MLB Player News

Taillon (7-4) allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out three without walking a batter over 5.2 innings to earn the win Sunday over the Cardinals.

Taillon came an out shy of his seventh straight quality start, but he was still able to capture his third win in a row. He's also given up a home run in six straight starts, as Alec Burleson tagged him for a solo shot in the sixth inning. Taillon is now at a 3.10 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 75:18 K:BB through 93 innings over 16 starts this season.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Sunday that he feels good about Montgomery's (knee) chances of returning from the 15-day injured list for the first turn through the rotation coming out of the All-Star break, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Montgomery threw a two-inning, 40-pitch simulated bullpen session Friday and apparently responded favorably. Though he won't have the opportunity to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment during the upcoming week due to the All-Star break, the southpaw should be able to push up his pitch count with another simulated game in Arizona. Lovullo didn't specify whether Montgomery was likely to start in the Diamondbacks' first series of the second half next weekend in Arizona or the following series in Kansas City, but the club already opened up a spot in the rotation for the 31-year-old when they optioned Slade Cecconi to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Musgrove (elbow) is slated to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

The bullpen session will be Musgrove's first since he went on the injured list June 1 with a right elbow issue. The right-hander was diagnosed with a bone spur and a bone bruise shortly thereafter and received platelet-rich plasma and cortisone injections to address the injury. Musgrove has been playing catch since late June and threw off a mound July 10, though not as part of a full bullpen session. He's expected to accompany the Padres on their three-city road trip following the All-Star break and should continue to toss bullpen sessions during that time with the aim of gradually increasing the intensity of his throwing. He'll likely need a series of minor-league rehab starts prior to being activated off the 60-day IL, and he probably won't be ready to return to the big-league club's rotation until at least early August.

The Rockies reinstated Marquez (elbow) from the 60-day injured list ahead of Sunday's game against the Mets.

He'll pick up his first start of the season and his first in the big leagues since April 26, 2023, now that he's completed his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Marquez wrapped up his seven-start minor-league rehab assignment on a high note Tuesday, when he struck out eight and allowed three runs on four hits and no walks over five innings for Double-A Hartford. Marquez will likely be capped at around 75 to 90 pitches in his 2024 Rockies debut, but he shouldn't face any major workload restrictions in his subsequent outings. During his last full season in the big leagues in 2022, Marquez turned in a 4.95 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while striking out 150 batters in 181.2 innings, so fantasy managers outside of deep leagues are probably best off taking a wait-and-see approach with the right-hander rather than immediately scooping him up off the waiver wire.

Kershaw (shoulder) tossed three scoreless and hitless innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, allowing one walk and striking out five batters.

Kershaw was impressive in the outing, allowing just one baserunner while throwing 38 pitches before tossing another 12 pitches in the bullpen after the start, according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. The veteran lefty made his second minor-league rehab appearance, and his first since June 19. Kershaw also went three innings in his initial rehab outing but experienced soreness in a subsequent bullpen session and was temporarily shut down from throwing. Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that he received positive reports on Kershaw's outing, and the 36-year-old is set to cover 4-to-5 innings in another rehab appearance with Oklahoma City on Friday. If that goes well, Kershaw could return from the 60-day injured list the following week.

Rea is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Rob Zastryzny in Sunday's game against the Nationals, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Rea was roughed up for a season-high seven earned runs in his previous start Tuesday versus the Pirates, so manager Pat Murphy will have the right-hander work behind an opening pitcher for Rea's final turn through the rotation before the All-Star break with the hope of netting better results. Zastryzny is unlikely to cover more than an inning or two before giving way to Rea.

Mercado is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Orion Kerkering in Sunday's game against the Athletics, Tim Kelly of PhilliesNation.com reports.

Manager Rob Thomson announced Tuesday that Mercado was being moved to the bullpen, but because Zack Wheeler (back) is unable to take the hill for the Phillies' final game before the All-Star break Sunday, Mercado will end up serving as the club's de facto No. 5 member of the rotation to close out the first-half schedule. Though Kerkering is drawing the start, he hasn't recorded more than five outs in any appearance this season and is unlikely to work more than an inning or two before turning the game over to Mercado. Through his first three big-league outings (two starts), Mercado has given up six earned runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- and five walks while striking out six across 7.2 innings.

Cease (8-8) picked up the win Saturday, allowing only one hit and three walks over six scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory over Atlanta. He struck out 11.

The Padres got on the board with a run in the second inning, and it's all the support Cease and the bullpen would need. The right-hander racked up double-digit Ks for the third time this season en route to his 11th quality start, and Cease produced an impressive 27 swinging strikes among his 106 pitches. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 3.99 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 149:36 K:BB through 115 innings, putting him just one strikeout behind former teammate Garrett Crochet for the major-league lead.

Lopez (7-3) took the loss Saturday, giving up three runs on 11 hits over six innings as Atlanta was downed 4-0 by the Padres. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The right-hander didn't give up a lot of hard contact, as nine of the 11 hits were singles and the other two were well-placed doubles, but it was still a season high in knocks allowed for Lopez. It's his first loss since May 25, snapping a seven-start stretch in which he'd gone 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 46:16 K:BB through 38.1 innings. Fatigue could be creeping in for the converted reliever, as his 95.2 innings on the year are already his highest total since 2019, but he may not get much of a rest over the break after earning an All-Star Game berth for the first time in his career.

Gibson came away with a no-decision in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cubs, giving up four runs on 10 hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out three.

All four runs scored in the second inning as Chicago batted around, with the biggest blow being a two-run shot by Miguel Amaya. Gibson wound up exiting after 97 pitches (56 strikes) as he failed to last more than five innings for the fourth straight start, a stretch in which he's stumbled to a 7.50 ERA, 2.11 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB in 18 innings. The veteran righty will try to use the All-Star break to regroup, but there are warning signs his numbers could continue to regress after a promising start to 2024 -- his 91.0 mph average velocity on his fastball would be his lowest since 2016, while his 9.5 percent walk rate would be his highest over a full season since 2018.