31 K:BB in 96.2 innings.

The Mets are hoping that Peterson (shoulder) can return to the rotation this week, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The Mets have three doubleheaders plus three additional games on tap over a six-day span starting Tuesday, so they could really use Peterson if he is healthy enough to return. He was placed on the injured list last week with shoulder fatigue and an MRI showed no structural damage. Peterson, who last pitched Aug. 13, would be eligible to return for this upcoming series against the Marlins, but it's unclear if that is realistic.

The Mets are hoping that Wacha (shoulder) can return to the rotation this week, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The team will be in for a very condensed schedule starting with a doubleheader Tuesday against the Marlins, so they need all hands on deck to make nine starts in the span of six days this week. Wacha, who has been on the shelf with shoulder inflammation, has completed simulated games and bullpen sessions in recent days.