MLB Player News

Skenes (6-0) picked up the win Thursday against Milwaukee, allowing no hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch with 11 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings.

Skenes' excellent rookie season got even better Tuesday, as he tied his career high in strikeouts and logged his second hitless start. He finished the outing by retiring 16 consecutive batters and allowed a baserunner in only the second inning. The 22-year-old is undefeated through 11 appearances and has generated a quality start in nine of his last 10 outings. Skenes will enter the All-Star break with a 1.91 ERA and 89 strikeouts across 66.1 innings.

Wheeler (back) won't make his scheduled start Sunday against the Athletics, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The 34-year-old had an MRI on his back come back negative after he experienced lower-back tightness during Tuesday's start, but Philadelphia will play it safe and skip the right-hander's final outing before the All-Star break. Wheeler is expected to be ready to go to begin the second half, though it's unclear whether he'll be tabbed to start during the opening series in Pittsburgh next weekend.

The Cardinals optioned Graceffo to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

As expected, Graceffo's latest stint with the Cardinals lasted just one day, as St. Louis called him from Triple-A Memphis to serve as the 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader with the Royals. He made his first MLB start in the second game of the twin bill and was the pitcher of record in the Cardinals' 8-5 loss, working 3.1 innings and striking out two batters while allowing three earned runs on four hits and no walks.

Knack isn't starting Thursday against the Phillies but could be utilized behind opener Anthony Banda, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The Dodgers haven't announced their pitching plans beyond Banda, but Knack would be on turn to pitch after starting last Thursday against the Diamondbacks. The right-hander has a 2.86 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 31:9 K:BB across 34.2 innings this season.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo confirmed that Diaz will make another turn through the Arizona rotation Saturday versus the Blue Jays at Chase Field, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Jordan Montgomery (knee), Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) and Merrill Kelly (shoulder) are all in the midst of throwing programs and may be on track to return from the injured list within a few weeks after the All-Star break, but their continued absences should clear the way for Diaz to stick around in the big-league rotation for a little while longer. Diaz earned a second turn through the rotation after dazzling in his MLB debut Monday, striking out five while permitting just one run on four hits and one walk in a no-decision against Atlanta. Despite his limited big-league track record, the 23-year-old right-hander shapes up as a decent streaming option this weekend against a weakened Toronto lineup that could be without Bo Bichette (calf).

Ross (back) struck out three over 3.2 scoreless innings in his rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Nashville. He scattered two hits and one walk in the 46-pitch start.

Ross took the hill on three days' rest for his second minor-league rehab start, after he threw 34 pitches over 2.2 innings in his first rehab outing with High-A Wisconsin this past Saturday. The right-hander recorded his 11 outs in efficient fashion Wednesday and should continue to build up his pitch count over the course of at least two more rehab starts. He could return from the 60-day injured list and return to the Milwaukee rotation shortly after the All-Star break.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that Pfaadt (ankle) will start Thursday's game against Atlanta at Chase Field, Jesse Friedman of GoPHNX.com reports.

Pfaadt's most recent start Saturday against the Padres was cut short when he was struck on the left ankle by a comebacker, but he was diagnosed with nothing more than a bruise after X-rays returned negative. The right-hander was able to complete his between-starts bullpen session with no apparent discomfort, so he shouldn't face any restrictions when he takes the hill Thursday on his typical four days' rest.

Sanchez (7-4) picked up the win in Wednesday's 4-3 victory over the Dodgers, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw produced his 10th quality start of the season, and fourth in his last five trips to the mound, on 91 pitches (67 strikes). Over that stretch, Sanchez has gone 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB through 33 innings. The 27-year-old has already set a career high with 103.1 big-league innings this season, but he's in no danger of being shut down -- he tossed 149 innings across all levels in 2023. Sanchez will get a breather though, as he isn't scheduled to take the mound again before the All-Star break.

Stone (9-3) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings as the Dodgers were downed 4-3 by the Phillies. He struck out three.

Kyle Schwarber drove Stone's third pitch of the game over the fence in left field, and the right-hander never seemed to regain his focus, leaving the mound after 77 pitches (52 strikes). Since firing a shutout against the White Sox on June 26, Stone has been tagged for eight runs over 7.2 innings in his last two outings. Despite the stumbles, he sports a 3.26 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 76:28 K:BB through 96.2 innings on the year. He'll get a chance to regroup, as he's not scheduled to make another start until after the All-Star break.

Webb (7-7) took the loss against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and one walk over five innings while striking out four.

Webb started the game strong, striking out three of the first six batters he faced while holding the Blue Jays scoreless over the first four innings. However, things began to unravel for the veteran right-hander in the fifth when he surrendered a three-run shot to Ernie Clement after giving up singles to two of the first three batters in the frame. Webb returned for the sixth, but he failed to retire any of the first four batters he faced before being relieved by Sean Hjelle, who didn't fare much better. Webb was charged with a season-high seven runs on the night and was unable to get through six innings for the first time in his last 12 starts. He has also surrendered multiple runs in eight consecutive outings.