MLB Player News

Medical imaging revealed an injury to Woodruff's right anterior shoulder capsule Wednesday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Woodruff landed on the injured list Sunday with right shoulder inflammation -- an issue that has already caused the veteran righty to miss more than a month of action this year. However, his latest diagnosis is being described as a new injury, so there's no telling how long he may be on the shelf for. He's set to receive a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister -- the surgeon who performed Woodruff's 2023 shoulder surgery -- that will aid in determining his return timeline.

Steele (elbow) was cleared to begin ramping up his throwing program Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Steele began a throwing program in late June, and although he's started to increase the intensity of his throwing sessions, the Cubs will hold off on having him throw off a mound until the first week of August. The left-hander won't have enough time to build up and be available as a starter this year, but returning as a reliever late in the season isn't out of the question.

Ober (elbow) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Thursday's game versus the Guardians, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Ober has made two rehab starts, allowing a total of seven runs with a 6:0 K:BB over 8.1 innings. The big right-hander went five frames and tossed 76 pitches in his final rehab outing with Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday, so he should be prepared for close to a regular workload against Cleveland. Ober has been on the shelf since late May while nursing a right flexor strain.

The Cardinals selected Gastelum's contract from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.

Gastelum netted his first major-league promotion after logging a 2.27 ERA and 49:17 K:BB over 43.2 innings with Memphis. The righty was unscored upon in his last 18 appearances, authoring a 30:5 K:BB across 22.1 frames during that span.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough confirmed Wednesday that Junk (shin) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Thursday's game versus the Mariners, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Junk has been sidelined since late May with right shin bone inflammation, but he convinced the Marlins he was ready to go by yielding two runs with a 6:0 K:BB over 5.2 innings in two rehab starts with Triple-A Jacksonville. The right-hander threw 61 pitches in his last rehab outing, so Junk will be fairly limited from a workload perspective against Seattle.

The Red Sox promoted Mullins from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday.

Mullins is expected to make his Worcester debut with a start Wednesday in Game 1 or 2 of the club's doubleheader with Rochester, per Brendan Campbell of BloggingTheRedSox.com. Though the 25-year-old submitted a 5.85 ERA and 1.44 WHIP across 47.2 innings with Portland, he's been one of the Eastern League's most prolific strikeout artists this season, ranking second on the circuit with a 34.8 K%.

Whisenhunt joined the Giants' taxi squad Wednesday and could be formally recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to start Thursday's game against the Rockies in San Francisco, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Per Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area, manager Tony Vitello wouldn't fully commit to Whisenhunt joining the big-league rotation, but the skipper acknowledged that the southpaw is a candidate to make a start before the All-Star break. The Giants are currently listing Thursday's series opener as "TBA," so Whisenhunt would be a logical choice to slot into that spot while Robbie Ray, Tyler Mahle and Trevor McDonald all get pushed back a day in the schedule. Whisenhunt made his lone start of the season with the Giants back on June 17 in Atlanta, striking out two batters while allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over five innings. The 25-year-old owns a 4.42 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 82:37 K:BB over 77.1 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Verlander (hamstring/hip) announced Wednesday via social media that he will retire following the 2026 season.

Verlander addressed his playing future in a statement after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced earlier Wednesday that the 43-year-old had been named a "Legend Pick" for the 2026 All-Star Game. The veteran right-hander will be honored in Philadelphia next week after being selected to his 10th All-Star Game, but he won't be active for the exhibition while he remains on the 60-day injured list after sustaining a left hamstring injury during a June 17 bullpen session. Verlander -- who was placed on the shelf April 4 due to hip inflammation -- has since resumed playing catch, but he's without a clear timeline to return from the IL. He'll look to move past his injuries over the next few weeks and attempt to make at least a few more appearances for Detroit before the end of the season as he closes the book on a 21-year Hall-of-Fame career. Verlander is the majors' active leader in games started (556), wins (266) and strikeouts (3,554).

The Brewers optioned Gasser to their rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate Wednesday.

Gasser will be moved off the active roster after he was called up to serve as the Brewers' 27th man in Tuesday's doubleheader with the Cardinals. The southpaw started the second game of the twin bill, improving to 2-3 over his eight appearances on the season with Milwaukee after recording four strikeouts and limiting the Cardinals to two runs on four hits and one walk across a career-high 7.2 innings in the Brewers' 10-2 win. Though he's delivered sterling ratios over his last four starts with Milwaukee (2.52 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 21:5 K:BB in 25 innings), Gasser may have to wait a while for another opportunity in the big-league rotation. The Brewers recently lost Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) to the injured list, but Logan Henderson (back) will be reinstated from the IL on Thursday to bring the rotation back to five men.

The Cardinals optioned Dobbins to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.

As anticipated, Dobbins will move back to the minors after he was called up Tuesday to serve as the 27th man in the Cardinals' doubleheader with the Brewers. He started the second game of the twin bill, dropping to 1-1 over his five appearances on the season with St. Louis after he struck out four batters and allowed three earned runs on four hits and three walks across five innings in the Cardinals' 10-2 loss.