MLB Player News

Fried (forearm) was activated from the 60-day injured list Friday ahead of his start against the Cubs.

Fried has been on the shelf since May 9 with a left forearm strain. He built up to 79 pitches in his most recent rehab outing, so Fried should be able to go deep enough to qualify for the win in this one if he is pitching well. The 6-foot-4 lefty gave up five earned runs and struck out 13 over 12 innings across four rehab appearances in July.

Liberatore (1-4) took the loss Thursday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Twins. He struck out one.

Most of the damage against Liberatore came in the second inning when the Twins tagged him for four runs on a pair of homers. The 23-year-old left-hander's ERA is now up to 6.93 with a 1.78 WHIP and 23:18 K:BB across nine starts (37.2 innings) this season. Liberatore still offers some upside and figures to remain in the Cardinals' rotation following the trades of Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery. However, he's too risky to even be a streaming option in most fantasy formats.

Cavalli has begun lifting weights and working on his flexibility as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery in March, Damon Brooks Jr. of The Washington Post reports. "I've been doing a little bit of bench presses, biceps and triceps extensions and curls, just developing that muscle back and adding strength," Cavalli said this week.

The right-hander only recently regained full range of motion in his arm, and he remains on track to get back on a mound in 2024. The rebuilding Nationals will have little incentive to rush Cavalli back into action, but he figures to join the big-league rotation at some point in the first half next season. The 24-year-old got hit hard in his first career MLB start in August 2022, but he posted a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB through 97 innings for Triple-A Rochester last year and is still viewed as a future pillar of the pitching staff alongside Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore.

Carrasco (3-6) took the loss Thursday, allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk over six innings against the Royals.

Carrasco allowed one run in the first inning but really began to struggle with his command in the third, when he gave up a leadoff single, threw a wild pitch and then surrendered a homer to Bobby Witt. He would give up another three runs in the seventh after allowing back-to-back singles to open the frame, followed by a three-run shot from Drew Waters. The 36-year-old right-hander has now allowed six runs in back-to-back starts and at least four runs in four straight. He also failed to record a strikeout Thursday for the first time this season.

Sheehan earned a save against the Athletics on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out three batters over four innings.

In Sheehan's first big-league appearance out of the bullpen, he piggybacked with starter Julio Urias, who was limited to five frames due to a recent fingernail issue. Sheehan gave up a pair of solo homers but kept Oakland at arm's length, tossing 56 pitches over the game's final four innings to record a save. The rookie right-hander worked as a starter for each of his first seven big-league appearances, but Thursday's outing may be a signal that he's no longer needed in that role with the Dodgers' recent acquisitions of Lance Lynn and Ryan Yarbrough and the looming return of Clayton Kershaw (shoulder).

Urias (8-6) earned the win over Oakland on Thursday, pitching five scoreless innings during which he allowed three hits and one walk while striking out five batters.

Urias was originally slated to start Tuesday in the series opener, but the outing was pushed back due to a split nail on his pitching hand. Per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, manager Dave Roberts indicated prior to the contest that he didn't expect the left-handed hurler to go more than five frames, and that's exactly how things played out with Urias departing after five innings despite having thrown just 68 pitches. Though that kept him from notching a quality start, it didn't prevent Urias from picking up a victory to improve to 8-6. Assuming he emerges from the outing without a setback, Urias should be able to go deeper in his next outing, which tentatively lines up to come in Arizona early next week.

Taillon (6-6) earned the win over Cincinnati on Thursday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five batters over five-plus innings.

It wasn't the breeziest outing for the right-hander, as he notched just one 1-2-3 inning and needed 92 pitches to get through five-plus frames. However, Taillon got the job done, collecting his fourth win in his past five starts to get his record to .500 for the first time this season. The veteran hurler has turned things around since a poor July 2 outing against Cleveland that pushed his season ERA to 6.93 -- over his subsequent five starts, he's posted a 2.08 ERA over 30.1 innings despite a mediocre 23:10 K:BB. Taillon will look to keep rolling in his next start, which currently lines up to be a road matchup against the Mets.

Keller (9-8) took the loss Thursday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and three walks over five innings against the Brewers. He struck out five.

It was another rough outing for Keller -- he's now allowed 24 runs over his last four starts (21.2 innings). Overall, his ERA is now up to 4.35 with a 1.25 WHIP and 150:43 K:BB across 23 starts (138.2 innings) this season. Keller will look to right the ship in his next start, currently scheduled for next week against Atlanta.

Houser (4-3) earned the win Thursday, allowing a run on four hits and two walks over six innings against Pittsburgh. He struck out five.

Houser allowed a lone run in the first inning before blanking the Pirates over his final five frames. The Brewers' offense would provide more than enough run support in a 14-1 victory. It was an impressive bounce-back effort from Houser after he allowed six runs over four innings in his last outing against Atlanta. The 30-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 4.19 with a 1.52 WHIP and 57:25 K:BB across 13 starts (73 innings) this season. Houser's currently in line to face the Rockies at home in his next start.

Pfaadt (0-5) took the loss Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and one walk over seven innings in a 1-0 loss against the Giants. He struck out seven.

Pfaadt turned in the best start of his young career, generating an absurd 31 called plus swinging strikes on just 84 pitches. The 24-year-old rookie's only blemish came on a LaMonte Wade, Jr. solo shot in the fourth inning; however, he didn't receive any run support and was saddled with the loss. In three outings since being recalled from the minors, Pfaadt has posted a 3.42 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB across 18.2 innings. He is currently projected for a tougher matchup against the Dodgers next week.