MLB Player News

Sanchez will be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start Wednesday's game against the Reds, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The Phillies will elect to give the starting rotation an extra day of rest with the home stretch of the regular season in sight, as Sanchez's spot start will push each member of the rotation back by a day. The southpaw's last outing dates back to July 10 against the Cardinals, when he surrendered two runs on two hits and one walk while fanning one over three innings.

Smyly (5-7) allowed just one run on four hits across seven innings but took the loss Monday against the Cardinals. He walked two and struck out six.

An Albert Pujols home run in the seventh inning was the only offense against Smyly, but it was enough to lead St. Louis to a 1-0 victory, as Jordan Montgomery outdueled Smyly with nine shutout innings. Despite the loss, Smyly still looked really good for the fourth game in a row. In those outings, the lefty has allowed just three earned runs across 24 innings, and he's struck out 23 against just five walks. The veteran has lowered his ERA to 3.47 in the process, and the good run has put Smyly back on the fantasy radar. He'll look to keep it rolling in his next scheduled start Saturday against the Brewers.

Lynch yielded three runs on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 frames against the White Sox on Monday. He failed to record a strikeout and did not factor in the decision.

Lynch worked through three shutout frames before the White Sox broke through with three runs in the fourth inning. The Royals would go on to win the game but the 25-year-old southpaw is still looking for his first win since Aug. 1. Lynch has given up three or fewer earned runs in eight of his last nine starts, registering a 3.25 ERA during that stretch. He'll carry a 4.58 ERA into his projected home matchup with the Padres this weekend.

German (2-2) secured the win after allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out three over 6.1 innings Monday against the Mets. He was struck in the right calf by a comebacker in the fourth inning and remained in the game, but he was spotted limping in the clubhouse after the victory, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

German stated after the game that he was already feeling a bit sore, but that he expects to feel better soon. He pitched well in the series opener, with his only earned run allowed coming on a Daniel Vogelbach homer in the top of the seventh. The team will likely re-evalute the right-hander over the next few days to determine if German can make his next scheduled start, which tentatively lines up for Sunday in Oakland.

Maeda (elbow) is expected to face hitters in live batting practice sessions beginning next Monday, MLB.com reports.

Maeda has been throwing bullpen sessions for the past few weeks, with his fastball typically sitting around 87-to-90 miles per hour in those workouts. He's also incorporating his other pitches into those sessions and looks like he'll be ready to take the next step forward in his throwing progression early next week. Maeda underwent a Tommy John surgery Sept. 1 of last year that involved the insertion of an internal brace to his elbow, a modification that he believes will reduce the recovery timeline typically associated with the procedure. If he's able to make it back in September as he hopes, Maeda will likely be used out of the bullpen.

Ober (groin) was scheduled to face hitters in a live batting practice session Monday, MLB.com reports.

The live session represents a step forward in the rehab process for Ober, who has been throwing full-effort bullpen sessions featuring all of his pitches over the past couple of weeks. The Twins remain optimistic that Ober will be able to return from the 60-day injured list at some point in September, but it's unclear if he'll have enough time to properly build up for a starting role with the big club. Given that he's been sidelined since June 1 with the right groin strain, Ober will likely need to make multiple minor-league rehab appearances prior to being activated.

Woodford will start Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cubs, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Woodford figures to serve as an opener in this one, as he hasn't pitched more than 1.2 innings since June 4 against the Cubs. The right-hander owns a 2.66 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with a 13:8 K:BB across 23.2 innings so far this season.

Kershaw (back) threw a three-inning simulated game at Dodger Stadium on Monday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Kershaw took another step forward by facing batters on his home mound. Skipper Dave Roberts has already noted that the southpaw will not go down to the minors for a rehab assignment, and assuming Kershaw is feeling fine after Monday's outing, the plan is for him to toss a four-inning sim game Saturday in Miami, per Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA. After that, Kershaw would be cleared to return at the beginning of September if all is well with his back.

Butto was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday.

Butto was knocked around Sunday in his major-league debut, so the Mets decided to return him to Syracuse for the time being. He is one of the club's top prospects, so he figures to be back in the big leagues at some point, either this season or next.

Hendricks disclosed Monday that he's recovering from a capsular tear in his right shoulder and won't return from the 15-day injured this season, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Hendricks wasn't believed to be dealing with any structural damage in his shoulder after being diagnosed with a strain in early July, but he apparently did suffer a tear that "stems from a chronic issue, rather than happening on one pitch," according to Montemurro. The veteran right-hander isn't expected to need surgery to recover from the injury, and he will report to the Cubs' spring training facility in Arizona to get in some strengthening work in over the next 2-to-4 weeks. Since his focus at this stage is getting healthy for spring training, the non-contending Cubs won't push him to make a late-season return from the IL.