MLB Player News

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Steele (elbow) is close to being cleared to face hitters, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Steele had UCL revision surgery last May and was nearing a rehab assignment when he suffered a flexor strain in late April. He resumed throwing off the mound Aug. 1 and is nearly ready to face hitters, presumably in a live batting practice session. Steele won't have enough time to ramp up for a starter's workload, but he has a chance to help the Cubs as a reliever in September.

Cortes (biceps) agreed Wednesday with the Phillies on a major-league contract, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The 31-year-old southpaw had been unsigned since the end of the 2025 season after undergoing surgery in October to repair a tendon tear in his throwing arm, but he's made a full recovery from the procedure and recently threw for multiple teams. He'll elect to continue his career with the Phillies, who didn't add to their rotation ahead of trade deadline and are lacking in dependable arms beyond their elite trio of starters (Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo). Cortes will first report to the Phillies' Single-A affiliate in Clearwater, but once he's stretched out enough to handle five innings, he could supplant Andrew Painter (6.43 ERA, 1.55 WHIP over 85.1 innings) as the Phillies' No. 5 starter.

Wheeler didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Marlins, giving up two runs on two hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

While he had trouble finding the plate consistently and threw only 57 of 98 pitches for strikes, Wheeler didn't allow much hard contact aside from a Griffin Conine solo shot in the second inning. The seven Ks were his highest total since July 21, but the three-time All-Star remains winless since the All-Star break, going 0-3 in six outings with a 5.60 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 36:11 K:BB through 27.1 innings. Wheeler will look to get back in the win column in his next start, which is set to come on the road early next week in Seattle.

Abbott (6-8) took the loss Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over 6.1 innings as the Reds were downed 3-0 by the Cardinals. He struck out six.

The southpaw delivered his 11th quality start of the season on 98 pitches (68 strikes) in his best effort so far in August, tying his career high in QS in the process, but Cincinnati's offense couldn't solve Kyle Leahy and the St. Louis bullpen. Abbott has won just one of his last 10 starts, going 1-4 over that stretch with a 4.45 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 44:27 K:BB in 54.2 innings. He'll look to build on this performance in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road this weekend in Arizona.

Leahy (10-4) picked up the win in Tuesday's 3-0 victory over the Reds, scattering three hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The right-hander fired 57 of 90 pitches for strikes and only allowed one runner to even reach second base against him, before Leahy handed the ball off to his bullpen to complete the shutout. It's the fourth time in his last 10 starts that Leahy has blanked the opposition, and over that span he's gone 5-0 with a stellar 1.38 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 52:9 K:BB through 52.1 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come this weekend on the road in Philadelphia.

Wilkinson is scheduled to make his major-league debut Wednesday in Cleveland.

The Giants acquired Wilkinson from the Guardians back in May in the Patrick Bailey trade, and now the big lefty will make his major-league debut against his former organization. Following a promotion from Double-A Richmond, Wilkinson collected a 5.15 ERA and 43:17 K:BB over 43.2 innings covering 10 starts with Triple-A Sacramento. Wilkinson could receive additional starts down the stretch as the Giants look to see how he might fit into their roster picture for 2027.

Kent (0-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Rangers, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out three over 3.2 innings.

Kent struggled to settle in Tuesday, allowing a run in the first inning before Justin Foscue took him deep for a solo homer in the second. Things unraveled in the third, when Kent surrendered three more runs, including one on a bases-loaded walk. The 23-year-old left-hander has now allowed eight runs with a 9:8 K:BB across 7.2 innings through his first two major-league starts after posting a 4.38 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 63.2 innings in 13 starts at Triple-A Rochester. He's lined up to face the Marlins on the road Sunday in his next start.

Feltner (5-7) allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out three over five-plus innings to take the loss versus the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Feltner gave up Shohei Ohtani's 30th homer of the season in the third inning, though the Dodgers didn't stop there. The Rockies made a late push against the Los Angeles bullpen but couldn't get their starter off the hook. Feltner has lost five of his last eight starts, and he's allowed four or more runs in five of those games. For the season, he has a 5.97 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 64:39 K:BB through 92 innings over 19 starts. He's lined up to make his next start on the road versus the Nationals.

Lauer (8-6) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six over five innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Tuesday.

Lauer didn't have a great performance at Coors Field, but he pitched better than opposing starter Ryan Feltner. With 12 runs allowed (11 earned) over his last 15.1 innings, Lauer's form has dropped off during August. He's at a 4.79 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 69:32 K:BB through 103.1 innings over 20 games (17 starts) between the Dodgers and Blue Jays this year. Lauer's place in the rotation looks safe considering Justin Wrobleski (forearm) landed on the injured list Sunday, leaving the Dodgers with five healthy starters on the roster. They appear likely to get by with a five-man rotation thanks to upcoming off days Thursday and Monday, and Lauer is projected to make his next start early next week in Atlanta.

Mahle (4-10) took the loss Tuesday against the Twins, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out three over 6.2 innings.

Mahle allowed a two-out double in the first inning before Josh Bell launched a two-run homer to open the scoring. The right-hander settled in nicely from there as he didn't surrender another run, recording 17 outs against the final 19 batters he faced. Unfortunately for Mahle, Atlanta provided just one run of support, saddling him with his 10th loss. He's delivered a quality start in each of his three outings since joining the team, allowing only three runs across 18.2 innings while striking out 19 during that span. Mahle owns a 4.53 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 108:40 K:BB across 113.1 innings this season. He will face a tougher test in his next scheduled start against the star-studded Dodgers.