MLB Player News

Vines (shoulder) was reinstated from Triple-A Gwinnett's 7-day injured list Thursday and struck out four while allowing one earned run on five hits and four walks over 4.2 innings in his return to the rotation.

Thursday's appearance marked Vines' season debut for Gwinnett after he was placed on the IL coming out of spring training on account of an inflamed right shoulder. He was cleared to begin a rehab assignment in late June and turned in a 2.40 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 21:3 K:BB in 15 innings over his four starts between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and High-A Rome before he slotted back into the Gwinnett rotation. The 25-year-old right-hander is one of Atlanta's top pitching prospects and already has a spot on the 40-man roster, so a late-season promotion to the majors isn't out of the question if he excels in his next few outings at Triple-A and if the big club has a need for another impact arm.

Cabrera is listed as the Marlins' probable starter for Monday's game against the Phillies.

In his last outing July 25, Cabrera, who was taking the hill for the second time since returning from the 15-day injured list following a one-month absence due to a shoulder issue, was lifted after just two innings and 53 pitches in his start against the Rays due to a blister on his throwing hand, according to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Though blisters have been a recurring problem for Cabrera this season, he presumably came out of his between-starts bullpen session without issue and will return to the bump Monday on five days' rest.

Mikolas, who is appealing the five-game suspension he received from MLB on Friday, is lined up to make his next start Tuesday against the Twins, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mikolas was handed the five-game ban one day after he was ejected in the second inning of the Cardinals' 10-3 loss to the Cubs for intentionally throwing consecutive pitches at Chicago's Ian Happ. A resolution on Mikolas' appeal isn't expected to come before Tuesday, so the 34-year-old should be able to take the hill that day in what would have been Jack Flaherty's turn through the rotation. Since Flaherty is a candidate to get dealt ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, the Cardinals would rather not have him pitch that day and instead prefer to go with the well-rested Mikolas, who threw only 14 pitches in his last start prior to being ejected.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that Williams is set to be placed on the bereavement list Monday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The transaction isn't expected to be made official until a few hours before the Nationals' series opener with the Brewers, which begins at 7:05 p.m. ET. Williams most recently started in the Nationals' loss to the Mets on Sunday, when he worked four innings while surrendering five runs on seven hits and four walks. The right-hander will likely be ready to return from bereavement leave before his next turn through the rotation comes up this weekend in Cincinnati.

Perez made a start for Double-A Pensacola last Wednesday, tossing 2.1 innings and striking out five while allowing two runs (one earned) in a 4-3 win over Mississippi. According to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, general manager Kim Ng said the Marlins are "creating a path for him to come back" to the big club, but no specific timeline was provided for when he'll be called up from Double-A. "We'll take it day by day and see where the staff is, see where he is, and just make sure that we monitor this really closely."

The Marlins sent Perez back to the minors shortly before the All-Star break, despite the fact that he had arguably been Miami's top starter through his first 11 big-league outings (2.36 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 61:17 K:BB in 53.1 innings). The demotion was designed to better manage the 20-year-old's innings count, which now sits at 86.2 for the season between the majors and minors. Considering Perez's youth and long-term importance to the organization as well as the fact that he never threw more than 78 innings in any of his previous pro seasons, the Marlins will likely be selective with his usage moving forward. Though the talented righty will be back in the big leagues at some point as the Marlins push for a wild-card spot, Ng left it open for interpretation whether Perez would be deployed as a starter or reliever once he's called up. Even if the Marlins are willing to clear room in the rotation for Perez, he could be on a shorter leash with regard to his pitch count compared to Miami's other starters.

Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos confirmed Sunday that Fried (forearm) has completed his minor-league rehab assignment and will be reinstated from the 60-day injured list later this week, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.

Anthopoulos didn't specify what day Fried will be activated, but the southpaw is expected to start either Friday or Saturday versus the Cubs at Wrigley Field, per David O'Brien of The Athletic. In preparation for Fried's return, Atlanta already opened up a spot in the rotation by optioning right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday. Fried made the fourth and final start of his rehab assignment with Gwinnett this past Saturday, covering 4.1 innings and striking out four while allowing two runs on five hits and two walks. He built up to 79 pitches in that outing, so Fried shouldn't be in line for any major workload restrictions when he returns to the Atlanta rotation.

Atlanta optioned Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

As anticipated, Smith-Shawver was just up with Atlanta for a spot start after he was recalled ahead of Sunday's game against the Brewers. Though Atlanta came away with an 8-6 victory, Smith-Shawver was denied the win after tossing five innings and giving up three hits and four hits and four walks. Atlanta is set to return Max Fried (forearm) from the 60-day injured list Friday or Saturday to fill the vacant spot in the rotation, but Smith-Shawver could be back with the big club as soon as next week, when a temporary sixth starter will be needed for the Aug. 12 doubleheader with the Mets.

Luzardo did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks over 4.2 innings against the Tigers. He struck out three.

After fanning a career-high 13 batters in his last start, Luzardo was only able to punch out three hitters Sunday during 4.2 inefficient innings. All of the damage against Luzardo came in the third, where he allowed four hits and a walk as part of a four-run frame. The start ended an impressive run for the 25-year-old, who had allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven consecutive starts leading up to Sunday's dud. Luzardo is tentatively scheduled to take the mound next during a three-game road series against the Rangers this weekend.

Snell (8-8) allowed one unearned run on four hits and four walks over five innings Sunday, striking out nine and earning a win against Texas.

Snell has been outstanding for the last two months despite his inflating walk rate. He registered a 42:26 K:BB through 32 July innings but gave up just two earned runs. He's given up two or fewer runs in 13 straight starts, resulting in a terrific 0.73 ERA with a 108:41 K:BB through 74 frames over that span. Snell's next outing is projected to be at home against the Dodgers.

Williams (5-6) took the loss Sunday, allowing five runs on seven hits and four walks over four innings against the Mets. He struck out two.

Williams tied his season highs in earned runs allowed and walks allowed Sunday as he fell to his sixth loss of 2023. He also surrendered a solo homer to Francisco Lindor in the fourth inning, marking his eighth long ball given up in his last seven starts. During that stretch, Williams owns a 6.06 ERA and a 21:13 K:BB. The 31-year-old is projected to make his next start during a three-game road series in Cincinnati this weekend,