MLB Player News

Atlanta recalled Muller from Triple-A Gwinnett ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday in Washington.

Alan Rangel was optioned to Gwinnett to clear room on the 28-man active roster for Muller, who is set to take the hill for Atlanta for the third time this season Tuesday. The 24-year-old owns a 5.49 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 39.1 career big-league innings, but he was one of the International League's top strikeout artists this season, racking up 159 punchouts in 134.2 frames. The strikeout upside he offers along with the good chance he has at coming away with a win Tuesday against the 100-loss Nationals could be enough to make Muller an appealing streaming option.

The Diamondbacks named Pfaadt the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2022, MLB.com reports.

Pfaadt ended his season in style over the weekend, picking up the win for Triple-A Reno while striking out 10. The effort increased his strikeout total to 218 combined between Double-A Amarillo and Reno. He became the first minor leaguer to reach the 200-strikeout milestone since 2011, and the 218 punchouts were the most by any minor leaguer since Brandon Claussen in 2001 (220). The 23-year-old right-hander, who turns 24 in October, will return to Reno next season.

Anderson did not factor in the decision against Pittsburgh on Monday, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out five batters over four innings.

Anderson made it through three frames without giving up a run, but a 50-minute rain delay curbed his momentum. He returned after the delay to pitch the fourth and threw another scoreless inning, but he was then pulled after giving up a leadoff single in the fifth. The runner eventually came around to score, and Anderson finished with one run on his ledger for the third straight outing. The veteran has pitched well of late, allowing just five runs over 20.2 innings in September.

Contreras pitched four innings Monday, allowing two runs on two hits and no walks while striking out two batters and taking a no-decision against Cincinnati.

Contreras surrendered a run in each of the first and third innings but allowed only two total baserunners across four frames. A 50-minute rain delay halted play in the bottom of the fourth, and the Pirates opted to not have the rookie right-hander warm back up and return. Contreras consequently failed to complete five innings for the third straight start, though this was an improvement over his previous outing, when he gave up six runs over 4.2 frames. Aside from a few blow-ups, he's shown promise this season, posting a 3.72 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 86:37 K:BB over 92 innings.

Muller will start Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Muller joined Atlanta's taxi squad Monday and will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett a day later to make a late-season start in the majors. The southpaw gave up nine runs in 7.2 innings over two starts for Atlanta earlier in the season, but it's possible that he also makes a start next week in Miami if he performs relatively well Tuesday.

Muller joined Atlanta's taxi squad Monday and is expected to be formally recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to start Tuesday in Washington, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Atlanta looks set to temporarily expand their rotation to six men with a week and a half left in the regular season, paving the way for Muller to rejoin the big club for the third time this season. The 24-year-old southpaw hasn't been especially effective over his prior two spot starts with Atlanta this season, but he's been one of the International League's more dominant arms in 2022, compiling a 3.41 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 159:40 K:BB in 134.2 innings. With a strong showing Tuesday, Muller could earn himself another spot start early next week in Miami.

Dunn (shoulder) is scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Dunn looked like a potential shutdown candidate when he landed on the 15-day injured list Sept. 15 with right shoulder tightness, but his latest shoulder issue apparently isn't severe as the one that kept him shelved for the first three months of the 2022 campaign. According to Nightengale, Dunn is expected to toss around 50-to-55 pitches Tuesday, with that sort of workload implying that the Reds intend to bring him back as a starter once he's activated from the IL. If all goes well Tuesday, Dunn could be a candidate to take over Chase Anderson's spot in the Cincinnati rotation Sunday in Chicago against the Cubs.

Brubaker (arm) threw a live bullpen session Monday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

The newly acquired Miguel Andujar stepped in to take swings against Brubaker, who completed his first live work since landing on the 15-day injured list Sept. 18 with right arm inflammation. Brubaker looks like he'll have a chance to return before the Pirates' season comes to a close Oct. 5, but he probably won't have enough time to build back up to a traditional starter's workload.

Overton came on in relief during Saturday's 10-1 loss to the Brewers and struck out one while allowing five earned runs on four hits and three walks.

Overton, who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Friday after having not pitched for the Reds since May 17 due to a stress reaction in his lower back, essentially piggybacked starter Graham Ashcraft (biceps), who covered four innings in his own return from the IL. Prior to landing on the shelf, Overton had produced a 1.82 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 24.2 innings over his four starts with the big club, but the underlying numbers (4.72 xFIP, 3.4 K-BB%) offered little hope that he would be able to maintain that level of run prevention. Regression came hard Saturday for Overton, who may work out of the bullpen for the remaining week and a half of the season if the Reds avoid losing any more starting pitchers to injuries.

Ashby covered 1.2 innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Reds, allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks.

In his return from the 15-day injured list last Tuesday, Ashby made a two-inning start against the Mets, but he shifted to a relief role for the Brewers' series finale with the Reds. Ashby ended up following starter Freddy Peralta, who was capped at two innings following his own return from the IL on Sunday. Since both Peralta and Eric Lauer both came off the IL over the weekend and were limited in their respective starts, the Brewers could need Ashby to piggyback one of the two pitchers during their upcoming outings against the Marlins this weekend.