MLB Player News

Ashcraft is slated to start Friday's game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

After making his previous nine appearances out of the bullpen, Ashcraft picked up his second MLB start this past weekend against the Reds as a replacement in the rotation for Johan Oviedo, who was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Though he was limited to 56 pitches in his outing versus Cincinnnati, Ashcraft was effective during his time on the mound, striking out five while allowing five baserunners over 3.1 innings. He'll be rewarded with a second turn through the rotation this weekend, and Ashcraft could push his pitch count up to the 65-to-80 range now that he's on a starter's schedule. Whether Ashcraft will be stick around in the rotation for the rest of the season is still unclear; Friday marks the first day that prospects who are called up for the first time in 2025 won't be able to exceed 45 days of service time, which will keep them eligible for 2026 Rookie of the Year Award consideration. With that in mind, prized pitching prospect Bubba Chandler could soon get called up from Triple-A to make his MLB debut, and Ashcraft may move back to the bullpen to accommodate him.

Atlanta recalled Stratton from Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

Stratton has made five appearances in the majors this season between Pittsburgh and Atlanta, allowing seven runs over 5.2 frames. He will work in middle relief.

Atlanta designated Carrasco for assignment Thursday.

Atlanta appears set to proceed with Hurston Waldrep and Erick Fedde as its back-end rotation options after DFA'ing Carrasco, who allowed 15 earned runs on 22 hits and seven walks over 13.2 innings across his three starts with the club upon being acquired from the Yankees on July 28. Once he clears waivers, the 38-year-old right-hander could elect free agency in pursuit of an opportunity elsewhere, but it's possible that his time as a big-league pitcher may be over.

Profar went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored, three RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Mets.

The veteran outfielder drove in multiple runs for the first time since July 10, and through 12 games in August he's slashing .279/.446/.581 with three homers, three steals, eight RBI and 12 runs. Profar's been thriving at the top of the batting order, but with Ronald Acuna (calf) set to return from the IL any day now, it's not clear which of them will handle leadoff duties.

With top prospect Owen Caissie expected to make his MLB debut Thursday, per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com, Happ and other Chicago outfielders may be more crunched for regular playing time.

Chicago already has a fairly crowded outfield with Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker playing most days left to right, and regular DH Seiya Suzuki also capable of filling a corner spot. The addition of Caissie is likely an attempt to jumpstart a Cubs' offense that has been struggling lately, and the top prospect figures to take playing time away from any of the current outfielders who are slumping or could use a break. Happ has the lowest season-long OPS of the aforementioned quartet, and he's slashing just .222/.310/.361 this month. It remains to be seen how Chicago divvies up playing time moving forward, but it makes sense to think that the 31-year-old Happ could see more rest days during the stretch run.

Dollander is slated to start Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks at Coors Field.

Following a month-long stay in the minors, Dollander made his return to the big leagues Monday, joining the rotation as the team's new No. 5 starter in place of Anthony Molina. The rookie right-hander delivered an excellent performance in a no-decision on the road against the Cardinals, striking out five and allowing one run on five hits and three walks over five innings. He showcased premium velocity in the start, registering at least 98 miles per hour on 45 of his 60 strikes across 92 total pitches. Even after the impressive showing in St. Louis, Dollander still owns a 6.35 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 57:36 K:BB in 73.2 innings. The 23-year-old doesn't yet profile as a reliable fantasy option, especially heading into his next start in hitter-friendly Colorado.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional RBI and two walks in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

Smith helped the Dodgers get off to a fast start with a two-run home run in the first inning. He added another RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the fourth, but the backstop's production wasn't enough to prevent his team from getting swept in the season series. The good news for Smith is that he appears to be getting his swing back; since gong 0-for-13 during a four-game hitless streak from Aug. 4 to Aug. 10, the All-Star catcher has gone 3-for-8 with two walks across his subsequent three games.

Ohtani allowed four runs on five hits and no walks while striking out seven batters over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Angels on Wednesday. He also went 1-for-4 with a triple, a run and a walk as a hitter.

Ohtani took the mound for the first time in his career against the Angels, with whom he played his first six big-league campaigns. The two-way star again showed flashes of brilliance on the bump, racking up 14 whiffs and seven punchouts while throwing 50 of 80 pitches for strikes. The pitch count itself was noteworthy -- It was by far his highest this season, exceeding the 54 pitches he threw against St. Louis in his previous outing. Wednesday also marked the first time Ohtani has pitched into the fifth frame this year, though he may have run out of gas late, as the final three batters he faced got a hit against him, culminating in a two-run double off the bat of Zach Neto. While that marred Ohtani's final line, the bigger picture is that he would have been allowed to finish five frames had the Angels not strung together the trio of hits to end his night. With that in mind, Ohtani seems to be at the point where he'll be allowed to pitch deep enough into games to qualify for wins, which should further boost his already robust fantasy appeal.

Soto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored and a walk Wednesday in a loss to Atlanta.

Soto helped the Mets get off to a fast start with a 407-foot, two-run blast to center field in the second inning. It was the veteran outfielder's fourth homer during his current six-game hitting streak. The power surge has pushed Soto up to 29 long balls on the season, fourth most in the National League. When he hits his next homer, Soto will secure his third straight campaign of at least 30 round-trippers.

Harris went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 11-6 victory versus the Mets.

After falling behind by six runs early, Atlanta stormed back with a nine-run fourth inning. The capper on that big frame was Harris' grand slam to center field that gave his team its first lead. Harris recorded his fifth straight multi-hit game, and over that span he's batting .476 (10-for-21) with three homers and eight RBI. It's a continuation of what has been a resurgent second half for the outfielder -- since the All-Star break, he's slashing a robust .366/.385/.693 with seven home runs, 15 RBI, 17 runs scored and one stolen base over 25 contests.