MLB Player News

Wright was recalled by the Braves on Friday.

Wright has struggled to a 7.07 ERA in three starts for the Braves this season and has an even worse 7.57 ERA in six starts for Triple-A Gwinnett. He appears to be up as long-relief depth this time around, as outfielder Matt Joyce was placed on the bereavement list in a corresponding move, and the Braves have no current holes in their rotation.

Martinez is not expected to be a rotation candidate at any point this season, manager Mike Shildt told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM on Friday.

Shildt did frame the statement with "as of right now," so plans could change, but the Cardinals' current intention appears to be to have Martinez remain a reliever for the rest of the season. He hasn't given up a run in his three relief appearances since returning from a shoulder injury in mid-May, but his path to broader fantasy relevance at this point probably involves an injury to closer Jordan Hicks, unless the Cardinals change their minds about his Martinez's future as a starter.

Gausman threw six innings and allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six against the Giants on Thursday. He did not factor into the decision.

The quality start was Gausman's third in a row following a four-game stretch in which he failed to complete more than 5.1 innings. In his last three outings, he has allowed only six earned runs in 18 innings and has whiffed 16 batters. He'll face the Nationals at home on Wednesday in his next scheduled start.

Lyles (5-1) earned the win despite allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk across 5.2 innings Thursday against the Rockies. He struck out six.

Staked to a big lead and a shutout heading into the sixth inning, Lyles crumbled as he gave up six runs on five hits and a walk -- he was one strike away from getting out of the inning without allowing a run. Still, his team went on to pad the lead to preserve his fifth win of the season. Lyles had been outstanding prior to this effort and still owns a shiny 2.81 ERA heading into his next start against the Reds.

Senzatela (3-4) allowed eight runs on nine hits and three walks across 3.1 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Pirates. He struck one two.

Senzatela got off to a dreadful start, allowing four runs in the inning before he was touched up for three more in the third. He came back out for the fourth but recorded just one out as he allowed two hits and a run before he was lifted. Senzatela showed signs of promise over his last two starts, but this poor showing bloated his ERA back up to 6.21 ahead of next week's start against the Diamondbacks.

Matz allowed one earned run on 10 hits and two walks while striking out seven across six innings Thursday against the Nationals. He did not factor into the decision.

Matz worked out of trouble for most of the day as he allowed multiple baserunners in four of the six innings he pitched. Still, he managed to limit the damage by inducing two double plays and also generating timely strikeouts. While the results were strong, his swinging strikes indicate that he wasn't particularly deceptive, especially when combined with the fact that he allowed 12 baserunners. Regardless, he'll look to keep the relatively positive results going in his next start, currently scheduled for Tuesday at the Dodgers.

Nola (5-0) picked up the win against the Cubs on Thursday, giving up three earned runs on four hits over 5.1 innings, striking out six and walking four as the Phillies got a 9-7 victory.

Nola didn't have his best command, issuing four free passes, but he did enough to pick up his fifth win of the season and keep his record perfect. He's been pitching better of late after a rough start to the year, and he's still providing good strikeout numbers, but his 4.53 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 57.2 innings are still disappointing so far coming off last season's lights-out campaign.

Strasburg allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out five across seven innings Thursday against the Mets. He did not factor into the decision.

Strasburg cruised through his first four innings of work as he allowed only one walk and two hits. However, his control wavered a bit towards the end of his effort as he hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and walked a hitter -- all in the sixth frame. Overall, this was still a strong start for Strasburg as he did not surrender an extra-base hit and worked deep into the game. He has now completed more than six innings in six of his past seven outings. Strasburg will look to keep his strong performance going in his next start, currently scheduled for Tuesday at Atlanta.

Velasquez (forearm) is one of two candidates, along with Nick Pivetta, to start Tuesday against the Cardinals, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The Phillies have an opening in the rotation after demoting Cole Irvin to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and it will be one of Velasquez or Pivetta. Manager Gabe Kapler said Wednesday that, in theory, he loves the idea of using Velasquez out of the bullpen once he is healthy and that returning to the rotation is "not a right". Pivetta has a 3.41 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 50 strikeouts in 37 innings through six starts at Triple-A, but he has also walked at least three batters in every start he has made at Triple-A this season. Regardless of whether Velasquez is tabbed for the start, the fact that he is an option suggests he will be activated from the IL at some point next week.

Brubaker (forearm) was recently cleared to resume a throwing program, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Brubaker has been out of action at Triple-A Indianapolis for the past month after suffering a forearm strain. The prolonged shutdown has apparently had the desired effect, as Brubaker should be able to gradually increase the distance and intensity of his throwing sessions before facing hitters. He's still probably at least a couple weeks away from being activated from Indianapolis' 7-day injured list.