MLB Player News

Single-A Clearwater placed McFarlane on its 7-day injured list Saturday with an unspecified injury.

The 22-year-old right-hander has piled up 68 strikeouts over 49.1 innings, but his struggles with walks (16.3 BB%) have played a large role in him carrying a bloated 5.84 ERA and 1.71 WHIP through 16 starts. It's unclear if his injury is significant enough to cut short his second professional season.

Stroman (hip/ribs) was cleared for light activity Tuesday following an examination of the fracture in his right rib cage cartilage, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The exam showed a good amount of healing in his rib cage, but there remains no exact timetable for Stroman's return to the Cubs' starting rotation. He originally landed on the injured list Aug. 2 due to right hip inflammation and is probably still at least a couple of weeks away from being able to pitch in live games.

Suarez (hamstring) is on track to return to the Phillies rotation Sunday against the Brewers, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Suarez threw live batting practice without issue Monday and only has to cross one more hurdle with a bullpen session Friday. The 28-year-old left-hander had registered a 3.88 ERA and 89:35 K:BB through 97.1 innings (17 starts) this season for the Phillies prior to landing on the injured list Aug. 19 due to a right hamstring strain.

Smith-Shawver is on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Gwinnett with right shoulder inflammation, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He was placed on the IL Aug. 23, retroactive to Aug. 21. Smith-Shawver is Atlanta's top prospect and he reached the majors this season as a 20-year-old starting pitching prospect, which is a rare feat. With Kyle Wright (shoulder) amid a rehab assignment, Darius Vines and Jared Shuster could be short-term options for spot starts at the big-league level.

Cueto (illness) threw live batting practice Tuesday in Miami, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.

Cueto faced hitters for the first time since he landed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 21 because of a viral infection. Assuming he doesn't require a minor-league rehab assignment, Cueto could be a candidate to return from the IL and rejoin the Miami rotation for this weekend's series in Washington. The veteran right-hander has posted a 5.57 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 26:9 K:BB across just 32.1 major-league innings for Miami in 2023.

Hill is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

After going 0-3 with 9.53 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over his first three starts with the Padres following his acquisition from the Pirates at the trade deadline, Hill had his turn in the rotation skipped last week. He ended up working in relief in Friday's loss to Milwaukee, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks over 2.2 innings. Despite his continued poor results, Hill will get a chance to step back into the San Diego rotation this week, filling the vacancy that was created when Yu Darvish (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday.

Dunn's rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville was halted Thursday after he suffered a setback with his right shoulder, MLB.com reports.

Dunn's last two seasons have been torpedoed by shoulder problems, with a subscapularis muscle in his right rotator cuff having kept him on the Reds' injured list since spring training. He began a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Aug. 16 and made two appearances for the affiliate before moving on to Louisville, but he made just one appearance at the Triple-A level before being shut down again. The Reds haven't provided word on the severity of his setback, but Dunn could be hard-pressed to make it back from the IL before the end of the 2023 campaign.

Sanchez (shoulder) was scheduled to throw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Sunday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

The Marlins haven't confirmed whether Sanchez faced hitters as anticipated, but if he did, it would mark a step forward in right-hander's lengthy rehab process from the arthroscopic surgery he underwent on his shoulder last October. Sanchez has already experienced setbacks with his shoulder in spring training and in late May, but he's apparently avoided any stumbling blocks in his recovery over the ensuing three months. Sanchez seemingly still has an outside chance of pitching in rehab games in the minors in mid-to-late September, but the Marlins likely aren't counting on any contributions from him at the big-league level in 2023.

Gomber's departure in the third inning of his start in Monday's 14-4 loss to Atlanta was due to back soreness, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Gomber has been battling back issues for the past month, and it flared up on him Monday, necessitating his removal in the third inning. For what it's worth, the left-hander said after the game that he believes he can avoid the injured list. Heading into Monday, Gomber had been in the midst of a productive run since the All-Star break, turning in a 3.69 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 25:11 K:BB across 46.1 innings over his eight starts. He coughed up two runs on four hits and two walks in 2.2 innings against Atlanta.

Elder (11-4) earned the win over Colorado on Monday, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings.

The outing was far from Elder's best, but that's hardly a surprise given that he was pitching at Coors Field. The right-hander nonetheless fared moderately well, giving his team six frames and departing with a 5-4 lead. That more than held up the rest of the way, as Atlanta used a late offensive surge to turn the contest into a rout. Elder thus recorded his third straight win, and he's posted a 2.45 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 10:7 K:BB over 18.1 innings during that stretch. Among qualified NL starters, he ranks eighth with a 3.50 ERA and 12th with a 1.21 WHIP on the campaign.