MLB Player News

Imanaga and the Cubs won't play the Cardinals on Friday due to inclement weather, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Thursday's contest will be made up as part of a doubleheader July 13, and Imanaga's next outing will be pushed back to Chicago's upcoming series in Milwaukee early next week, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Falter (3-2) earned the win Friday over Atlanta, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over 7.1 innings. He struck out four.

Ronald Acuna broke up Falter's shutout bid with a three-run homer in the eighth. The southpaw has pitched into the eighth inning in back-to-back outings while delivering three straight quality starts, lowering his ERA to 3.55 with a 0.98 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB across 10 starts (58.1 innings) this season. Falter's currently lined up for a road matchup with the Blue Jays in his next outing.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Smyly (hip) is likely to be activated from the injured list during this weekend's series against the Cardinals, Elise Menaker reports.

Smyly made a rehab start with High-A South Bend on Tuesday, throwing three perfect innings while striking out five. Despite the fact that Kyle Hendricks was moved to the bullpen and Jordan Wicks (forearm) remains on the IL, Counsell noted that he will use Smyly in a multi-inning relief role when he returns, rather than moving him into the rotation. Smyly appeared in nine games before going on the injured list, registering a 4.97 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 12.2 innings.

Smith-Shawver was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain Friday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Smith-Shawver was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier Friday, though a Grade 2 strain likely means a six-to-eight-week recovery timeline. The 21-year-old righty was called up Thursday to make a spot start against the Cubs, and Atlanta's pitching needs will likely dictate whether he remains in Atlanta or heads to Triple-A Gwinnett once he returns from the IL -- likely sometime in July.

Gray (elbow) will throw a two-inning live batting practice Saturday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Gray continues to recover from a flexor strain in his right elbow that has kept him out of action since April 4. His session Saturday is the next step in his throwing program, and if all goes well, the Nationals could look to send the 26-year-old right-hander on a rehab assignment.

Gallegos (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Gallegos continues to progress in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement that landed him on the injured list May 6. A successful session Saturday could put the 32-year-old right-hander on track for a rehab assignment and a return to the Cardinals' bullpen shortly thereafter.

Middleton (forearm) reported soreness Friday after pitching in back-to-back games at Double-A Springfield, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Middleton gave up a solo home run and three walks while striking out two batters over those two outings. He will travel to St. Louis on Friday to be re-evaluated by the team. The 30-year-old righty has been on the injured list since the beginning of the season due to a strained right forearm.

Ray (elbow) will throw live batting practice Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Ray began throwing bullpen sessions during spring training, but Saturday will mark the first time he has faced hitters since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2023. The 32-year-old southpaw still isn't expected to pitch for the Giants until around the All-Star break, but he appears to be trending in the right direction. He will throw a few additional rounds of live BP before beginning a minor-league rehab assignment, at which point a firmer return date could become clear.

Alvarez (thumb) is set to participate in batting practice Saturday, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

Alvarez landed on the 10-day IL after tearing the UCL in his left thumb April 19, and the 22-year-old catcher is on track for a return by late June. Alvarez was slashing .236/.288/.364 with one home run and eight RBI over 59 plate appearances prior to his injury.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker noted Friday that Riley (side) is likely to remain out until Monday's series opener against the Nationals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Riley has been sidelined due to a left intercostal strain he sustained May 12 against the Mets. Despite the length of his absence, Atlanta did not place the 27-year-old third baseman on the 10-day IL in hopes he could return sooner, but Riley appears on track to rejoin the lineup following a weekend series against the Pirates. Prior to his injury, Riley was slashing .245/.319/.388 with eight doubles, three home runs and 18 RBI over 163 plate appearances.