MLB Player News

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that Flaherty (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session in St. Louis this weekend and could be cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as next week, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty was shut down with the strained right shoulder June 27 and was transferred to the 60-day injured list a couple weeks later, but Marmol said Thursday that he remains hopeful the Cardinals ace can return when first eligible in the final week of August. Before the Cardinals map out a rehab assignment that will likely consist of at least two starts in the minors, Flaherty will first have to escape his upcoming bullpen session without any setbacks. Since Flaherty and Steven Matz (knee) are both weeks away from potential returns, the Cardinals made addressing their rotation depth a priority ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline and ultimately swung deals with the Pirates and Yankees to acquire Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery, respectively.

Whitley (arm) is scheduled to make an appearance Thursday for Triple-A Sugar Land, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Though Whitley was never placed on Sugar Land's injured list, he hadn't pitched for the affiliate since July 10 due to inflammation of his right biceps. The Astros were apparently satisfied with how Whitley checked out during his recent throwing sessions, so he'll be able to slot back into the Sugar Land rotation without the need of a rehab assignment at a lower-level affiliate. Expect Whitley to be capped at around two innings in his first outing in nearly a month.

Houser (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville this weekend, with his first start coming Saturday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Per McCalvy, Houser is scheduled to pitch just two innings Saturday, so he'll likely require at least one or two additional rehab outings to get stretched back out to a normal starter's workload. With Freddy Peralta (lat) making his return from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Milwaukee will have its Opening Day rotation back to full strength whenever Houser is deemed ready to go. Though Aaron Ashby (4.13 ERA, 1.45 WHIP in 80.2 innings) has performed marginally better than Houser (4.72 ERA, 1.48 WHIP in 76.1 innings) this season, the Brewers' desire to manage Ashby's workload should help Houser's case for reclaiming the No. 5 starter's role.

Bassitt (8-7) earned the win against the Nationals on Wednesday, allowing zero runs on six hits while striking out four and walking one over seven innings.

Bassitt was lights out Wednesday, throwing 70 of 94 pitches for strikes across seven frames. Despite allowing six hits and a walk, he was able to keep the Nats off the board. This was Bassitt's seventh quality start in his last eight appearances. Over that span, the righty has lowered his ERA from 4.01 to 3.61.

Strider does not have an innings cap this season, and Atlanta has no immediate plans to shift him back to the bullpen despite the addition of Jake Odorizzi at the trade deadline, Maria Torres and David O'Brien of The Athletic report.

Strider has been spectacular as a rookie this season, posting a 3.02 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 96:21 K:BB through only 62.2 innings since moving into the rotation in late May. The 23-year-old righty tossed 96.1 innings across all levels in 2021 and is quickly approaching that figure this season, causing concerns about his workload, but as yet he isn't showing any signs of fatigue and Atlanta has no intention of removing him from the rotation until it seems necessary. Odorizzi does give the club some insurance in case Strider or another young pitcher falters down the stretch, but for now the veteran hurler will work as a sixth starter and swing man.

Anderson will remain in the rotation despite Atlanta's addition of Jake Odorizzi at the trade deadline, Maria Torres and David O'Brien of The Athletic report.

Anderson has struggled this season, posting a 4.99 ERA and 1.50 WHIP through 20 starts and 101 innings, but for now Odorizzi is viewed as a sixth starter and a swing man, not a replacement for the 24-year-old right-hander. Anderson has also been a little more consistent of late, allowing two runs or fewer runs in four of his last five outings, although the fifth start featured a seven-run implosion against the Angels. Should he regress again down the stretch, manager Brian Snitker could well swap roles between the two, but for now Anderson will stay on turn.

Junk is slated to start Thursday's game against the Athletics in Anaheim.

With Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) on the injured list and Noah Syndergaard having recently been dealt to the Phillies, Junk looks as though he could have a decent amount of leash in the Angels' six-man rotation if he continues to perform well. The right-hander impressed in his first start of the season with the Halos last week in Kansas City, spinning five shutout innings and striking out eight while allowing four hits and one walk.

Morton didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Phillies, allowing three hits and a walk over 6.2 scoreless innings. He struck out eight.

The veteran right-hander was in vintage form, generating 18 swinging strikes among his 101 pitches and exiting the game with Atlanta holding a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, Morton was denied his sixth win of the year when Collin McHugh imploded in the eighth inning. Morton has delivered six quality starts in his last nine outings, posting a masterful 2.40 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 68:17 K:BB through 56.1 innings over that stretch.

Urquidy (10-4) earned the win against Boston on Wednesday, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out 10 and walking none over seven innings.

Urquidy was impressive Wednesday, throwing 70 of 97 pitches for strikes across seven frames and limiting Boston to just three baserunners thanks to a single, a double and a hit batter. Urquidy has put together a streak of nine quality starts dating back to June 14. During that span, the righty has gone 5-1 and lowered his ERA from 4.99 to 3.62.

Hill (4-5) took the loss to the Astros on Wednesday, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out one and walking three over three innings.

Hill threw 40 of 58 pitches for strikes across three frames and allowed four runs thanks to a groundout, a sac fly and a two-run homer. The veteran lefty has not been sharp this year and has especially struggled in his past eight outings with a 5.12 ERA.