MLB Player News

Fried (finger) is scheduled to start Thursday's game in Washington, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Fried received the green light to return to Atlanta's rotation after throwing a bullpen session Monday without any protective tape covering the small blister on his left hand. The 29-year-old southpaw hasn't appeared in a game since early last week, but it never seemed to be a serious concern for the NL East champions.

Fried threw a bullpen session Monday without any protective tape covering the blister on his left index finger, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Fried was skipped on his last turn through rotation because of the blister, but he is expected to return to action at some point during Atlanta's upcoming four-game series in Washington, which begins Thursday. It seems like the NL East champions are simply playing things cautiously with the 29-year-old southpaw, who boasts a 2.64 ERA and 73:13 K:BB in 71.2 innings (13 starts) this season.

Cavalli (elbow) played catch Tuesday and said he "felt awesome," Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

It was his first throwing workout of any kind since he underwent Tommy John surgery this past March. Cavalli is targeting next June for a return to live games and could be an intriguing rotation option for the Nationals in the second half of the 2024 campaign. A first-round draft pick in 2020, the right-hander holds a 3.51 ERA with 279 strikeouts in 220.1 career minor-league innings.

Rea is expected to work in bulk relief behind Trevor Megill in Tuesday's game against the Cardinals, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Rea was called up from Triple-A Nashville ahead of Monday's series opener in St. Louis, but he wasn't needed out of the bullpen in the Brewers' 1-0 loss. With Milwaukee seemingly looking to build in an extra rest day for all five members of their rotation, Megill is expected to serve as the lead pitcher Tuesday for what projects to be a bullpen day. Since Rea last pitched Sept. 13, he'll be well-rested and should be able to handle multiple innings out of the bullpen once Megill exits the contest.

Sanchez (shoulder) did not make a second appearance with Double-A Pensacola on Sunday as scheduled, MLB.com reports.

Sanchez did throw a scoreless inning for Pensacola on Sept. 12 in what was his first appearance at any level since 2020. Evidently, he must not have recovered from that outing as hoped, so his next appearance was scratched. Sanchez is slated to throw a bullpen session soon, so there's a slim chance he'll make it back to game action again before the end of the minor-league season.

Lively is expected to work as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Fernando Cruz in Tuesday's game against the Twins, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

After being activated from the COVID-19-related injured list last Thursday, Lively looks poised to make his second consecutive appearance as a bulk reliever. While working behind Derek Law in an 8-2 loss to the Tigers in his return to action, Lively took a no-decision after giving up three earned runs on four hits and no walks while striking out four over 4.1 innings. Cruz is expected to work just an inning or two Tuesday before turning the game over to Lively, who is the Reds pitcher most likely to factor into the decision. Looking ahead, Lively could end up sticking as a pure reliever, as the Reds have three remaining off days that would allow the team to get by with a four-man rotation the rest of the way. After tossing seven innings of two-run ball in Monday's 7-3 win, Connor Phillips could be poised to remain in the rotation as the No. 4 pitcher rather than Lively.

Peralta (12-9) took the loss Monday, allowing one run on four hits over six innings against the Cardinals. He struck out six.

Peralta's now allowed just one run in three of his last four starts while working to a 1.89 ERA in his last eight outings (47.2 innings). However, Willson Contreras' solo home run proved enough to stick Peralta with the loss Monday in a 1-0 defeat. Overall, the 27-year-old right-hander sports a 3.71 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and 206:54 K:BB across 29 starts (162.2 innings) this season. Peralta's currently lined up for a road matchup with the Marlins this weekend in his next outing.

Wainwright (5-11) earned the win Monday, allowing four hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings in the Cardinals' 1-0 victory over the Brewers. He struck out three.

Wainwright turned in a vintage performance Monday, blanking Milwaukee over a season-high seven innings en route to earning the 200th win of his 17-year MLB career. The 42-year-old has now won two straight starts, allowing just two runs over 12 innings in that span. Overall, his ERA sits at 7.40 with a 1.90 WHIP and 55:41 K:BB through 21 starts (101 innings) this season. Wainwright will look for win No. 201 in his next outing, currently lined up for this weekend in San Diego.

Pepiot is slated to pitch in bulk relief behind an opening pitcher in Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Luca Evans of The Orange County Register reports.

Though Dave Roberts didn't announce which pitcher he would use in front of Pepiot, the 26-year-old right-hander will stick in the rotation and is expected to cover the brunt of the innings Tuesday. After turning in an 0.86 ERA, 0.52 WHIP and 17:2 K:BB in 21 innings over his first four big-league outings of the season, Pepiot took a step back in his most recent outing last Wednesday, taking a loss to the Padres after giving up four runs on six hits over six innings.

Ashcraft (toe) will undergo season-ending surgery Tuesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Ashcraft will have surgery to repair a stress reaction in his right big toe. During the Reds' second-half slide, Ashcraft, who had a 2.81 ERA over 10 starts since the All-Star break, was the team's most dependable starter. The right-hander posted a 4.76 ERA over 26 starts and 145.2 innings overall in 2023.