MLB Player News

The Dodgers optioned Knack to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday.

Knack had taken six consecutive turns through the Dodgers rotation, posting a 4.50 ERA and a 28:12 K:BB over 30 innings, but he'll yield his spot to Justin Wrobleski. In four appearances with Oklahoma City this season, Knack logged a 3.98 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP across 20.1 innings.

The Dodgers recalled Wrobleski from Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Wrobleski is set to start Friday's contest, which will be his second MLB start of the campaign. The 24-year-old has stumbled to a 5.09 ERA over 40.2 innings with Oklahoma City, and he's allowed eight runs in nine big-league innings this season. His struggles and lack of strikeout stuff -- he has an 8.3 K/9 at Triple-A -- make him a shaky fantasy option. Landon Knack was optioned to Oklahoma City in a corresponding move.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said his concern level was "not high" after Liberatore exited Thursday's start versus the Royals due to fatigue, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The velocity on the southpaw's four-seamer dropped below 90 mph in the fifth inning, prompting a visit from Marmol and the trainer and the pitcher's eventual removal. However, Liberatore did not undergo imaging after the game and there doesn't appear to be any worry that he's injured. Rather, the pitcher believes mechanical issues were the main factor in him feeling fatigued. Liberatore has struggled in back-to-back starts and it's possible he's going through a "dead arm" phase after he spent the bulk of last season in a relief role. He's tentatively lined up to face the Blue Jays at home next week, but the date of his next start is not set in stone.

Manoah (elbow) will face live hitters Tuesday for the first time since a hybrid internal brace procedure last June, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Manoah remains on track in his rehab, and he's nearly ready to face hitters after weeks of bullpen sessions. The right-hander is expected to begin a rehab assignment in July and rejoin the Blue Jays by August if all goes well.

Bieber (elbow) was scratched from Friday's scheduled rehab start for Double-A Akron due to soreness, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Bieber experienced soreness after throwing a bullpen session with the RubberDucks on Tuesday. A consultation with Dr. Keith Meister, the physician who performed his Tommy John surgery last year, led to the recommendation that the right-hander pause his rehab for one week. "Obviously a little bit of the setback with shutting him down for a week, but it seems to be all normal -- normal rehab from Tommy John," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "These things happen. So we'll reassess where we are in a week."

The Athletics re-signed Brooks to a minor-league contract Thursday.

Brooks has been assigned to Double-A Midland after pitching in the Mexican League to begin the year. The 35-year-old made four starts and one relief appearance for the Athletics last season, posting a 5.06 ERA and 12:8 K:BB over 26.2 frames.

Rodriguez (shoulder) will start Friday's series opener against the Reds, MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez, who is on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, joined the Diamondbacks earlier this week and will be activated Friday. The left-hander's return comes at a key moment for the team, which lost Corbin Burnes (elbow) earlier this week.

Keller (1-8) took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five in 6.1 innings during Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Astros.

Keller gave the Pirates some length once again, but his streak of five straight quality starts was snapped on a night when the first pitch was delayed by over three hours due to rain. The result was his second-worst start of season, behind only a seven-run disaster against the Yankees back on April 4. Keller hasn't picked up a win since his opening start of the season, a time frame spanning 12 starts, despite allowing three runs or fewer in nine of them. The right-hander's ERA is up to 4.13 on the season, and his next start is scheduled for Tuesday against the Marlins.

Valdez (6-4) allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out 11 in seven innings during Thursday's 8-2 win over the Pirates.

Valdez turned in one of his best performances of the season Thursday, striking out a season-high 11 batters on the way to the win. The 31-year-old has been dominant of late, notching six straight performances of at least six innings with three runs or fewer. Over that stretch he has a 1.84 ERA in 44 innings with 47 strikeouts. The left-hander's next scheduled start is a favorable home matchup with the White Sox on Wednesday.

Knack covered just 3.1 innings Thursday, allowing four runs on four hits and five walks while striking out one during a 6-5 win against the Mets. He didn't factor in the decision.

It was a tough outing for a pitcher who looked like he was turning a corner after back-to-back quality starts. Of Knack's 86 pitches Thursday, 40 of them were balls, leading to a season-high five walks. He also surrendered a season-high three home runs, though the fact all three were solo shots limited the damage. Knack has given up nine home runs in his past five outings, partially leading to his 5.12 ERA on the season. He isn't guaranteed to stick in the rotation, but the right-hander is tentatively scheduled to make his next start on the road at San Diego.