MLB Player News

Darvish (6-6) earned the win Friday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over six innings against the Phillies. He struck out nine.

The 36-year-old turned in a vintage performance in his first start of the second half, inducing 13 swinging strikes on 94 pitches. Darvish limped into the All-Star break with a 6.97 ERA over his last six starts, so this was a big step in the right direction. His peripherals are significantly better than his surface stats to this point, so positive regression figures to be ahead for Darvish.

Morton (10-6) allowed three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings Friday, striking out four and earning a win over the White Sox.

Morton has given up one earned run or fewer in four of his last six outings, posting a terrific 1.77 ERA during that span. After going a month between wins earlier in the year, the veteran righty has been victorious in five consecutive starts. Morton will carry a 3.20 ERA into his next outing, which is currently scheduled to come at home against Arizona next week.

Ashcraft (4-7) took the loss Friday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over six innings against the Brewers. He struck out two.

The right-hander was efficient and kept the ball on the ground, resulting in his third straight quality start, but he was outdueled by Corbin Burnes. Ashcraft has allowed a total of three earned runs over his last three starts spanning 18.2 innings after straying from his groundball ways and battling severe gopheritis in May and June. He should be considered a volatile option given the lack of whiffs. Up next is a home start against the Giants.

Burnes (8-5) earned the win Friday, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings against the Reds. He struck out 13.

At one point Burnes stepped off the mound and was evaluated by the medical staff, but he powered through whatever was ailing him and finished with his first double-digit strikeout performance of the season. The Milwaukee bullpen completed the shutout and brought the Brewers back into a tie for first in the NL Central. Burnes, who was told by GM Matt Arnold that he will not be traded at the deadline, now has a 3.73 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 115 strikeouts in 113.1 innings this season.

Kelly (calf) will throw a 75-pitch simulated game Saturday, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

The 34-year-old righty has been on the shelf since late June with right calf inflammation and will seemingly skip a rehab assignment on his way back to Arizona's rotation. If everything goes well during Kelly's sim game, he could rejoin the rotation as soon as July 20 in Atlanta.

Senzatala (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

He landed on the injured list May 12 with a sprained UCL. Senzatela will finish the year with a 4.70 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 7.2 innings over just two starts. The 28-year-old righty will likely be held out until at least late 2024.

The Rockies placed Freeland on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right shoulder subluxation.

The move is retroactive to Tuesday, meaning Freeland will be eligible to return July 26. There's no timeline in place for the southpaw's return, but he said that his current status is the "best case scenario" as he won't require surgery, per Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com. Tommy Doyle was selected from Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move, but it's not clear who will take Freeland's spot in the rotation.

Peterson will be shifted to the bullpen, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

With the return of Jose Quintana from the 60-day injured list, Peterson will lose his spot in the rotation and be pushed into a multi-inning relief role. The 27-year-old southpaw has been hit around consistently this season and holds a 6.46 ERA and 1.64 WHIP through 54.1 frames across 11 starts.

Montgomery (hamstring) will start Tuesday's game against the Marlins at Busch Stadium, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The Cardinals will have a bullpen game Monday to buy Montgomery as much time as possible after he exited his most recent start July 7 with a minor hamstring injury. He had a rough start to the season, but the veteran southpaw has a 1.48 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 42.2 innings over his last seven starts.

Wainwright said his right shoulder is feeling dramatically better after getting multiple injections to treat soreness and stiffness, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Wainwright is slowly progressing toward a return to the mound, but it's not the greatest sign that he needed multiple injections in his shoulder to even be able to start a throwing program. In the meantime, the Cardinals have only three healthy big-league starters, so Dakota Hudson and/or Matthew Liberatore could get looks in the rotation in the short term.