MLB Player News

Manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that Imanaga (hamstring) will return from the 15-day injured list to make his next start with the Cubs sometime next week, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

The skipper didn't say exactly what day Imanaga will return from the IL, but the 31-year-old southpaw will most likely start at some point during the Cubs' upcoming series in St. Louis. Imanaga didn't allow a run in 10.1 innings across three rehab outings in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and at Triple-A Iowa. He most recently pitched Friday for Iowa, striking out eight batters over 4.1 shutout frames while building up to 72 pitches.

Fuentes (0-1) took the loss after throwing five innings, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out three during Friday's 6-2 loss to the Marlins.

Fuentes' rapid rise through the Atlanta minor-league system culminated with his first career MLB start Friday. He displayed his electric stuff and picked up his first MLB strikeout in the second inning against Dane Myers, and Fuentes ended up battling his way through five innings. The big blemish was a three-run home run surrendered to Agustin Ramirez, but otherwise it was a good debut for the 20-year-old right-hander. The expectation is that this was just a spot start to give all of the starters an extra day of rest, so he'll likely be sent back down to the minors soon.

Manaea (oblique) struck out seven over 5.1 innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, allowing one earned run on two hits without walking a batter.

In his first rehab appearance for Syracuse, Manaea piggybacked starter Brandon Sproat and got stretched out to 62 pitches (45 strikes). The performance was a marked improvement on Manaea's first few rehab starts at High-A Brooklyn, as he gave up seven runs in 6.2 innings with an 8:3 K:BB. The 33-year-old southpaw will likely need at least one more rehab outing to push his pitch count a little higher, but he appears on track to return from the 60-day injured list to make his 2025 debut with the Mets at the beginning of July.

Crawford (knee/wrist) threw a bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.

This was the second such session this week for Crawford, who's had multiple setbacks in attempting to go on a rehab assignment. It's unclear what the next steps are for the right-hander. The report estimates a return date in July or August.

Matthews (shoulder) started playing catch Friday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Matthews was diagnosed with a moderate subscapularis strain in his right shoulder June 8 and was shut down from throwing for two weeks. He'll need to progress to throwing bullpen sessions before a clearer timeframe for his return comes into focus.

The Reds recalled Petty from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

The 22-year-old will come up from the minors to handle bulk-relief duties against the Cardinals on Saturday after opener Brent Suter exits the game. Petty has given up 13 runs through 5.1 innings in his big-league career thus far, though he owns a 2.76 ERA across 45.2 frames at Louisville.

Pivetta didn't factor into the decision Friday, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks over 4.2 innings in a 6-5 loss to the Royals. He struck out three.

Four of the six hits off Pivetta went for extra bases, including a solo shot by Bobby Witt in the first inning and a three-run blast by Jonathan India in the fifth that helped chase the right-hander from the game. Pivetta's homeritis is returning with a vengeance as the weather begins to warm up, and over his last 10 starts and 54 innings he's been taken deep 10 times, fueling a 5.00 ERA despite a 1.26 WHIP and 61:17 K:BB. He'll try to keep the ball in the park in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home next week against the Nationals.

The Cardinals are likely to recall McGreevy from Triple-A Memphis to start Tuesday's game against the Cubs, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

McGreevy was returned to Memphis on Friday following a spot start in Thursday's doubleheader versus the White Sox, but because he was serving as the club's 27th man that day, he is eligible to be recalled immediately rather than having to wait the typical 15 days. Giving McGreevy another spot start allows the Cardinals to provide extra rest for the regular members of their rotation amidst a stretch without many off days. The rookie right-hander tossed five innings of one-run ball against the White Sox and boasts a 2.70 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB over 16.2 frames at the big-league level in 2025.

Lorenzen came away with a no-decision in Friday's 6-5 win over the Padres, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander left the mound after 89 pitches (60 strikes) with the Royals ahead 4-2, but Lucas Erceg coughed up the lead in the seventh inning to deny Lorenzen his fifth win. Lorenzen's control has been shaky of late, and he's issued multiple free passes in four of his last five starts, posting a brutal 7.20 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 19:12 K:BB in 25 innings over that span. He'll try to tighten things up in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Rays.

Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Astros, giving up two runs on six hits over seven innings. He struck out nine without walking a batter.

The southpaw looked like he was headed for a disastrous outing when Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes launched back-to-back homers to lead off the game, but Kikuchi kept his focus and shut the door on Houston until exiting the mound after 103 pitches (69 strikes), including 33 called or swinging strikes. The quality start was his seventh of the season, and he'll take a 3.01 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 87:43 K:BB through 89.2 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Red Sox.