MLB Player News

Skenes did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out six in five innings.

After some shakiness early, Skenes retired seven straight batters to keep the Cubs off the scoreboard in his final three innings. Skenes departed with a 10-3 lead, but the Pirates' bullpen fell apart in the 14-10 loss, keeping Skenes' record at 8-2. The 22-year-old rookie has slowed down ever so slightly in August, allowing multiple earned runs in four of five starts this month, pitching to a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB in 28.1 innings. Of greater concern is Skenes' pitch count -- he threw a season-low 82 pitches Wednesday after throwing 87 his last time out. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington stated last week that Skenes is on an unspecified innings limit, making Skenes' workload difficult to project over the final month of the season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Gil (back) will likely make a rehab start in five days, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Gil got through a live batting practice session Tuesday with no issues and should be in line for a rehab start Monday or Tuesday. Given that he's been on the shelf for a brief period of time with a lower-back strain, Gil shouldn't need more than one rehab start before being activated from the 15-day injured list, potentially as soon as next weekend. The New York rotation is fluid right now with Clarke Schmidt (lat) also nearing a return and likely to beat Gil back from the IL. The plan is for both Gil and Schmidt to return as starters, but one or both of them could eventually shift to relief later on in September.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Schmidt (lat) will likely make two more rehab starts before being activated from the 60-day injured list, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Schmidt was excellent in his first rehab outing with Double-A Somerset on Friday, striking out six while yielding one run over 3.2 innings. He will move up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for his second rehab start Wednesday and will receive one more start in the minors early next week. Assuming all goes well, Schmidt should be in line for a return to the New York rotation next weekend in Chicago against the Cubs, though nothing is set in stone yet. The righty has been out since late May with a right lat strain.

Hendricks escaped with a no-decision in Wednesday's win against the Pirates, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and three walks in 1.2 innings. He struck out two.

Hendricks never found his footing in this one, surrendering a solo home run to Bryan Reynolds in the opening frame before completely unraveling in the second, yielding five additional runs on three extra-base hits before mercifully being pulled with two runners on and two out in the inning. Fortunately for Hendricks, those two runners were stranded and the Cubs rallied to a 14-10 victory, keeping Hendricks' record at 3-10. The 34-year-old veteran has been a shell of his former self this season, registering an ugly 6.75 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 6.0 K/9 in 102.2 innings. Hendricks' next start is slated to be a rematch with Pittsburgh early next week.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Glasnow's progress from his elbow injury has been "slow moving" and indicated that the hurler will need a rehab assignment prior to returning, per Dodger Blue.

When Glasnow landed on the injured list Aug. 16, the level of concern about the right-hander was relatively low, especially considering that Glasnow said that he pushed the team not to place him on the IL or even to skip his start. However, there's now at least a bit more worry given that the All-Star hurler has made slower-than-expected progress. Glasnow did begin a throwing program this past weekend, and even with a rehab assignment a necessity before he can return to the Dodgers' rotation, it's possible that he could be back with the big club in mid-September.

Ragans (calf/hamstring) is listed as the Royals' probable starter for Saturday's game against the Astros, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Ragans had to be lifted from his last outing Monday versus the Guardians due to cramping in his left calf and hamstring. However, manager Matt Quatraro said after the game that the lefty was "fine," and it appears he's officially a go for his next scheduled start. Ragans will bring a 3.28 ERA and 187:54 K:BB over 156.1 innings into action Saturday.

The Cardinals promoted Mathews from Double-A Springfield to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.

Mathews will reach his fourth level this season in what has been a breakout campaign for the 23-year-old lefty. He leads the minor leagues with 180 strikeouts over 126.2 innings in his first three stops, posting a 2.27 ERA along the way. The left-hander was particularly dominant in his last five starts at Springfield, collecting a 0.85 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 49:5 K:BB over 31.2 innings. It might be a tough ask for Mathews to reach the majors in 2024, but he's positioning himself to spend ample time in the St. Louis rotation in 2025.

Lodolo might miss the remainder of the regular season due to his sprained finger, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "It's not concerning for the long term, but it's a rare injury that could keep him out for the year," manager David Bell said of Lodolo. "That's the bottom line."

Lodolo further said that the sprain has been bothering him for most of the summer, dating back to when he developed a blister on his pitching finger.

Robberse (elbow) gave up one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three over three innings in a rehab start for Single-A Palm Beach on Tuesday.

According to MLB Pipeline, Robberse started dealing with elbow tightness in June and officially began his rehab assignment Aug. 13. The Dutch righty logged a 4.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 71.2 innings across 13 appearances for Triple-A Memphis before landing on the 7-day injured list June 18.

Ashcraft (forearm) threw a live batting practice session earlier this week and is expected to be activated from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Indianapolis later this week, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Ashcraft last pitched for Indianapolis in early July, so he will have missed nearly two months of action by the time he returns. The 24-year-old might have pushed for a major-league debut this season if he hadn't missed so much time, but he and the Pirates are likely now eyeing 2025.