MLB Player News

The Cardinals optioned Mathews to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.

Mathews had a decent major-league debut last week in Toronto, allowing two runs with a 3:3 K:BB over five innings. With Hunter Dobbins replacing Dustin May in the Cardinals' rotation, Mathews will head back to Memphis for the time being. However, he is a good bet to make additional starts down the stretch for the big club.

Atlanta released Gomber on Monday.

Gomber will part ways with an organization for the second time this season, as the Rangers previously released him from a minor-league deal back in May. The veteran southpaw inked a minor-league pact with Atlanta shortly thereafter and went on to submit a 4.81 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 34:14 K:BB over 48.2 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Verlander (hamstring/hip) has been playing catch daily, but he has yet to be cleared to resume throwing off a mound, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

While he hasn't been shut down from throwing, Verlander has been building back up slowly since sustaining a left hamstring strain in his most recent bullpen session June 17. The Tigers will have more room in their crowded rotation after dealing away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize ahead of Monday's trade deadline, but Verlander may need to get back on a mound by the middle of August to have a realistic shot at getting stretched back out enough to handle a traditional starting role by the time he returns from the 60-day injured list. Verlander has already announced that he will retire at the end of the season, so the Tigers might be willing to let the franchise icon make some abbreviated starts down the stretch as a final sendoff, especially if they're out of playoff contention.

Glasnow (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Ontario on Tuesday.

Glasnow has gone almost a full two months without making a start, but he's finally ready to pitch in games again following a longer-than-expected recovery from lower-back spasms. Given the length of his absence, Glasnow is likely to require at least 2-to-3 rehab outings before he's ready to be re-inserted into the Dodgers rotation later this month.

Clarke (arm) was activated from High-A Peoria's 60-day injured list Tuesday.

Clarke had surgery in January to address an aneurysm in his left arm, delaying his season debut until mid-July. In four rehab outings, the lefty permitted five runs (four earned) with a 10:7 K:BB over 7.1 innings. Clarke has electric stuff, but he'll need to improve his control and durability to reach his immense ceiling.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Peralta will start Tuesday's game against the Rockies at Coors Field, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

Acquired from the Mets on Sunday in a four-player deal, Peralta will be called upon to make his Rays debut two days later, stepping into the rotation spot that previously belonged to the injured Shane McClanahan (back). Though Peralta had labored to a 4.99 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 113:48 K:BB in 113.2 innings with New York, the Rays are optimistic that their coaching staff can coax better results from the two-time All-Star. A strong finish to the campaign could set up the 30-year-old righty for a lucrative payday this offseason, when he'll hit free agency for the first time in his career.

Franklin was promoted from High-A Peoria to Double-A Springfield on Tuesday.

Franklin had been on a roll in his last four starts with Peoria, logging a 1.83 ERA and 28:2 K:BB over 19.2 innings. The hard-throwing righty can lose the strike zone on occasion -- he's sporting a 10.3 percent walk rate for the season -- but Franklin has emerged as one of the Cardinals' better pitching prospects as he transitions from college reliever to minor-league starter.

Wesneski is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays in Houston.

After completing his recovery from May 2025 Tommy John surgery and finishing up a five-start rehab assignment, Wesneski returned from the 60-day injured list last Wednesday and stepped into the Houston rotation. He picked up a win in his 2026 debut, limiting the Angels to three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 5.2 innings. With Houston dealing away Spencer Arrighetti (foot) on Monday and recently shifting Tatsuya Imai to the bullpen, Wesneski should have a fair amount of security in the rotation over the rest of the season if he performs capably.

Dobbins is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Yankees in New York, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Though they still had five starters in place even after dealing Dustin May to the Brewers on Monday, the Cardinals appear set to at least temporarily expand the rotation to six men with the addition of Dobbins, who was recalled from Triple-A Memphis in the aftermath of the trade deadline. Dobbins has previously made four starts and three relief appearances for St. Louis, going 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 32:11 K:BB across 33.2 innings.

Littell is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Carson Palmquist during Tuesday's game in Philadelphia, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Though he started in his last appearance Wednesday against the Blue Jays and tossed 4.2 scoreless frames, Littell has performed much better as a primary pitcher out of the bullpen throughout the season. Over his eight relief appearances, Littell has logged a 2.79 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 38.2 frames. Palmquist will likely cover between one and three innings to begin Tuesday's contest before Littell takes over.