MLB Player News

Steele (elbow) will throw from flat ground and then toss 20 pitches off a mound Saturday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Steele has been sidelined all season, first as he continued his recovery from UCL revision surgery and later after suffering a flexor strain in April. The left-hander will not have enough time to get stretched out as a starting pitcher this season, but a return late in the year as a reliever is possible.

The Cubs recalled Kelly from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Kelly has logged a 4.02 ERA and 44:26 K:BB over 40.1 frames at the Triple-A level this season. The left-hander was acquired via trade from the Dodgers in June and will be making his major-league debut when he gets into a game.

Mize will no longer start Friday's game against the Athletics as a precaution with the trade deadline looming, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

There's no trade in place at this point, but Detroit will go with a bullpen game Friday just to be safe. The Tigers are listing Mize as their probable starter for Tuesday's game in Seattle, but the pending free agent is likely to be traded before then. Mize has authored a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 85:19 K:BB over 86.2 innings covering 16 outings this season.

The Phillies will recall Painter from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to pitch Friday in Baltimore, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear whether it will be a traditional start or some other arrangement, but the 23-year-old will get another chance in the majors. Painter was sent down to Triple-A in mid-June after logging a 7.06 ERA in 65 innings for the Phillies. He's pitched well in four of five outings at Lehigh Valley though, and he's allowed three runs with a 14:1 K:BB across 11 frames in his last two starts.

Vasquez covered 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Giants, striking out a batter while allowing three hits and one walk.

Vasquez got the start in his previous appearance but worked in tandem with JP Sears, pitching the first 2.2 innings before the lefty came on to cover the next 3.1 frames. The two essentially swapped roles Thursday, with Sears starting and yielding three earned runs over 3.2 innings before Vasquez entered in the top of the fifth to mop up. Sears and Vasquez may end up piggybacking again the next time through the rotation Tuesday in Arizona, though the makeup of the San Diego pitching staff could change by Monday's trade deadline.

Marquez is likely to work multiple innings in relief behind opener Bradgley Rodriguez in Friday's game against the Giants, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.

Rodriguez has covered exactly one inning in each of his previous three starts this season, so he'll likely be in line to work the opening frame again Friday before the Padres turn the game over to the bullpen. Marquez will be available on six days' rest and should be capable of providing some length after starting each of his last four appearances. He went 1-0 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB in 14.1 innings during that stretch.

Whisenhunt is slated to start Friday's game against the Padres in San Diego.

Whisenhunt will receive a second turn through the rotation after he took the loss last Sunday against the Angels, striking out seven and allowing four earned runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. With Trevor McDonald (elbow) and Hayden Birdsong (elbow) done for the season and Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle both candidates to be dealt ahead of Monday's trade deadline, Whisenhunt should have a fairly clear path to sticking around in the rotation.

Springs (hip) is listed as the Athletics' probable starting pitcher for Friday's game against the Tigers in Sacramento.

The left-hander exited his previous start Sunday midway through the second inning due to right hip discomfort, but he was apparently able to navigate his between-starts throwing program without issue. Returning to the bump at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park, Springs won't be a recommended lineup option in the majority of fantasy leagues. He hasn't delivered a quality start since May 17 and has gone 0-6 with an 8.82 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in his last 11 outings.

Rodon (elbow) threw a "two up" session of about 30 pitches that went well Wednesday, and manager Aaron Boone said it's unclear if he'll next make a minor-league rehab start, MLB.com reports.

Rodon seems to be progressing well from the left elbow inflammation that has kept him sidelined for over a month. The veteran lefty is likely to need a rehab assignment before being activated from the IL, but for now it's uncertain if Rodon will complete additional live throwing sessions before logging game action. The hope continues to be that Rodon will be back in the big-league rotation at some point in August.

Woo (7-8) took the loss against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out eight batters over five innings.

The big blow against Woo was a three-run homer by Dalton Rushing in the fourth inning. Beyond that, the right-handed hurler pitched pretty well, racking up 17 whiffs among his 91 total pitches. Woo finished with eight punchouts -- his most since June 18 -- but he's taken two straight losses, giving up exactly five runs in exactly five frames in both defeats. He'll carry a disappointing 4.56 ERA into his next start, which lines up to be a home matchup against Detroit.