MLB Player News

Marquez (9-9) took the loss Wednesday against the Pirates, allowing three runs on 10 hits and two walks across six innings. He struck out 10.

Marquez settled down after allowing all three runs on eight hits in the first three innings of the contest, firing three scoreless frames -- including an immaculate fourth inning that saw him strike out the side in nine pitches -- to secure his third consecutive quality start. The 23-year-old righty has now notched six quality starts in his last seven outings, compiling a 4-1 record to go with a 3.15 ERA and 10.8 K/9 over that stretch. Next up will be a difficult road matchup against the Astros.

Nix will be promoted from Triple-A El Paso to start Friday against the Phillies, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Nix is set to make his MLB debut after posting a pristine 1.84 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 44:9 K:BB across 58.2 innings between Triple-A and Double-A San Antonio. Given the Padres' lack of rotation depth, Nix could earn his stay with the big club if he holds his own Friday.

Darvish (shoulder) will throw another simulated game in the coming days, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Manager Joe Maddon said everything went off without a hitch during Darvish's 33-pitch simulated outing Wednesday. Assuming the right-hander checks out OK in the coming days, he'll toss another simulated contest -- most likely Sunday -- with an increased pitch count before potentially heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment next week. Darvish, who hasn't pitched for the big club since May 20 and made one rehab appearance June 25 before getting shut down, seems to be trending toward an early-September return to the Chicago rotation.

Wood (hamstring) threw a simulated game Wednesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Wood is eligible to return from the 10-day DL on Aug. 14, which remains a viable target date for his activation. He was placed on the shelf after exiting Friday's start with left adductor tendinitis. His status will likely depend on how his hamstring feels Thursday morning.

Strasburg (neck) tossed a bullpen session Wednesday and will throw another in the coming days, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Manager Dave Martinez said Strasburg will have to throw another bullpen session before potentially heading out on a rehab assignment next week. This basically confirms that the right-hander won't activated from the disabled list until next weekend at the earliest, and that remains far from a guarantee.

Anderson was promoted to Double-A Mississippi on Wednesday.

He had a 1.61 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 56 innings over his last 10 starts at High-A Florida, so the promotion was well earned. At 20 years old, Anderson will be the youngest pitcher in the Southern League. He will make his Double-A debut Sunday.

Darvish (shoulder) threw a 31-pitch simulated game Wednesday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Darvish was able to get through two innings of work without experiencing any issues, which marks yet another step forward as he continues to recover from a shoulder impingement. Prior to this little outing, he threw a 55-pitch bullpen session last weekend, so he shouldn't be too far off from heading out on a rehab assignment.

DeGrom (6-7) allowed four hits and one walk while striking out 10 over six scoreless innings in a win over the Reds on Wednesday.

The right-hander finally got some support from his offense and bullpen and landed in the win column for the first time in more than seven weeks. DeGrom being just 6-7 on the year speaks more to the futility of the pitcher win than anything else -- he has a strong case for the Cy Young Award, having posted the lowest ERA among qualified starters and the second-best K-BB rate in the National League to this point in the season. He lines up for two starts next week (@NYY, @PHI).

Ryu (groin) covered five innings in his rehab start Tuesday for Triple-A Oklahoma City, giving up one run on five hits and no walks while striking out three.

Ryu had been scheduled to make his second rehab start at Double-A Tulsa, but the Dodgers called an audible and moved him up a level on the minor-league ladder. The increased competition proved no match for Ryu, who pumped in 51 of his 71 pitches for strikes and allowed only one extra-base hit. Ryu has looked sharp in both of his rehab outings and may only need to make one more start in the minors before rejoining the Dodgers. The lefty has been on the 60-day disabled list since early May with the left groin strain.

The Braves optioned Allard to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Allard will head back to the minors after serving as the 26th man in the Braves' doubleheader against the Nationals. He worked out of the bullpen in the first game and gave up four runs over two innings, but could rejoin the Braves in a starting role as soon as next week. The Braves have another twin bill lined up against the Marlins on Monday and are short on healthy starting candidates beyond Allard with Max Fried (groin) recently joining Brandon McCarthy (knee) and Mike Soroka (shoulder) on the disabled list.