MLB Player News

Ashcraft is a candidate to be called up from Triple-A Louisville to start in place of Nick Lodolo (blister), who was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft has turned in consecutive quality starts since his demotion to Louisville, yielding a total of four runs with a 12:2 K:BB over 12 innings. He's currently slated to start Wednesday for Louisville, but the Reds don't have a starter listed for that day. Lodolo isn't eligible to return until July 9, so Ashcraft would likely be needed for multiple starts if he's indeed the choice.

The Reds recalled Zulueta from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.

It's the first major-league promotion for Zulueta, who holds a 2.84 ERA with 40 strikeouts over 31.2 innings this season at Louisville. The 26-year-old also posted a 14.5 percent walk rate at Louisville, so he'll have to show he can consistently find the strike zone before the Reds trust him in high-leverage situations.

The Reds placed Lodolo on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a left finger blister.

Lodolo battled the blister issue during his start this past Sunday against the Red Sox, and the Reds have opted to give the left-hander some down time in order to let the finger heal. He had been slated to start Friday in St. Louis, but the Reds will now need a substitute. Graham Ashcraft has pitched well in two starts since being demoted to Triple-A Louisville, so he's a candidate to take Lodolo's spot.

Butto could make a spot start for the Mets prior to the All-Star break, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Edwin Diaz's 10-game suspension could force the team to get creative when it comes to keeping the bullpen fresh. One possibility would be to option David Peterson and Tylor Megill down to Triple-A Syracuse after their next starts, replacing them with relief arms. In that scenario, Butto and Christian Scott would be needed to make spot starts when those turns in the rotation come around again. Butto has allowed two runs or less in five of six starts for Syracuse since being sent down in May, posting a 3.06 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB through 32.1 innings over that stretch -- ratios that are almost an exact match for those he's generated at the big-league level this season.

Weathers (finger) will be re-evaluated later this week and could begin a throwing program, MLB.com reports.

The southpaw is currently rehabbing at the Marlins' complex in Jupiter after being pulled from his June 7 start due to a strained index finger on his pitching hand. Weathers was having a breakout campaign before the injury, posting a 3.55 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 67:20 K:BB through 71 innings, and if he gets cleared to throw before the weekend, he could still rejoin the big-league rotation before the All-Star break.

Lynn (3-3) allowed a run on four hits over 6.2 innings Monday, striking out five and earning a win over Atlanta.

Lynn turned in four shutout frames before coughing up a solo homer to Austin Riley in the fifth inning, but he was otherwise nearly untouchable. It was a much-needed rebound for Lynn, as he registered an unsightly 7.90 ERA over 13.2 innings in his previous three outings. He earned his first win since May 21 with his longest outing since April 16, lowering his season ERA to 3.86 with a 78:30 K:BB through 16 starts. Lynn's next outing lines up for this coming weekend at home against the Reds.

Anderson (elbow) threw three innings with Atlanta's Florida Complex League affiliate Monday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three, and his next rehab start will come Sunday with a different affiliate, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The right-hander has been sitting 92-95 mph with his fastball during two appearances in the FCL, and the organization is pleased with his progress so far. "Reports are good, he feels good, all the numbers are good," manager Brian Snitker said Monday. Anderson is in the final stages of his recovery from April 2023 Tommy John surgery, but Atlanta seems likely to let him get fully built up in the minors before considering him for the big-league rotation. The team has yet to announce which level he'll be sent to for his next outing.

Schwellenbach (1-3) took the loss Monday against the Cardinals, giving up four runs on eight hits over five innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The rookie didn't pitch badly overall, but he lost focus in the third inning and allowed all four of the runs against him thanks to five hits and a wild pitch. It was the first time in five big-league starts that Schwellenbach hasn't issued a free pass, and he's gone three straight outings without serving up a homer, providing hope that he can provide some stability to the back of Atlanta's rotation. The 24-year-old right-hander lines up to make his next start at home this weekend against the Pirates.

The Reds are expected to recall Zulueta from Triple-A Louisville prior to Tuesday's game against the Pirates, sources tell Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com.

Once a top pitching prospect in the Blue Jays system, Zulueta's development was sidetracked by Tommy John surgery in 2019 and a right knee injury that kept him out for most of the 2021 season. He was cast off the Blue Jays' 40-man roster in March and was scooped up by the Reds, who optioned him to Louisville coming out of spring training. The 26-year-old righty has thrived out of the Triple-A bullpen this season, riding an upper-90s fastball and plus slider to a 2.84 ERA and 40 punchouts over 31.2 innings. Zulueta has exhibited some control problems both this season (14.5 percent walk rate) and throughout his minor-league career, so the Reds may be inclined to deploy him in lower-leverage spots initially.

Peralta allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six batters over five innings in a no-decision against Texas on Monday.

Peralta pitched pretty well in the outing, but he could go only five frames as a result of throwing 104 pitches. That's been a theme for the right-hander of late, as he's completed six innings in only one of his past six starts despite allowing three or fewer earned runs in five of those outings. Peralta's 4.03 ERA and 1.17 WHIP on the campaign are on pace for his worst marks since 2019, though he's been able to rack up 112 strikeouts (fifth-most in the majors) over 87 innings.