MLB Player News

Abbott (7-3) earned the win over the Pirates on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out nine.

Coming off back-to-back clunkers against the Cubs and Nationals which saw him yield a combined 10 runs over nine innings, Abbott produced a much sharper effort Friday. He cruised through five shutout frames, but the lefty was chased one out short of a quality start after giving up a sixth-inning home run to Ke'Bryan Hayes and then a double and RBI single. Abbott collected 10 swinging strikes on 98 pitches in the outing.

Luzardo (8-7) took the loss versus the Yankees on Friday, yielding seven runs on nine hits and a walk over 3.1 innings. He struck out two.

It's the shortest outing of the season for Luzardo, and it's also the most hits he's permitted this year. He served up a pair of home runs and now has surrendered five long balls across his last two outings. Luzardo fanned 13 in a gem against the Rockies last month but has turned in three clunkers since then. It's possible he's tiring, having already reached his career high in innings with 131.2.

Winans will start for Atlanta in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mets, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Michael Soroka was also an option for Atlanta, but the club will go with Winans against his former organization. The 28-year-old allowed two runs over 4.1 innings versus the Brewers last month in his major-league debut.

Lodolo (lower leg) began a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Friday.

Lodolo will begin rehabbing in rookie ball before progressing his way up the minors. The 25-year-old lefty put up a 6.29 ERA and 1.75 WHIP over 34.1 innings across seven starts and is expected to return to the Reds' rotation before the end of August.

Buehler (elbow) will return as a traditional starting pitcher if he is able to make it back this season, manager Dave Roberts said Friday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.

The right-hander would be able to rejoin the Dodgers' staff more quickly if the goal was to use him initially in shorter stints, either as an opener or reliever, but Roberts said in this interview that the plan will be to build him up to four innings and/or 60 pitches. In his first time facing live hitters Wednesday since undergoing his second Tommy John surgery, Buehler touched 93 mph with his fastball during a one-inning sim game. He won't be ready at the beginning of September, but Roberts said a return sometime that month is still a viable option.

Irvin will have his workload managed for the remainder of the season as the Nationals deploy a six-man rotation, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The 26-year-old right-hander has thrown 106.1 innings between Triple-A and the majors this season, which already tops the 103.1 frames Irvin worked the year before in his return from Tommy John surgery in October 2020. Shifting to a six-man rotation will cost the Nats' regular starters a turn or two over the remainder of the season, and if younger arms like Irvin or MacKenzie Gore show serious signs of fatigue in August, the team could re-evaluate the situation when rosters expand in September. Irvin has a 5.20 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB through 36.1 innings since the beginning of July.

Gore will have his workload managed for the remainder of the season as the Nationals deploy a six-man rotation, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The 24-year-old southpaw has already thrown a career-high 117 innings this season, 30 more than he tossed across all levels in 2022. "I was hurt last year, I didn't throw many innings. So that's a real thing that we're going to have to deal with," Gore said Wednesday after his start against the Phillies. Shifting to a six-man rotation will cost the Nats' regular starters a turn or two over the remainder of the season, and if younger arms like Gore or Jake Irvin show serious signs of fatigue in August, the team could re-evaluate the situation when rosters expand in September. After wrapping up May with a 3.57 ERA, Gore has regressed to a 5.64 ERA over his last 59 innings, albeit with a strong 60:22 K:BB.

Nola did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over five-plus innings against Washington. He struck out six.

After clunkers in his previous two starts, Nola got back on track Thursday, working into the sixth inning before back-to-back singles led to his removal with the score tied 0-0. Phillies reliever Matt Strahm then allowed an RBI double to Ildemaro Vargas, saddling Nola with the only run on his line. In five outings since the All-Star break, the 30-year-old fantasy stalwart holds a 1-2 record with a 4.91 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 33:5 K:BB across 29.1 innings during that stretch. He is currently slated to face Toronto on the road next week.

Falter did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks over four innings against Atlanta. He struck out three.

It was an ugly start for Falter as the recently acquired lefty allowed runs in each of the first three innings to put the Pirates in an early 4-0 hole. He finally managed to pitch a scoreless inning in the fourth, but he would not return in the fifth after reaching 86 pitches. Falter did manage to avoid taking his eighth loss thanks to Pittsburgh's late comeback, but he has yet to collect his first win of the season. He's now allowed at least four earned runs in three of his last five outings.

Elder (8-4) took the loss Thursday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over five innings against the Pirates. He struck out five.

Elder began struggling in the bottom of the third, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk while also hitting Josh Palacios with a pitch. The right-hander managed to avoid any further damage over the next two frames but was again victimized by the Pirates' offense in the sixth before being relieved by Joe Jimenez. It was the fourth time in his last six starts that Elder allowed at least five runs, and he's now lost three of his last four decisions. He's surrendered 10 runs and 13 hits over 9.1 innings to open the month of August.