MLB Player News

Muller (1-3) allowed one run on two hits and three walks over four innings Wednesday, striking out one and taking the loss in the first game of a doubleheader against the Padres.

Largely due to the trio of free passes and the Padres working a lot of deep counts, Muller required 87 pitches to get through four frames. The rookie fared well in limiting San Diego's potent lineup to a single run, but the lack of run support while he was in the game resulted in a loss, his third in four starts. A frequent traveler between Atlanta and Triple-A Gwinnett, Muller now has a 3.20 ERA and 23:11 K:BB in 19.2 big-league innings this season and figures to stay in the starting rotation for the remainder of the regular season. He's expected to make his next start Monday against the Mets.

Gray will start Sunday's contest against the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

It had been unclear what Gray's role would be going forward, but Wednesday's announcement resolves that. The rookie gets the starting nod after entering Tuesday's game following opener Darien Nunez and allowing four runs in four innings while striking out seven.

Paddack (6-6) allowed three hits and struck out one in five scoreless innings, earning the win in Wednesday's 3-2, Game 1 win over Atlanta.

The righty, who entered Wednesday's start with a 7.49 ERA and nine home runs allowed in his last nine outings, turned in arguably his strongest performance of the season, giving the Padres some much-needed length in the first game of the doubleheader. Paddack now has a 5.17 ERA and 84:19 K:BB in 87 innings through 19 games. He's expected to make his next start Tuesday against the Athletics.

Stroman (7-8) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing just one hit and one walk over eight scoreless innings in a 7-0 victory over the Reds. He struck out seven.

A third-inning single was the only thing standing between Stroman and a run at a no-hitter, as he exited the game after only 90 pitches (60 strikes). The right-hander collected his first win since June 12 with his best outing of the season, and he'll take a 2.59 ERA and 93:26 K:BB through 111.2 innings into his next start.

Flaherty (oblique) will throw one more bullpen session before facing live hitters, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander has been sidelined since late May with a strained left oblique, and he won't be eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list until the start of August. Flaherty could advance straight to rehab games after the next bullpen session, and he'll likely need a few starts in the minors to ramp up before rejoining the Cardinals.

Malone (lat) has resumed throwing side sessions recently, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Malone had been shut down due to a sore right lat for nearly a month, but he's been able to do some throwing recently. The right-hander still doesn't have a timetable for his return to game action.

Contreras (forearm) has resumed rehabbing at Double-A Altoona, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Contreras stepped away from Double-A Altoona in early June due to a forearm muscle strain, but he's rejoined the minor-league club. It's not yet clear when the right-hander will be able to return to game action, but he appears to be trending in the right direction in his recovery.

Strasburg (neck) tossed a 27-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Strasburg appeared to experience a setback over the weekend when he acknowledged that he wasn't feeling well physically following a recent simulated game, but he's seemingly turned the corner quickly. The Nationals planned to hold Strasburg back from throwing for a few days, but after he played catch Tuesday without discomfort, he was cleared to get back on the mound. The minor hiccup in the rehab process shouldn't affect Strasburg's timeline for a return from the 10-day injured list, though the Nationals probably won't pinpoint a target date for the right-hander until he's ready to start a rehab assignment.

Mikolas (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Memphis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The right-hander threw 60 pitches of live batting practice Tuesday, which was the final step in his rehab before pitching in minor-league games. Mikolas has been on the shelf since late May while recovering from the forearm injury, and he's expected to make a handful of starts for Memphis while building up for his potential activation in mid-August.

Mets manager Luis Rojas said Tuesday that Peterson (oblique) could start throwing off a mound as soon as this weekend, but the lefty remains "weeks away" from returning from the 10-day injured list, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Peterson resumed playing catch shortly before the All-Star break and will likely continue to stretch out his throwing distance for at least a few more days before stepping on a mound. Once that happens, he'll still likely need at least two weeks to fully ramp up for starting duty, making it difficult at this point to gauge a target date for his return. Fantasy managers shouldn't count on Peterson pitching for the Mets any earlier than mid-August.