MLB Player News

Cleveland activated Battenfield (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Friday and optioned him to Triple-A Columbus.

Battenfield is recovered from right shoulder inflammation that sent him to the IL back in mid-May, but the Guardians will stash him at Columbus for now. The 25-year-old allowed seven earned runs and tallied only one strikeout over 7.1 innings in his latest rehab start this past Sunday at Triple-A.

Fried (forearm) was activated from the 60-day injured list Friday ahead of his start against the Cubs.

Fried has been on the shelf since May 9 with a left forearm strain. He built up to 79 pitches in his most recent rehab outing, so Fried should be able to go deep enough to qualify for the win in this one if he is pitching well. The 6-foot-4 lefty gave up five earned runs and struck out 13 over 12 innings across four rehab appearances in July.

Liberatore (1-4) took the loss Thursday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Twins. He struck out one.

Most of the damage against Liberatore came in the second inning when the Twins tagged him for four runs on a pair of homers. The 23-year-old left-hander's ERA is now up to 6.93 with a 1.78 WHIP and 23:18 K:BB across nine starts (37.2 innings) this season. Liberatore still offers some upside and figures to remain in the Cardinals' rotation following the trades of Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery. However, he's too risky to even be a streaming option in most fantasy formats.

Cavalli has begun lifting weights and working on his flexibility as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery in March, Damon Brooks Jr. of The Washington Post reports. "I've been doing a little bit of bench presses, biceps and triceps extensions and curls, just developing that muscle back and adding strength," Cavalli said this week.

The right-hander only recently regained full range of motion in his arm, and he remains on track to get back on a mound in 2024. The rebuilding Nationals will have little incentive to rush Cavalli back into action, but he figures to join the big-league rotation at some point in the first half next season. The 24-year-old got hit hard in his first career MLB start in August 2022, but he posted a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB through 97 innings for Triple-A Rochester last year and is still viewed as a future pillar of the pitching staff alongside Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore.

Singer (7-8) earned the win Thursday, allowing three hits and zero walks over eight scoreless innings in a 9-2 victory over the Mets. He struck out four.

The right-hander retired the last 11 batters he faced in the contest and has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in three consecutive outings, lowering his ERA on the season to 5.10. The three hits were also the fewest Singer has allowed since his first start of the year back on April 3.

Carrasco (3-6) took the loss Thursday, allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk over six innings against the Royals.

Carrasco allowed one run in the first inning but really began to struggle with his command in the third, when he gave up a leadoff single, threw a wild pitch and then surrendered a homer to Bobby Witt. He would give up another three runs in the seventh after allowing back-to-back singles to open the frame, followed by a three-run shot from Drew Waters. The 36-year-old right-hander has now allowed six runs in back-to-back starts and at least four runs in four straight. He also failed to record a strikeout Thursday for the first time this season.

Toussaint (1-4) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks over 5.1 innings against Texas. He struck out nine.

Toussaint allowed runs in the second, third and fourth innings, with the latter two coming off home runs from Mitch Garver and Marcus Semien. The right-hander was then relieved by Aaron Bummer after surrendering a leadoff walk in the sixth, but not before recording a season-high nine strikeouts on the afternoon. Toussaint had allowed just two home runs all season coming in, while Thursday's outing marked the third time in his last four starts he's issued four walks.

Sears (2-8) took the loss against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters over five innings.

Of the six hits Sears allowed, five went for extra bases, but the Dodgers managed to score just twice while he was in the game. Despite keeping Oakland in the contest, the left-hander got little run support and took his eighth loss of the season. Sears has been better than his record indicates-- his 4.07 ERA is far from disastrous, and he's posted seven quality starts across 22 outings -- but such is the fate of a starting pitcher on one of the league's worst offensive teams. Wins aren't likely to start coming in abundance for Sears, but he's not entirely off the fantasy radar, as he's provided some positive stats this season. For instance, his 1.08 WHIP ranks 10th among qualified MLB pitchers, ahead of more heralded hurlers such as Logan Webb, Zac Gallen and Spencer Strider.

Sheehan earned a save against the Athletics on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out three batters over four innings.

In Sheehan's first big-league appearance out of the bullpen, he piggybacked with starter Julio Urias, who was limited to five frames due to a recent fingernail issue. Sheehan gave up a pair of solo homers but kept Oakland at arm's length, tossing 56 pitches over the game's final four innings to record a save. The rookie right-hander worked as a starter for each of his first seven big-league appearances, but Thursday's outing may be a signal that he's no longer needed in that role with the Dodgers' recent acquisitions of Lance Lynn and Ryan Yarbrough and the looming return of Clayton Kershaw (shoulder).

Urias (8-6) earned the win over Oakland on Thursday, pitching five scoreless innings during which he allowed three hits and one walk while striking out five batters.

Urias was originally slated to start Tuesday in the series opener, but the outing was pushed back due to a split nail on his pitching hand. Per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, manager Dave Roberts indicated prior to the contest that he didn't expect the left-handed hurler to go more than five frames, and that's exactly how things played out with Urias departing after five innings despite having thrown just 68 pitches. Though that kept him from notching a quality start, it didn't prevent Urias from picking up a victory to improve to 8-6. Assuming he emerges from the outing without a setback, Urias should be able to go deeper in his next outing, which tentatively lines up to come in Arizona early next week.