MLB Player News

Ashby (shoulder) is expected to begin playing catch in the coming days, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Ashby has been shut down since landing on the injured list, retroactive to Aug. 20. While he'll have more work to do prior to his return, it's a positive step that he'll be able to engage in his first activity since being sidelined.

Rodriguez (lat) threw 1.1 scoreless innings while walking two and striking out one in a rehab outing with High-A Aberdeen on Thursday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rodriguez appeared in game action for the first time since June 1, so it makes sense that he wasn't pushed in terms of workload. However, he was spotted throwing in the bullpen after the outing to continue to build up his pitch count. It's unclear what Baltimore has planned for Rodriguez, though it's possible he makes his big-league debut as a reliever so long as the team remains in wild-card contention.

Brown had his contract selected by the Astros on Thursday.

The 24-year-old has a 2.55 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 134:45 K:BB over 106 innings with Triple-A Sugar Land this year and will now receive his first taste of the big leagues. Brown has primarily worked as a starter in the minors but is likely to fill a multi-inning role out of the bullpen for Houston down the stretch.

Wells (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment at High-A Aberdeen on Friday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Wells threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday and will face hitters in a rehab appearance to close out the week. The Orioles haven't yet decided whether the right-hander will return as a starter or reliever, but he's closing in on his return from the IL regardless of what role he'll ultimately fills once activated.

Eovaldi (shoulder) threw recently but isn't progressing as quickly as the team had hoped, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Eovaldi threw a bullpen session Monday and was expected to face hitters soon, but the Red Sox seem to be slowing his rehab process due to his lack of progress in recent days. It's not yet clear when the right-hander will ultimately be able to face hitters, but it's still possible that he rejoins Boston's rotation at some point in September.

Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Martinez accepted an 85-game suspension, retroactive to June 19, for violating the league's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Out of baseball since being released from his minor-league deal with the Red Sox in mid-May, Martinez had recently finished serving an 80-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drugs policy. Since his latest ban is retroactive to June 19, the 30-year-old Martinez should be eligible to compete again early in the 2023 season, but the nature of his latest ban in addition to his stark downturn in performance on the mound over the past few years makes it unlikely that he'll get another opportunity in affiliated ball.

Houck (back) was shut down from throwing Thursday, and manager Alex Cora isn't sure if the right-hander will return by the end of the season, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Houck was scheduled to throw live batting practice Tuesday, but that session was scratched due to lingering back soreness, and he's now been shut down entirely. It doesn't sound as though the 26-year-old has experienced a setback, but he's clearly not fully recovered from the disc issue that landed him on the injured list nearly a month ago. Even if Houck is able to return this season, he's likely to be out until late September. Garrett Whitlock, John Schreiber and Matt Barnes should continue to split save chances for the Red Sox.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Thursday that Strasburg (ribs) "feels a little bit better" than he did since landing on the injured list June 13, but the right-hander has yet to resume throwing, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Martinez wasn't willing to officially rule Strasburg out for the season, but the 34-year-old's lack of recent throwing activity along with the Nationals' status as a non-contender makes it highly unlikely that the three-time All-Star will pitch again in 2022. At this stage, Martinez noted that Strasburg is focusing on strengthening his shoulder since being diagnosed with a stress reaction of his ribs two and a half months ago, according to Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com. Since Strasburg won't require another procedure to address his latest injury after he previously underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery last July, the Nationals are seemingly optimistic that he'll be a full participant for the start of spring training.

Gonsolin isn't progressing as quickly as the Dodgers had hoped in his recovery from a forearm strain, and manager Dave Roberts said the right-hander will undergo an MRI on Friday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Roberts was careful to note that Gonsolin hasn't suffered a setback since being placed on the injured list Monday, but the 28-year-old All-Star was unable to do any light throwing over the past couple days as had been originally planned. The MRI should shed more light on a potential return date for Gonsolin, but for the time being, Roberts is optimistic the right-hander will miss only two turns through the rotation, according to Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA.

Soroka (Achilles) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

The 25-year-old made his last rehab start with Gwinnett on Aug. 27 and gave up four runs over 4.2 innings while throwing 75 pitches, and he'll remain with the affiliate now that he's been fully cleared. Soroka figures to make his season debut for Atlanta at some point down the stretch, but for now he'll stick at Triple-A.