MLB Player News

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Sunday that Matz (lat) remains week-to-week and "probably" won't pitch again this season, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Matz landed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 14 with a left lat strain and has yet to resume throwing. While the Cardinals haven't indicated that his lat strain is serious enough to require surgery, the team won't look to rush back a historically injury-prone pitcher in the midst of a non-contending season. Assuming Matz remains shut down, he'll finish his second season in St. Louis with a 4-7 record, 3.86 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 98:32 K:BB over 105 innings. He'll head into the 2024 campaign with two seasons remaining on the four-year, $44 million deal he signed in November 2021.

Singer (arm) remains on the paternity list but could be activated during the upcoming week to start Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The Royals have already confirmed Cole Ragans and Jordan Lyles as their starters for their games Monday and Wednesday, respectively, making Tuesday the likely target for Singer's return to the rotation. Prior to being placed on the paternity list Friday, Singer hadn't pitched since Aug. 25 due to a bout of right arm fatigue, but he hasn't been shut down from throwing. Rogers notes that Singer was scheduled to complete a bullpen session Sunday, so assuming he checks out fine following the throwing workout, he should be ready to start Tuesday.

Smith-Shawver (shoulder) was reinstated from Triple-A Gwinnett's 7-day injured list Sunday and recorded two outs while allowing one run on one hit and three walks in his start during the affiliate's 6-5 win over Louisville.

After being placed on Gwinnett's IL on Aug. 23 with right shoulder inflammation, Smith-Shawver returned in close to the minimum seven days, but he didn't look sharp Sunday. He spotted just 12 of his 31 pitches for strikes before being pulled from the contest midway through the first inning. Gwinnett may have planned on having Smith-Shawver handle a light workload in his first start back from the IL, so his early exit Sunday isn't necessarily indicative of a setback with his shoulder.

Cabrera could be called up from Triple-A Jacksonville to start Wednesday's game against the Dodgers in Miami, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The Marlins appear set to break in a new member of the rotation this week, as Miami has already confirmed Jesus Luzardo (Tuesday) and Braxton Garrett (Thursday) as starting pitchers for two of its games against Los Angeles while having yet to name a starter for the middle game of the series. Assuming the Marlins don't opt to treat Wednesday's game as a bullpen day, Cabrera would seemingly be the top candidate to fill the opening. Since being optioned to the minors Aug. 1, Cabrera has shown improved command over his five starts with Jacksonville, accruing a 2.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 30:12 K:BB while allowing just two home runs in 28.1 innings.

High-A Hickory reinstated Bratt (undisclosed) from its 7-day injured list Friday.

In his first appearance for Hickory since July 14 after he had been sidelined for six weeks with the unspecified injury, Bratt made an abbreviated start Friday against Greensboro, covering 1.2 scoreless innings and striking out three while yielding one hit and one walk. Over 15 starts for Hickory on the season, Bratt owns a 3.72 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 68:17 K:BB across 58 innings.

Richardson is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Mariners in Cincinnati, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Richardson hasn't been especially impressive over three starts in the big leagues this season (6.75 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 9:11 K:BB in 12 innings), but he'll get another turn through the rotation this week after the Reds recently moved Graham Ashcraft (toe) to the 15-day injured list and placed three others (Hunter Greene, Brandon Williamson and Ben Lively) on the COVID-19-related IL. Greene, Lively and Williamson are all eligible to return by next weekend, so Richardson could end up losing his starting role following Wednesday's outing.

Eovaldi (forearm) completed a bullpen session Sunday and could be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Astros, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers have confirmed only Andrew Heaney as a starter for their crucial three-game series with Houston that begins Monday, with starters for Tuesday and Wednesday having yet to be announced. Eovaldi and Max Scherzer (forearm) seem to be tentatively penciled in for the latter two outings, however, after the two hurlers both completed side sessions Sunday. The Rangers will likely check back in with both Eovaldi and Scherzer on Monday before finalizing their plans for the final two games of the series. Assuming Eovaldi checks out fine Monday and is activated to start Tuesday, he could be on a restricted pitch count, given that he hasn't made an appearance for the Rangers since July 18 and didn't complete a minor-league rehab assignment beforehand.

Gore (personal) isn't expected to be activated from the bereavement list until at least Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Gore was placed on the bereavement list last Thursday and can remain away from the team for anywhere from 3-to-7 days. Prior to being deactivated, the young southpaw had been lined up to make his next start Tuesday against the Mets, but Washington is no longer expecting him back for that game. The Nationals are listing Patrick Corbin and Joan Adon as their starters for their two-game set with the Mets, leaving next weekend's series with the Dodgers as the more likely target date for Gore's return to the rotation.

Buehler (elbow) struck out two over two perfect innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Buehler tossed 24 pitches (15 strikes) en route to retiring the side in the first and second innings. According to J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News, Buehler's fastball sat between 93 and 96 miles per hour in the first inning, and he was able to mix in a cutter, slider, sinker and curveball to complement the heater. Per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Buehler will likely need at least two more rehab starts prior to being activated from the 60-day injured list, making mid-to-late September the target for his 2023 debut with the Dodgers.

Gray did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks over four innings against the Marlins. He struck out two.

Gray's struggles continued early Sunday as he allowed three runs in the opening inning, including two on a pair of bases-loaded walks. While the 25-year-old Gray ultimately blanked the Marlins over his final three innings, his ERA is now up to 8.49 over his last five starts. Overall, he's 7-11 with a 4.13 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 122:75 K:BB across 27 starts (141.2 innings) this season. Gray's currently in line to face Pittsburgh in his next outing, though the Nats could elect to give him some extra rest between starts.