MLB Player News

Manager David Bell said Friday that Ashcraft (elbow) won't be able to come back until September if he's able to return at all in 2024, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft had his demotion to Triple-A Louisville voided earlier this week, and he was placed on the injured list with a right elbow strain instead. Previous reports indicated that Ashcraft would be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks, but the injury may require a longer recovery than initially anticipated. Carson Spiers has shifted into the fifth starter role in Ashcraft's place.

The Nationals optioned Adon to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

Adon was recalled Monday and allowed a pair of runs across one inning against the Cardinals. He'll yield his spot on the active roster to Jackson Rutledge. Adon owns a 5.55 ERA across 60.0 innings with Rochester.

The Pirates reinstated Gonzales (forearm) from the 60-day injured list, and he'll start Friday's game against the White Sox.

Gonzales has been shelved since April due to a forearm strain, but he's been cleared to return and will immediately step into the rotation. The veteran lefty did struggle during a pair of rehab starts at Triple-A, recording a 6.14 ERA across 7.1 innings, but he'll likely have some room for error against a White Sox team that has one of the worst offenses in MLB.

The Mets placed Peterson on the paternity list Friday.

Peterson delivered six scoreless frames against the Nationals in his final start before the All-Star break Thursday, so his absence won't affect the Mets' rotation and will allow the club to add an extra bullpen arm. Eric Orze was called up in a corresponding move Friday.

Barco, who has logged 62 innings in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022, was placed on the development list for High-A Greensboro on Tuesday.

Barco had surgery in May of 2022 and threw 18.1 innings in late 2023 after returning. He has been excellent thus far for the Grasshoppers, logging a 3.34 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 77 strikeouts across 16 appearances, but Pittsburgh is keeping a close eye on his workload. It's unclear when Barco will return from his break on the development list.

Gonzales (forearm) will be activated from the 60-day injured list and start Friday's game against the White Sox, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Gonzales hasn't pitched for the Pirates since April 14, when he suffered a forearm strain in his left (throwing) arm. After a long rehab process capped by a pair of starts with Triple-A Indianapolis, Gonzales will finally make his return. The 32-year-old yielded five runs in 17 innings before sustaining the injury but struggled with Indianapolis, surrendering five runs on seven hits and five walks across 7.1 innings. He'll face a White Sox team that has scored the fewest runs per game in MLB this season.

Fried (7-5) took the loss against Arizona on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out seven.

Fried held the Diamondbacks scoreless over the first four innings before surrendering a leadoff shot to Eugenio Suarez to open the fifth. That would end up being the only run scored all night, leading to the lefty's second straight loss. Fried has logged quality starts in three of his last four outings, though he has just one win to show for it. He's also issued three walks in three of his last five starts.

Pfaadt (4-6) picked up the win over Atlanta on Thursday, allowing three hits over six shutout innings while striking out four.

Pfaadt retired the first nine batters he faced and never allowed a runner to reach second base. It was the first scoreless outing of the season for the right-hander, who induced 11 whiffs in the contest, and he's now logged quality starts in four of his last six trips to the mound. He's also gone at least six innings in 12 of his last 14 starts and hasn't walked a batter in either of his last two to open the month of July.

Munoz (1-4) was charged with the loss against the Astros on Thursday, allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings while striking out two.

The Astros were able to get to Munoz early, tagging him for runs in four of his first five innings of work, although some shaky defense buffered the right-hander's ERA. The 24-year-old then went on to retire six consecutive batters to close out his night, before being relieved by Andrew Nardi with two outs in the seventh. Munoz has now surrendered multiple runs and two or more walks in five consecutive outings, including a relief appearance his last time out, and he hasn't picked up a win since May 1 against the Rockies.

Steele (2-3) earned the win over Baltimore on Thursday, pitching seven scoreless innings during which he gave up three hits and issued no walks while striking out four batters.

Steele shut down a potent Orioles lineup, retiring the first 11 batters he faced and allowing just three baserunners (all on doubles) overall. The left-hander couldn't get into the win column over his first 12 starts but has now notched consecutive victories, allowing just one run over 16 innings while posting an 11:2 K:BB during that stretch. Steele's excellence extends further than that -- he's posted seven straight quality starts, registering a 1.65 ERA and 45:7 K:BB across 49 frames over that span.