MLB Player News

Williams (elbow) has yet to start a throwing program, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Williams was placed on the 15-day IL on June 4 with a right flexor strain but remains shut down from throwing. It's safe to assume Williams won't be able to return until after the All-Star break. DJ Herz should continue to make starts in place of Williams.

Perez (groin) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list and will start Friday's game against Atlanta.

Perez has been shelved since May 28 due to a strained left groin, and after making one rehab start he'll rejoin the big-league club. In his lone minor-league appearance, the southpaw threw 63 pitches, so he'll likely be on a pitch count Friday. Prior to the injury, Perez owned a 4.71 ERA across 57.1 innings with Pittsburgh.

Musgrove (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday.

Transferring Musgrove to the 60-day IL opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for Austin Davis, who'll join the big-league roster. Though Musgrove began playing catch Monday, he still has plenty of checkpoints to hit before being cleared and likely won't be back in action until after the All-Star break.

The Cardinals selected Graceffo's contract from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Graceffo has posted a 3.84 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 70:29 K:BB across 75 frames with Memphis this season. All 14 of his appearances have been starts, and while it's possible he'll get a look in the rotation eventually with the Cardinals, the plan for now is to break him in as a reliever. Graceffo will be making his major-league debut when he gets into a game.

Matz (back) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday.

The Cardinals had to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Gordon Graceffo to be called up and opted to push Matz to the 60-day IL to create the opening. Considering Matz was put on the injured list May 3, his move to the 60-day injured list won't impact his timeline for return. The 33-year-old was shut down from throwing for two weeks June 22.

Tyler is slated to start Friday's game in Philadelphia.

He'll receive a second straight turn through the Miami rotation after he took a no-decision his last time out Sunday against the Mariners, covering four innings and striking out two while giving up two runs on three hits and three walks. With injuries having hit the Miami pitching staff hard, Tyler could be in store for additional starts beyond Friday, even if he continues to underwhelm.

Phillips was assigned to the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday.

Phillips has loud stuff, but his control and command have been major weaknesses throughout his career. He gave up 23 earned runs in 10.1 innings over his three most recent starts for Triple-A Louisville, and the assignment to the complex will presumably allow him to work on some mechanical stuff that's easier to address in a less competitive environment.

Abbott (7-6) picked up the win over the Cardinals on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and six walks over five innings while striking out two.

The only runs charged to Abbott on the night came on a two-run homer from Nolan Arenado in the bottom of the third, as the lefty managed to pitch his way out of trouble the rest of the time despite issuing a season-high six free passes. Abbott has now won four of his last five starts, though he finishes the month of June with 15 walks, compared to just six in May. On the positive side, he's also gone at least five innings in 11 consecutive starts and hasn't given up more than three runs in five straight.

Mikolas (6-7) was hit with the loss against the Reds on Thursday, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 12 hits and one walk over 4.1 inning. He struck out one.

Things got ugly in a hurry for Mikolas as the veteran gave up runs in each of the first five innings before finally being relieved by John King. The nine earned runs allowed easily marked a season high for the right-hander, as did the 12 hits he surrendered. Mikolas had gone at least six innings in six consecutive starts coming in, allowing three or fewer runs in five of those outings. Thursday also marked his first loss since May 31 against the Phillies.

Sale (10-3) suffered the loss Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings against the White Sox. He struck out 11.

Sale dominated his former team, with a first-inning homer by Luis Robert marking the only blemish to his stellar outing. However, the bats failed to provide any support for Sale, and Atlanta suffered its third shutout loss of the season with each occurring within the month of June. Following an inexplicable blip June 1 when he allowed eight runs to the hapless Athletics, Sale has rebounded over the last four games by allowing a total of six earned runs over 26 innings, giving him an ERA of 2.08 with a 0.85 WHIP and 36 strikeouts during that stretch. His next start is tentatively scheduled to take place in the middle of next week, when Atlanta plays host to the Giants.