MLB Player News

Rodriguez (1-0) earned the win in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Guardians, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out one.

While he didn't have the strikeout pitch working Wednesday, Rodriguez was ultimately effective against a strong Cleveland lineup, making it through 5.2 innings on just 65 pitches. Rodriguez, who had been sidelined with a shoulder injury since spring training, joined the Diamondbacks after pitching to a 3.30 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP and 143 strikeouts in 26 starts with Detroit last season. The left-hander is tentatively lined up to face the Rockies at home early next week in his second outing.

Assad allowed two runs on three hits across four innings in Wednesday's start against the Twins. He walked two, struck out one and did not factor into the decision.

Assad was lifted after tossing 75 pitches, and for the second straight start, he covered just four innings, which didn't allow him to qualify for the win in a game the Cubs won 8-2. The righty was fairly effective while in the contest, though the Cubs seem to be watching his workload closely. Assad logged a career-high 109.1 innings last season, mostly as a long reliever. Now serving exclusively as a starter, the 27-year-old is up to 102.2 innings this year. Assad is penciled in to take the mound again next Wednesday against the Guardians, and his fantasy value will remain capped if he's unable to work deeper into games.

Miller (adductor) will start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday versus Round Rock, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Miller was scratched from his last scheduled outing for Oklahoma City due to adductor tightness, but he will wind up missing just one turn through the Triple-A rotation. The right-hander allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks over just 3.2 innings in his last start for Oklahoma City on July 27. Miller will probably need to string together at least a couple solid outings in order for the Dodgers to consider calling him up and reinserting him into their rotation.

Pfaadt (6-6) earned the win in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Guardians, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out six.

Pfaadt held Cleveland without a hit through his first four innings before Josh Naylor led off the fifth with a solo home run. The Guardians would add three more hits in the frame, but Pfaadt was able to limit the damage to just one additional run. The 25-year-old right-hander has been sharp of late, pitching to a 2.66 ERA in his last seven starts. Overall, Pfaadt sports a 3.92 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and 124:29 K:BB across 137.2 innings this season. He's currently slated to face the Rockies at home early next week in his next outing.

Wicks (oblique) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Iowa, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Wicks' upcoming appearance with Iowa will be his first since mid-June, when he suffered a Grade 2 right oblique strain in a start against the Cardinals. Given the length of Wicks' absence, he'll likely need at least a couple of rehab outings beyond Saturday's to get fully stretched out, assuming the Cubs still want to keep him in play as an option for the rotation. Though Kyle Hendricks has shown improvement since re-entering the rotation when Wicks went down with the injury, Hendricks is still sporting a 5.05 ERA over his nine starts since mid-June and wouldn't seem to have much security as the club's No. 5 starter.

Falter didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Padres, allowing two hits while striking out one over two scoreless innings.

Falter allowed just a pair of singles Tuesday before the game entered a nearly three-hour rain delay, which forced Pittsburgh to turn to the bullpen to start the third inning. Falter's been serviceable for the Pirates this year, going 5-7 with a 3.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 65:28 K:BB across 19 starts (97.2 innings). The left-hander is currently slated to make his next start this weekend on the road against the Dodgers.

Cease didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Pirates, striking out two and allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.

Cease made quick work of the Pirates in the first inning, working around a Rowdy Tellez two-out double. However, the game would then be delayed for nearly three hours before the bottom of the second, forcing San Diego to go to the bullpen. Cease has been excellent of late, allowing just one earned run in his last 28.2 innings. Overall, he's 11-8 with a 3.40 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 176:43 K:BB in 24 starts this year. Cease currently lines up for a road matchup with the Marlins this weekend, though he could appear sooner, as the right-hander should be well rested after throwing just 14 pitches Tuesday.

Jones (lat) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Indianapolis, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Jones has missed more than a month of action with a Grade 2 right lat strain, so he'll surely require multiple rehab outings before coming off the 15-day injured list. A return before the end of August appears to be a realistic goal for the 23-year-old, assuming everything goes well during his rehab assignment.

Yamamoto (triceps) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.

The bullpen was Yamamoto's second since he landed on the injured list June 16. In his previous session, which took place Saturday, the right-hander threw 20 pitches, and he increased that count by 10 on Tuesday. Yamamoto is slated to toss another bullpen this week before pitching to live hitters next week. If he continues to build up without any setbacks, Yamamoto could return to the Dodgers' rotation in late August or early September.

Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The transaction comes one day after Elder was rocked for seven runs over just 3.2 frames in a loss to the Brewers. Elder has posted a 6.52 ERA and 1.63 WHIP through 49.2 innings in the majors this season.