MLB Player News

Nola (ankle) said Tuesday he will need a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining the big-league rotation, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Nola said he felt something in his sprained right ankle after throwing off a mound and is hopeful he'll be able to throw a higher-intensity bullpen session Thursday. The Phillies have the luxury of being patient with Nola, as Taijuan Walker has a 3.24 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 16.2 innings through four appearances this month. Nola won't be able to return when first eligible, but he could potentially return in the second week of June.

Verlander (pectoral) threw around 40 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Verlander said he is "trending forward," and there are a couple more boxes to check before he can determine if he'll be ready to rejoin the rotation sometime next week. He had an uncharacteristic 9:8 K:BB in 15 innings over his three most recent starts before landing on the IL.

Gasser (elbow) was cleared to resume throwing bullpen sessions back in mid-April, MLB.com reports.

Updates on Gasser's status have been limited since the conclusion of spring training, as he's remained in Arizona to conduct his rehab program for his June 2024 Tommy John surgery. He advanced to throwing off flat ground out to 120 feet by the end of camp and has presumably been ramping up the intensity of his bullpen sessions over the past six weeks. The next step in Gasser's recovery process will be facing live hitters, but it's unclear when he'll be ready to do so. Gasser is unlikely to make his return from the 60-day injured list until August or September in a best-case scenario.

Ashcraft allowed two hits and one walk while striking out one across three scoreless relief innings Monday against the Diamondbacks.

Ashcraft was promoted to the majors Monday and immediately made his debut working out of the bullpen. He pitched with the Pirates down by five but managed a scoreless outing and preserved the team's bullpen. Ashcraft may remain in a long-relief role for the time being, but as one of the organization's best prospects, he should have a chance to enter the rotation at some point during the summer.

Walker is slated to start Friday's game against the Brewers in Philadelphia, Theo DeRosa of MLB.com reports.

Aaron Nola is eligible to return from the injured list Friday, but he looks as though he'll require a little more time beyond the minimum 15 days to recover from a right ankle sprain before getting activated. As a result, Walker will receive a second straight turn in the rotation in Nola's stead. While making his first start since May 1 last Wednesday in Colorado, Walker scooped up a win while allowing three runs on six hits and two walks and striking out two over five innings. He'll head into Friday's outing with a 2.97 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 33:16 K:BB in 39.1 innings through his nine appearances (seven starts) on the season.

Patrick did not factor into the decision during Monday's 3-2 win over the Red Sox, throwing 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing three hits and two walks and striking out six.

Patrick departed the game with the Brewers out in front, but did not quite make it the five innings required to qualify for the win. Still, he held his own against Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet in a pitcher's duel. It continues a pattern for the 26-year-old as he has failed to reach five innings in five of his 11 starts, but he hasn't allowed over three runs in a single one all season. By keeping the Brewers in every game he's pitched in, the right-hander, even without a high volume of extended starts, is making a compelling case to stick in the rotation once the team gets healthier. His next scheduled start is on the road against the NL East-leading Phillies.

Yamamoto (6-3) earned the win over Cleveland on Monday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Yamamoto allowed just one extra-base hit (a double) and finished with his third straight quality start. The right-hander has fanned at least six batters in four of his past five outings and moved up to eighth in MLB with 75 strikeouts on the campaign. He also ranks second among qualified NL starters with a 1.97 ERA and ranks fifth in the majors with a 0.91 WHIP to put his name into firm early contention for Cy Young consideration. Yamamoto is tentatively projected for a tough challenge his next time out, as he's lined up to face the Yankees in Los Angeles this weekend.

Weathers allowed two unearned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Padres on Monday.

Weathers continued his strong start to the campaign Monday, coming up one out short of a quality start against his former team. This was the first time he's been tagged for multiple runs across three starts, as a two-out error by Connor Norby allowed the Padres to extend a rally in the fourth inning. Weathers threw 94 pitches (53 strikes) in this outing, displaying a bit of shaky control, but he looks fully stretched out at this point after opening the year on the injured list due to a forearm strain. Weathers has a 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB across 15.2 innings. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Giants over the weekend.

Vasquez allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over 6.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Marlins on Monday.

Vasquez allowed all three runs over the first two innings. After giving up a solo home run to Jesus Sanchez in the second, he allowed just one more baserunner, on a walk, for the remainder of the start. Vasquez hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his last six starts, and he's gone four outings in a row without walking more than one batter after struggling with control early in the season. He's now at a 3.58 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 32:27 K:BB across 55.1 innings over 11 starts this year. The right-hander's next outing is projected to be a favorable home start versus the Pirates over the weekend.

Holmes allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out three batters over 5.2 innings in a no-decision against the White Sox on Monday.

Holmes limited Chicago to a single run, but he was stuck with a no-decision, as the Mets didn't score until the eighth inning. The right-hander nearly notched his fifth quality start of the campaign; however, he was pulled with two outs in the sixth inning after giving up back-to-back infield singles. Holmes did struggle a bit with his control -- he got a first-pitch strike to just 12 of 24 batters and departed having thrown 102 pitches (62 of which were strikes) -- but his performance brought his season ERA back down below 3.00, to 2.98. He'll look to continue his strong season the next time he takes the mound, which is in lined up to be a juicy matchup at home against Colorado this weekend.