MLB Player News

Rutledge has gone exactly six innings in each of his last five starts for Double-A Harrisburg, logging a 2.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 30 innings.

Given that Rutledge has a middling 14.7 K-BB% and a similarly mediocre 35.9 percent groundball rate, it's hard to project a high ceiling for the 6-foot-8 righty. The No. 17 overall pick in 2019, Rutledge had only two-thirds of an inning above Single-A under his belt coming into the year, so it's encouraging that he is having success while going deep into games in the upper levels of the minors.

Kloffenstein has a 2.31 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 35 innings across seven starts for Double-A New Hampshire.

The 6-foot-5 righty was a prospect of note several years ago before logging a WHIP north of 1.55 in over 100 innings in both 2021 and 2022. However, at 22, Kloffenstein is age-appropriate for Double-A. He has been even more impressive over just his last five starts, during which he has a 1.29 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 28 innings. His sinker has topped out around 95 mph this year, so there may not be as much upside as his stats indicate, but Kloffenstein's 55.8 percent groundball rate is a strong mark, and he could someday pitch in the middle or back of a big-league rotation.

DeSclafani (toe) is scheduled to start Friday's game against the Marlins in San Francisco, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants' decision to move Sean Manaea to the bullpen earlier in the week supported the notion that the right toe issue that bothered DeSclafani during his most recent outing last Saturday in Arizona wouldn't be anything that forced him to miss a turn through the rotation. Through eight outings this season, DeSclafani has churned out a 3.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 35:5 K:BB across 50 innings.

Schultz (forearm) will throw live batting practice Friday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

It will be the second live BP session Schultz has thrown since he went down with a left forearm strain in spring training. Once healthy, the young southpaw will likely be assigned to rookie ball.

Flexen, who fired three scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout in a loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday, has yet to be scored upon in seven frames across four appearances since moving to the bullpen.

Wednesday's efficient 29-pitch outing marked Flexen's second-most voluminous relief appearance in that regard, as he'd thrown 43 pitches in just two innings against Toronto in his bullpen debut April 30. The one-time starter has issued just one free pass and scattered seven hits over his stint as a reliever thus far, and his versatility should continue to afford him multi-inning assignments that may occasionally allow him to qualify for a hold or decision.

Stripling exited his start Wednesday versus the Phillies in the fourth inning due to low-back tightness, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Given Stripling's worked out of the bullpen for parts of the season, seeing him fail to complete four innings wouldn't have been out of the ordinary. It's unclear at this time if he'll be able to make his next start on the road versus Minnesota next week. If Stripling is unavailable, Sean Manaea would likely temporarily rejoin the rotation in his place.

Bassitt didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 2-0 extra-inning win over the Yankees, scattering three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

The right-hander dazzled once again, as Bassitt didn't allow a runner to get past second base as he extended his scoreless streak to 27 innings -- he hasn't let a runner cross the plate since the first inning of an April 30 outing against the Mariners. Bassitt tossed 66 of 97 pitches for strikes while delivering his seventh quality start of the season, and he'll take a 3.05 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 48:23 K:BB through 56 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is likely to come early next week in Tampa Bay.

The Rays recalled Bradley from Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Bradley will return to the big club to start Thursday's series finale against the Mets at Citi Field. The young right-hander posted a 3.52 ERA and 23:2 K:BB over 15.1 innings covering three starts for Tampa Bay earlier this season. He's struggled since returning to Durham, but Bradley nonetheless warrants being rostered in the majority of fantasy formats. He will have a shot to remain in the Rays rotation for the duration of the season.

Cole didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 3-0 extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays, allowing seven hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out six.

The veteran right-hander was dominant for 104 pitches (70 strikes), generating 30 called or swinging strikes en route to his seventh quality start in 10 outings, but Chris Bassitt matched him goose egg for goose egg and the game was eventually left in the hands of the bullpens. Cole remains undefeated on the year at 5-0 and will take a 2.01 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 68:20 K:BB through 62.2 innings into his next start, which is likely to come early next week at home against the Orioles.

Cabrera left Wednesday's win over the Nationals after only 79 pitches due to a blister developing on his right middle finger, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

The right-hander was putting together his best performance of the season, giving up two runs on five hits over five innings with six strikeouts to record his third win. It was the first time in his career Cabrera had lasted at least five innings without walking a batter, making the early exit that much tougher to swallow. He generated 18 swinging strikes, including nine against his changeup. "There were a lot of lefties in the lineup," Cabrera said after the game. "The plan was to attack them with the changeup inside, the curveball outside and the fastball up. That was the plan, and it worked today." Cabrera's next turn in the rotation is set to come early next week in Coors Field, so his fantasy GMs will likely be rooting for the blister to cause the Marlins to skip him, or at least delay his next outing until the team leaves Colorado.