Parker (8-16) suffered the loss Monday against Atlanta, coughing up six runs on 10 hits and one walk over five innings with one strikeout.

The Washington southpaw turned in his third appearance allowing double-digit hits this season while conceding six or more runs for the sixth time. Parker's tough campaign has been downright brutal since the All-Star break, as he's produced a 7.19 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 35:17 K:BB across 56.1 innings in the second half. Through 158.1 total frames, the 25-year-old now sports an unsightly 5.85 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 5.7 K/9. Parker is currently scheduled to next take the mound on the road against the Mets this weekend.

Strider (6-13) earned the win Monday at Washington, yielding one run on four hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out six.

The Atlanta right-hander looked sharp in this 96-pitch outing, generating a solid 15 whiffs. Strider notched his first win since July 27 and pocketed his second consecutive quality start. The only blemish on his line was a solo homer conceded to Daylen Lile in the second. In 114.1 total innings, Strider has pitched to a 4.64 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 120:46 K:BB. He will look to continue his recent success in his next matchup, which currently lines up to come at Detroit this weekend.

Sheehan is slated to work in a bulk relief role in Monday's game against the Phillies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Left-hander Anthony Banda will serve as the Dodgers' opener before handing things off to the right-handed Sheehan. Each of Sheehan's last six appearances have been traditional starts, and he's coming off one of his best outings of the season, having held the Rockies to one run while fanning nine over seven frames.

The Cubs optioned Brown to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

He's being sent down to make room on the active roster for the return of Michael Soroka (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list. Brown has made 15 starts and 10 relief appearances for the Cubs this season, posting a 5.92 ERA and 121:32 K:BB over 106.1 frames.

The Cubs activated Soroka (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Monday.

Soroka has been sidelined since early August with a right shoulder strain but has been cleared to return after making one 2.1-inning rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa this past Thursday. All 17 of Soroka's appearances this season have come as a starter, but he appears slated for a relief role with the Cubs in the final two weeks of the campaign. Soroka excelled in a bullpen role last season with the White Sox, posting a 2.75 ERA with 60 strikeouts over 36 frames.

Gray (elbow) is scheduled to throw approximately three innings and 45 pitches in his next rehab start Friday with Triple-A Rochester, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Gray has already made two rehab starts as he works his way back from his July 2024 Tommy John surgery, which involved the insertion of an internal brace. After covering 1.2 innings and tossing 34 pitches in his most recent outing with Double-A Harrisburg this past Saturday, Gray will increase his workload as he moves on to Rochester for what will be his final rehab start with the minor-league season coming to a close this weekend. Assuming he makes it out of Friday's outing no worse for the wear, Gray could be reinstated from the 60-day injured list for the final week of the season, though he would likely be in line for just one abbreviated start or multi-inning relief appearance with Washington.

Susana underwent surgery last week to repair a right lat tear, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Susana suffered the injury while pitching for Double-A Harrisburg in late August, and the determination was made last week that surgery was the best course of action. It's unclear how long the 21-year-old's rehab will take, but he could be limited at the start of spring training. Susana posted a 3.51 ERA and 95:34 K:BB over 56.1 innings covering 14 starts between High-A Wilmington and Harrisburg in 2025.

Musgrove (elbow) has continued to throw regular bullpen sessions since early August and remains hopeful to pitch for the Padres as a reliever during the postseason if San Diego makes a deep playoff run, MLB.com reports.

Musgrove, who has been on the shelf all season while completing his recovery from Oct. 11, 2024 Tommy John surgery, had previously held the goal of pitching in a rehab game before the end of the minor-league season, but he's not far along in his throwing program for that to be a reality. A return during the postseason may not be realistic either, given that he has yet to resume facing hitters at this point in his rehab. On a positive note, Musgrove seems to have avoided any setbacks up to this point in the recovery process, so he should be ready to enter spring training with few restrictions, if any.

Cortes (biceps) was cleared to throw off a mound Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Cortes was moved to the injured list Sept. 5 after he experienced left biceps tendinitis coming out of his start two days earlier, but he's already begun to start throwing again following a brief shutdown period. The southpaw isn't on track to return from the IL later this week when first eligible, but he's holding out hope to contribute for the Padres at some point in the final week of the regular season. Cortes had been serving as the Padres' No. 5 starter prior to landing on the shelf, but it's unclear if he would immediately slot back into the rotation if he's activated next week.

Milbrandt has a 1.69 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB in 10.2 innings across two starts for Double-A Pensacola.

Milbrandt emphatically forced a promotion from High-A, as he struck out 26 while logging a 1.17 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 15.1 innings over his final three starts for Beloit, including a 10-K, one-hit performance over five scoreless innings against a loaded High-A Wisconsin lineup. Long known for his strong stuff and shaky command, Milbrandt's propensity to issue walks is still his biggest weakness, but his stuff has gotten so good that hitters typically can't get much done on their own. He hasn't given up a home run since June 13 and has 80 strikeouts in 58 innings over that stretch. He'll likely spend 2026 refining his command and control across the top two levels of the minors.