MLB Player News

Single-A Kannapolis placed Schultz on its 7-day injured list Sunday with a left shoulder impingement, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Though Schultz's diagnosis of a shoulder impingement rather than a shoulder strain amounts to positive news, the injury could still be enough to keep the 20-year-old on the shelf for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. Schultz had previously missed the first two months of the season with a forearm strain before he was cleared to make his professional debut June 2. In 10 starts with Kannapolis, Schultz has compiled a 1.33 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 38:6 K:BB in 27 innings.

Means (elbow) struck out four and allowed one run on two hits and no walks in his rehab start Sunday with Double-A Bowie.

Making his third rehab start with Bowie, Means turned in his best effort yet. He upped his innings count and pitch count (57, 38 strikes) and was highly efficient, with the lone run he permitted being a solo home run. The lefty will likely require one or two more outings in the minors to get fully stretched out for a starter's workload before getting the green light to come off the 60-day injured list. The impending return of Means -- who had been Baltimore's unquestioned ace from 2019 through 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery last April -- should provide a boost to the current American League East leaders.

McKenzie (elbow) has yet to resume throwing off a mound but had increased his throwing distance off flat ground to 105 feet as of Thursday, MLB.com reports.

McKenzie appears to be only slightly behind Shane Bieber in their respective recoveries from elbow injuries, as Bieber has stretched out his throwing distance to 120 feet. Both pitchers are tracking toward returns from the 60-day injured list at some point in September, but any setback along the way would put McKenzie at risk of being shuttered for the remainder of the season. McKenzie is in the midst of his second IL stint of the season after he opened the campaign on the shelf while recovering from a right teres major muscle strain suffered late in spring training.

Bieber (elbow) extended his throwing distance off flat ground to 120 feet as of last Thursday, but he hasn't been cleared for mound work, MLB.com reports.

While Bieber appears to be making progress in his recovery from right elbow inflammation, he's moving slowly through his throwing program since initiating it Aug. 2. The Guardians maintain hope that Bieber will be ready to contribute at some point next month, but based on where he currently stands in his recovery from the elbow issue, he might not be ready to go when he's first eligible to return from the 60-day injured list Sept. 10.

St. Louis placed Liberatore on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with lower-back tightness, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Liberatore was scheduled to return to the Cardinals rotation Wednesday in Pittsburgh, but the back issue that arose in his previous start Aug. 16 didn't fully respond to a period of extra rest. The young left-hander has struggled to a 6.12 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 35:21 K:BB across 50 major-league innings this season.

Rodon (hamstring) was activated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.

The left-hander is set to rejoin the Yankees' rotation Tuesday versus the Nationals after spending the minimum 15 days on the IL with a strained left hamstring. Rodon did not make a rehab start, instead opting for a five-inning simulated game. Given how poorly he was pitching before the injury and perhaps less than a full workload on the docket, fantasy managers would be wise to keep Rodon benched for now, if possible.

Musgrove (shoulder) will play catch Friday, MLB.com reports.

It will be the first time he's done any throwing since he landed on the injured list at the beginning of the month with right shoulder capsule inflammation. Musgrove will require several flat-round sessions before being cleared for mound work, and whether he makes it back this season remains to be seen. "I know he's looking forward to it," Padres manager Bob Melvin said. "But we want to kind of push the brakes a little bit. ... It's not going to be an accelerated path forward. It's going to be several of those before he would even consider getting on a mound, so we're still a ways away."

Peterson did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.2 innings against Atlanta. He struck out four.

The 27-year-old southpaw endured yet another rough outing Monday, allowing a two-run double to Michael Harris and two solo home runs to Marcell Ozuna before exiting with two outs in the fifth inning. Peterson has failed to complete five innings in any of his three starts since rejoining the Mets' rotation on Aug. 9, posting a 5.25 ERA, 2.00 WHIP with a pedestrian 14:10 K:BB across 12 innings during that stretch. Assuming he gets another turn, Peterson is projected to face the Angels at home this weekend.

Winans was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

The transaction comes one day after Winans was roughed up for seven runs on nine hits and one walk over 4.1 innings in a spot start against the Mets. He had been a candidate to pick up another start over the weekend if things went well Monday, but Atlanta now needs his roster spot for bullpen reinforcement.

Shuster was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

Shuster will provide some immediate protection for the bullpen, but according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, he's also a candidate to draw a start Sunday in San Francisco, depending on how/if he's needed leading into the weekend. The rookie left-hander holds a 5.00 ERA and 25:22 K:BB over nine starts with Atlanta this season.