MLB Player News

The Nationals designated Littell for assignment Wednesday.

Littell covered 6.2 innings -- his second-longest outing of the season -- in bulk relief Tuesday against the Phillies, but he's on an expiring contract and wasn't viewed as a vital part of the future for a Nationals squad that has begun to fade from the playoff picture following a seven-game losing streak. Even though he had pitched better over his last three outings, Littell struggled to make bats miss (14.6 K%) and keep the ball in yard (25 home runs allowed) during his time with Washington. The Nationals activated Brad Lord (side) from the 15-day injured list to join the roster as a replacement for Littell, who turned in a 4.97 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 112.1 innings over his 23 appearances (14 starts).

Glasnow (back) is expected to cover around three innings and 45 pitches in his next minor-league rehab start Sunday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Glasnow reported to Single-A Ontario on Tuesday for the first start of his rehab assignment and his first appearance at any level since May 6, after a bout with lower-back spasms resulted in a prolonged absence. The right-hander breezed through his outing Tuesday, retiring six of the seven batters he faced on 16 pitches. The Dodgers haven't revealed whether he'll stick around at Ontario for his next outing or move up to a higher-level affiliate, but either way, he'll be looking to tack on about 30 more pitches to his workload. Glasnow is likely to require one or two rehab starts beyond Sunday before returning from the 60-day injured list and reclaiming a spot in the Dodgers' six-man rotation.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Snell (elbow) should be ready to return from the 60-day injured list to make his next start in the majors, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

On the shelf since May 15 after he required a NanoScope procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, Snell is poised to rejoin the Dodgers after he completed his fourth rehab start Tuesday at Triple-A Oklahoma City. After rolling to a 1.13 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB in eight innings over his first three starts, Snell wasn't nearly as sharp Tuesday, as he surrendered three runs on five hits -- including two home runs -- and four walks while striking out three over 3.2 innings. On a positive note, Snell's elbow checked out fine coming out of the appearance, and he was able to push his pitch count up to 73 (41 strikes) despite not meeting his goal of covering five innings. He'll likely line up for a start Monday or Tuesday in Kansas City in what will be just his second appearance of the season for the Dodgers.

Forbes (elbow) tossed a scoreless inning while allowing one walk and striking out two batters July 31 for High-A Hillsboro.

Forbes hadn't pitched since June 27 due to elbow discomfort. He has excelled when healthy, logging a 19:3 K:BB and 0.80 WHIP in 13.2 innings across five appearances for the Hops. Risk of re-injury and an inability to sufficiently build up his innings this year are the only knocks on the 22-year-old righty.

Peterson is slated to start Thursday's game against Toronto at Wrigley Field, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Though trade-deadline pickups Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes (fibula) are slated to make their first starts for the Cubs this weekend, Peterson will keep his spot in the rotation for now. The left-hander tied his season high with eight strikeouts in his most recent start last Saturday against the Yankees and owns a 4.36 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 22:10 K:BB in 33 innings over his first six starts with the Cubs since being acquired from the Mets on June 25.

Luzardo (10-5) picked up the win Tuesday, scattering four hits and two walks over eight scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory over the Nationals. He struck out seven.

Washington didn't even get a runner past second base against Luzardo until his final inning of work, when Nasim Nunez led off the eighth with a single and advanced on a pair of outs that never left the infield, but the southpaw got Andres Chaparro to ground out. It's the fifth time in 23 starts this season that Luzardo has held the opposition off the scoreboard, and the quality start was his 12th of the year. Even more impressively, the southpaw has given up one earned run or fewer in seven of his last eight trips to the mound, delivering a 1.94 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 67:16 K:BB over 51 innings during that span. Luzardo will look to stay dialed in for his next start, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against the Blue Jays.

Littell didn't factor into the decision Tuesday, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk over 6.2 relief innings in a 5-0 loss to the Phillies. He struck out two.

It wasn't a particularly sharp outing for Littell, who tossed 60 of 93 pitches for strikes, but the veteran right-hander ducked the loss as Carson Palmquist gave up a run as the opener, and the Nationals' offense couldn't solve Jesus Luzardo. Littell hasn't gotten into the win column since June 28, but he's generally been able to keep his team in the game, posting a 4.18 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 21:10 K:BB over six appearances and 32.1 innings since the beginning of July. He's set to get his next turn through the rotation at home this weekend against the Reds.

Singer didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the A's, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out six.

The veteran right-hander somewhat surprisingly stayed put at the trade deadline, and Singer celebrated remaining in Cincinnati by producing his eighth quality start of the season on 101 pitches (59 strikes). Singer has delivered quality starts in four of six trips to the mound since the beginning of July, posting a 3.72 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 32:14 K:BB in 36.1 innings over that stretch. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road this weekend against the Nationals.

Assad didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Dodgers, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.2 innings.

Assad fared well opposite Tarik Skubal, and he ended just one out shy of recording what would've been his first quality start since mid-June. It remains to be seen if Assad will stay in the rotation following the deadline acquisitions of Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, but as of now, he's lined up for Tuesday on the road against the Nationals. Assad owns a 3.58 ERA across 19 appearances (10 starts) and 75.1 innings with the Cubs in 2026. This is the third time in four seasons he has made at least 10 starts.

Skubal (7-6) was tagged with the loss Tuesday against the Cubs, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks across six innings. He struck out six.

Skubal got into a groove early and struck out three of the first six batters he faced, but he gave up a solo shot to Dansby Swanson in the third inning and an RBI single to Nico Hoerner in the sixth before departing the contest. This was Skubal's fourth consecutive quality start, and despite the loss against one of the hottest teams in the National League, his performance was strong, as he tossed 51 of his 85 pitches for strikes in his first start for his new team. Skubal is expected to take the mound next week in a home series against the Royals.