MLB Player News

Gray (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Tuesday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Gray will be making his first appearance in a game since spring training and his first regular-season action since he made three rehab starts late in the 2025 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in July 2024. The righty suffered a flexor strain in March and opened the season on the 60-day injured list, but he's finally been cleared to pitch in games again. Gray could make some starts for the Nationals in September if he can avoid further setbacks as he gets stretched out in the minors.

Atlanta recalled Smith-Shawver from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

Per Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Smith-Shawver will start Wednesday's game against the Twins, giving the regular members of Atlanta's rotation extra rest. It's unclear what the plan is for Smith-Shawver's role beyond that, but it could depend on how he fares Wednesday. Smith-Shawver has looked sharp after coming back from Tommy John surgery, and he allowed just two runs with a 13:4 K:BB over 11 innings in his last two outings with Gwinnett.

The Cardinals optioned Mathews to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.

Mathews held the Reds to one run over four innings in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Reds. There's not currently room for the left-hander in the Cardinals' rotation, so he'll return to Memphis for now until another opportunity arises.

Glasnow (back) is scheduled to make another minor-league rehab start Wednesday, and he could then rejoin the Dodgers' rotation during a road trip that begins Aug. 25 and ends Aug. 30, MLB.com reports.

Glasnow tossed 67 pitches in his most recent rehab outing with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Aug. 14, and he dominated with 3.2 hitless frames while striking out eight batters. The star right-hander is expected to toss five innings or approximately 75 pitches in his upcoming rehab appearance Wednesday, which is likely to be his last before being activated from the 60-day IL, assuming he doesn't have any setbacks. That puts Glasnow on track to return to the big-league club as soon as Aug. 25, when Los Angeles kicks off a three-game series in Atlanta.

Sugano (12-6) took the loss Monday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings against the Dodgers. He struck out three.

The right-hander struggled against the Dodgers offense, notably serving up homers to Max Muncy in the third inning and Shohei Ohtani in the fifth frame. Sugano had been strong in his previous five starts before Monday, posting a 4-1 record with a 3.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 18:3 K:BB across 29.1 innings. Overall, the 36-year-old owns a 4.70 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 69:27 K:BB across 118.2 innings (22 outings) and is tentatively scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Guardians.

Snell (1-1) earned the win Monday, allowing one run on two hits and three walks over six innings against the Rockies. He struck out five.

Snell was solid at Coors Field, working through traffic in the third inning and limiting the Rockies to one run across six frames to pick up his first win of the season. In two starts since returning from an almost three-month absence while recovering from a procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, the southpaw has allowed two runs in 12 frames with a 15:4 K:BB. Snell will look to remain in the win column next time out, tentatively scheduled for Sunday against the Pirates.

Junk (6-8) took the loss against Philadelphia on Monday, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out two batters over five innings.

Both of the runs Junk allowed came in the third inning, when he walked two batters and yielded three hits. The left-hander was inefficient overall, needing 88 pitches to get through five frames, but he still managed to keep Miami in the contest against All-Star Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez. Junk has given up two or fewer runs in each of his past five starts, posting a strong 2.28 ERA with a 15:6 K:BB over 23.2 innings during that stretch. He's lined up to make his next appearance at home against Washington.

Imanaga did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing three runs on two hits, three walks and a hit-by-pitch over six innings against the White Sox. He struck out 10.

Imanaga logged a quality start, during which he racked up double-digit strikeouts for the third time this season. All of the damage came via a Randal Grichuk three-run homer in the fourth inning. In six outings since the All-Star break, Imanaga has posted a 2.55 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 35:5 K:BB across 35.1 innings. Overall, the southpaw owns an 8-9 record with a 3.77 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 140:32 K:BB in 143.1 innings (25 starts) and is tentatively scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Mariners.

Sanchez (16-4) earned the win over Miami on Monday, allowing one run on eight hits and three walks while striking out six batters over six innings.

Sanchez held the Marlins scoreless until the sixth inning, when he gave up one run on two hits and a walk. That ended up being his final frame despite the fact that the southpaw was at a modest 90 pitches upon his departure. Sanchez had to sweat things out a bit as Philadelphia's bullpen gave up four runs over the final three innings, but the All-Star hurler ultimately was rewarded with his MLB-leading 16th victory. While Sanchez hasn't been quite as dominant since his 50.2-inning scoreless streak came to an end in early June, he's still been one of the league's top hurlers and is rolling along right now, posting a quality start in five of his past seven appearances. He's also struck out at least six batters in every start during that span, and he'll look to keep that streak going his next time out, which lines up to come at home versus St. Louis.

Perez (8-7) took the loss Monday, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings against the Twins. He struck out three.

Perez ran into trouble early, surrendering four runs in the first frame. The southpaw was able to churn out four scoreless innings afterward, though the damage was done to saddle him with the loss. Monday snapped a three-start streak in which the 35-year-old logged 16 scoreless innings, with his season marks now sitting at a 3.15 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 83:45 K:BB across 111.1 innings (24 outings). Perez is tentatively scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Brewers.