MLB Player News

Leiter (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Thursday will mark Leiter's first taste of game action since he underwent surgery on his right ankle in June. He's expected to make multiple starts in the minors before returning from the injured list, and the plan is for him to throw about 40-to-45 pitches during his first outing.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Wednesday that Meyer (neck) received a cortisone shot to relieve discomfort in the rib area, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Miami placed Meyer on the 15-day injured list July 20 due to a neck strain, but his rib has apparently also been bothering him and has delayed his ramp-up process. If the shot yields the desired effect and alleviates the pain, Meyer is expected to begin throwing shortly thereafter and gear up for a return from the IL. Assuming the Marlins plan on having Meyer prepare for a starting role prior to being activated, he'll still likely need at least a few weeks to build back up, so a return before the end of August could be ambitious.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Wednesday that Smith-Shawver is "on the cusp" of being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Smith-Shawver has been on the shelf for most of the season while recovering from June 2025 Tommy John surgery, but he was activated in late July and then sent to Gwinnett after making a lone 4.1-inning spot start for the big club. The right-hander has turned in a pair of strong starts since heading to Gwinnett, including a gem of an outing Tuesday in which he struck out seven over 5.1 scoreless frames while permitting just one baserunner. Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Weiss made it clear Wednesday that he prefers to keep a five-man rotation intact, so once Smith-Shawver gets called up, Atlanta will likely look to move two of Reynaldo Lopez (knee), Tyler Mahle, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Martin Perez to the bullpen.

The Blue Jays recalled Bloss from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday and placed him on the 60-day injured list while he recovers from a right teres major strain, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The transaction clears a spot on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster for the addition of waiver claim Paul Sewald. Bloss had been shelved at Triple-A for the past month due to the injury, and while he should be ready to go for the start of the 2027 season, he's not expected to pitch again in 2026, per MLB.com.

Astros manager Joe Espada said that Blanco will be available out of the bullpen for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Blanco has struggled to the tune of a 6.98 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB over 19.1 innings while starting in his first four appearances since coming off the 60-day injured list July 20. The Astros will have reliever Bryan King open Wednesday's game and presumably cover an inning or two, but it's unclear if Espada intends to use Blanco or Tatsuya Imai in bulk relief, or if both pitchers will be called upon to eat innings. If Blanco ends up going unused Wednesday, he could step back into the rotation at some point during this weekend's series versus the Mariners.

Quintana (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Quintana most recently tossed a 23-pitch bullpen session Sunday that consisted of all fastballs and changeups. The veteran southpaw -- who has been on the shelf since May 25 due to an elbow sprain -- could soon be cleared to face hitters and appears to be tracking toward a return to the Rockies' active roster in late August or early September.

Imai is expected to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Bryan King during Wednesday's game in San Francisco, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros haven't provided official word that Imai will pitch Wednesday, but he hasn't been used since Aug. 3 and didn't join the team's other relievers in the bullpen for Tuesday's 4-1 loss, which seemingly signaled that he was being saved for the series finale. Since being dropped from the rotation in late July, Imai has made two relief appearances and was sharp in his most recent outing, striking out five over three perfect innings. King will likely cover the first inning or two before giving way to Imai, who should be capable of providing a decent amount of length since he had only recently been removed from a starting role.

Giants manager Tony Vitello said that Houser will start Wednesday's game against the Astros in San Francisco, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Houser will essentially be making a second straight turn through the rotation, after he worked behind an opener and picked up a win while throwing five innings of one-run ball in bulk relief Friday against the Tigers. Trevor McDonald's season-ending elbow injury as well as the recent trades of Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle should keep a rotation spot available for Houser over the balance of the season if he's able to perform well enough to maintain it. Over 23 appearances (14 starts) with the Giants, Houser owns a 4.55 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 65:31 K:BB across 97 innings.

Irvin (2-6) took the loss Tuesday, coughing up five runs on four hits and two walks over 3.1 innings as the Nationals were downed 8-6 by the Cubs. He struck out four.

After a scoreless top of the first inning, Chicago tagged Irvin for runs in each of the next three frames before the right-hander got the hook after 88 pitches (56 strikes). Irvin has made three starts since coming off the IL in late July, and he's surrendered five runs in two of them while serving up four homers in 13.2 innings, including a solo shot by Pete Crow-Armstrong on Tuesday. Irvin will try to bounce back in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend against the Mets.

Imanaga didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 8-6 win over the Nationals, giving up four runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- over 4.2 innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The ball was flying at Nationals Park as the two teams combined for six long balls, and Imanaga served up half of them, though he was able to limit the damage. The veteran southpaw left the mound after 86 pitches (55 strikes) as he got tagged for more than two runs for the first time since June 24. Over seven starts and 40.2 innings between those shaky performances, Imanaga put together a 1.77 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 37:6 K:BB. He'll look to bounce back in his next outing, which is set to come at home this weekend against the Cardinals.