MLB Player News

Wheeler (shoulder) said he plans to make another rehab start with Double-A Reading on Sunday, Matt Kardos of Double-A Somerset's official site reports.

Wheeler has already made three starts in the minors as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, posting a 5.23 ERA and 1.26 WHIP alongside a 10:4 K:BB over 10.1 innings. The veteran righty notably struggled with his velocity during his most recent outing with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, averaging 92.9 mph with his fastball after sitting at 96.1 mph last season. It remains to be seen whether he'll make any additional appearances in the minors after Sunday, though the Phillies will likely wait to see how he performs in Double-A before determining his next step.

Sproat (knee) will start against the Blue Jays on Thursday, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.

The right-hander picked up a knee injury during his relief outing Saturday against Washington, which was his best showing of the campaign with one run allowed on four hits and three walks over 3.2 innings, but he checked out fine when evaluated Sunday. Sproat will re-enter the rotation Thursday and will likely need another decent showing to solidify his place in Milwaukee's starting five.

The Dodgers acquired McGarry from the Phillies on Tuesday in exchange for international bonus pool money.

McGarry was returned to the Phillies after failing to make the Nationals' roster as a Rule 5 pick, and he's now on the move again. The 26-year-old has a big arm but has really struggled with command and control, having posted a career walk rate of 15.9 percent. The Dodgers will try to coax more out of him.

The Diamondbacks activated Kelly (back) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.

Kelly is set to make his season debut Tuesday in Baltimore after getting a late start due to a back injury. The veteran right-hander threw six innings and 83 pitches in an extended spring training game last week, so he should be able to handle close to a full workload against the Orioles. Brandon Pfaadt has been demoted to the Diamondbacks' bullpen to accommodate the return of Kelly.

The Cubs optioned Barnes to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.

Barnes made one appearance during his brief stint with the big club, yielding four runs (three earned) over three innings in Monday's loss to the Phillies. The Cubs will replace him with a fresh relief arm.

Priester (wrist) is tracking toward beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville next week, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Priester is slated to throw a two-up live batting practice session at the Brewers' spring training complex Thursday, and if that goes well he will be cleared to pitch in rehab games. Working his way back from symptoms related to thoracic outlet syndrome, Priester missed all of spring training, so he will need a few rehab outings before being considered for the Brewers' rotation.

Mikolas is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher PJ Poulin in Tuesday's game in Pittsburgh, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The Pirates typically roll out a starting lineup featuring two left-handed hitters (Oneil Cruz and Brandon Lowe) with OPSes north of 1.000 in the top two spots, so the Nationals will hope to neutralize them or force Pittsburgh to alter its batting order by having the left-handed Poulin begin the game. Poulin is unlikely to cover more than an inning or two before giving way to Mikolas, who should get a softer landing to begin his appearance by facing the back end of the Pittsburgh lineup. Mikolas struggled mightily through in first three starts with Washington, giving up 19 runs (17 earned) on 22 hits and seven walks over 12.1 innings.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that Lodolo (finger) could face hitters Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Lodolo has thrown a couple bullpen sessions since he had to be pulled off his rehab assignment following a setback with the blister on his left index finger. He has not thrown breaking balls during those sessions, however, and re-incorporating those pitches will be a big test for his blister. If Lodolo does face hitters Friday and gets through that step without issues, he could be cleared to resume a rehab assignment.

Rea is no longer scheduled to start Tuesday's game in Philadelphia but appears likely to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Riley Martin.

Chicago had initially listed Rea as its starter for Tuesday, but the Cubs will instead have the lefty Martin take the hill to begin the game since the Phillies typically have two left-handed hitters (Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper) within the top three spots of the lineup. Martin is unlikely to work more than an inning or two before giving way to Rea, who is coming off a strong start at Tampa Bay last Wednesday in which he held the Rays to one run on two hits and two walks in five innings. Though Matthew Boyd (biceps) appears to be tracking toward a return from the injured list early next week, the Cubs should still have one more opening in the rotation for either Rea or Javier Assad. Rea is the presumptive frontrunner for that spot after Assad was blasted for nine earned runs over 4.1 innings in the Cubs' 13-7 loss in Monday's series opener.

Dobbins (knee) will make the third start of his rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Memphis.

Dobbins reached five innings in both of his prior two starts with Memphis and produced a 3.48 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB across 10.1 frames in total between the outings. After Wednesday, the right-hander should be stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload, but it's unclear if St. Louis will have an opening for him in its rotation. Andre Pallante owns a 5.40 ERA and 1.60 WHIP through his three starts and would seem to be most at risk of moving to the bullpen if the Cardinals decide to shake up their rotation to make room for Dobbins once he's activated from the injured list.