MLB Player News

O'Brien has dealt with fatigue in his right shoulder area in recent days and is set to be examined by a doctor Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

According to Goold, the Cardinals are weighing whether to place O'Brien on the injured list, and the results of his upcoming exam will likely be vital in that decision. With the active roster expanding to 28 players Monday, the Cardinals are likely to call up at least one pitcher from the minors, and the team could bring another relief arm aboard if O'Brien heads to the IL in a corresponding move. Since the beginning of June, O'Brien has performed as one of the Cardinals' top relievers, logging two wins, two saves and five holds while pitching to a 1.04 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 34.2 innings.

Soler (back) has increased his work on the field as of Friday, as he's been shagging flyballs in addition to hitting against high-velocity pitching, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 64-72 Angels are well removed from wild-card contention, but Soler still appears to be gearing up for a return before the end of the season after he was placed on the injured list July 26 due to low back inflammation. He's continuing to steadily incorporate more activity into his workouts, but the Angels haven't yet revealed when he'll be ready for a rehab assignment. Once he's activated from the IL, Soler should settle back in as the Angels' primary option in right field, which will result in Jo Adell shifting back to center field on a more regular basis.

Schanuel (wrist) said Friday that he has yet to resume baseball activities, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After being placed on the shelf last Sunday due to a bone bruise in his left wrist, Schanuel expressed confidence that he would be available to rejoin the Angels in the minimum 10 days, but he doesn't appear to be progressing as quickly as he anticipated. The Angels will likely continue to get by with a platoon of Niko Kavadas and Oswald Peraza at first base until Schanuel makes a full recovery.

Farris was scratched ahead of his scheduled start Sunday with Double-A Rocket City and could be called up to enter the Angels rotation during the team's four-game series in Kansas City that begins Monday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After optioning Jack Kochanowicz to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday and placing Tyler Anderson (oblique) on the 15-day injured list Sunday, the Angels will have openings in their rotation Tuesday and Wednesday in Kansas City. The newly signed Jose Urena looks like a strong bet to fill one of those slots, and Farris appears to be as good of a candidate as any within the organization to take over the other rotation vacancy. Though Farris doesn't have a spot on the 40-man roster and has yet to pitch at the Triple-A level, the 24-year-old lefty has dazzled over his last four starts for Rocket City, turning in a 1.52 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 32:6 K:BB in 23.2 innings. Even if he doesn't get the call to the big leagues during the upcoming week, Farris may have at the very least earned himself a bump up to Triple-A Salt Lake.

The Astros will activate Garcia (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Monday to start the team's series finale versus the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Garcia will be making his first major-league start since May 1, 2023 following a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery and related setbacks. The right-hander will get the green light to rejoin the Astros after a nine-appearance minor-league rehab assignment, during which he posted a 3.30 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 38:7 K:BB over 30 innings. In Garcia's most recent rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land, he allowed one run over six frames while throwing 75 pitches, so he should be able to handle something close to a normal workload in his 2025 Astros debut.

Baldwin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

Baldwin went 2-for-4 in Saturday's 3-2 loss, which ended a stretch of 11 straight starts without a multi-hit performance. Sean Murphy will catch for rookie righty Hurston Waldrep in Sunday's series finale.

Buehler agreed to a one-year contract with the Phillies on Sunday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Cut loose by the Red Sox earlier in the weekend, Buehler was able to quickly find work with another playoff-contending organization that was looking to bolster its starting depth. Though he owns a lifetime 3.56 ERA over parts of eight big-league seasons, Buehler languished during his time in Boston, submitting a 5.45 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 84:55 K:BB in 112.1 innings over 23 appearances (22 starts) before losing his spot on the roster. The 31-year-old boasts extensive playoff experience dating back to his time with the Dodgers, and the Phillies are hopeful that the right-hander can provide the pitching staff with a lift in September as the team potentially gears up for a deep postseason run. With Zack Wheeler (shoulder) recently getting shut down for the season, the Phillies have kept Taijuan Walker in the fold as their fifth starter and have received decent results from him, so Buehler won't necessarily be in store for a rotation spot right away with Philadelphia. Instead, he could head to the bullpen and serve as a long-relief option initially once the Phillies formally add him to their roster Monday.

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

It's the second straight lineup absence for Ozuna, who is batting .108 (4-for-37) over his past 12 games and is without a homer since Aug. 13. Ronald Acuna is resting his legs as the designated hitter Sunday, which opens up right field for Eli White.

Manager John Schneider said after Sunday's 8-4 win over the Brewers that Scherzer was pitching through upper-back tightness, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. The right-hander took a no-decision after striking out one and giving up four runs on nine hits and no walks across four innings.

The 41-year-old threw 45 of 67 pitches for strikes and generated just three whiffs while surrendering a pair of home runs, with his early exit ending a run of six straight starts of at least six innings. The back issue hasn't seemed to stir up much cause for concern, though it's worth keeping an eye out for any updates on Scherzer ahead of his next turn through the rotation, which currently lines up for next weekend on the road against the Yankees.

Kepler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

Before taking a seat for Saturday's 3-2 win while southpaw Chris Sale was on the mound for Atlanta, the left-handed-hitting Kepler started in each of the previous three contests and went 2-for-11 with a home run and a walk. Atlanta is sending a righty (Hurston Waldrep) to the hill for the series finale, but Kepler will remain on the bench while Harrison Bader picks up a start in the outfield in his place.