MLB Player News

Ray did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Pirates, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over six innings.

Ray settled in after allowing four baserunners and a run in the first inning, generating 15 whiffs on 104 pitches while limiting the Pirates to only one extra-base hit. Since giving up five earned runs in his first start after the All-Star break on July 20, the 33-year-old has yielded just five over his past three outings. He'll take a 2.85 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 148:55 K:BB across 142 innings into a home matchup with the Padres early next week.

Sale (ribs) will throw a live batting practice Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Sale continues to rehab from a fracture in his left ribcage that has sidelined him since mid-June. There's no concrete plan yet for the veteran southpaw after Thursday's session, but manager Brian Snitker indicated he would probably need at least one rehab start before returning to Atlanta's rotation. Sale is eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list Aug. 19.

Suarez (8-5) took the loss against the Orioles on Wednesday, allowing five runs on nine hits and no walks with three strikeouts over 6.1 innings.

Suarez was mostly undone by a four-run fourth inning, and his velocity was down on all of his offerings as he generated just six whiffs on 95 pitches. The southpaw has hit a rough patch since the All-Star break, posting a 5.79 ERA with only one quality start over four outings. He'll take a 2.94 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 98:27 K:BB across 107 innings into a road matchup with the Reds early next week.

The Nationals recalled Cavalli from Triple-A Rochester ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Athletics in Washington.

Cavalli will return to an MLB mound for the first time since Aug. 26, 2022, after he underwent Tommy John surgery the following spring and then struggled to regain form in the minors upon completing his recovery from the procedure. The right-hander looked sharper over his last four starts with Rochester -- he produced a 5.75 ERA and 1.52 WHIP but a sparkling 25:6 K:BB in 20.1 innings -- and could now get the chance to stake a permanent claim to a spot in the big-league rotation after the Nationals shipped Michael Soroka to the Cubs last week. Cavalli gets a tough draw Wednesday, taking on an Athletics squad that has produced a 107 wRC+ versus righties this season while also pitching at one of the more favorable MLB venues for hitters in Nationals Park.

Weathers (lat) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The workout appeared to mark Weathers' first time throwing off a mound since he landed on the 60-day injured list in early June with a left lat strain. After being sidelined for a lengthy period of time, Weathers will need time to be built back up. A return before the end of August seems unlikely, but manager Clayton McCullough said Wednesday that he's "cautiously optimistic" that Weathers will pitch again for the big club this season, per Alex Krutchik of FishOnFirst.com.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Wednesday that Miley (forearm) will face hitters Friday, Casey Drottar of MLB.com reports.

It will be the first time Miley has faced live hitters since he went down with a left flexor strain in late June. Miley will be eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list Aug. 16, and he could be ready to return then or shortly thereafter. That said, there's no guarantee the Reds will have a role available for Miley at that time.

Tong struck out eight while allowing three hits and two walks over five scoreless innings for Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old right-hander has absolutely nothing left to prove in the Eastern League. Tong hasn't served up a home run since late May, and over 53 innings since the beginning of June he sports a 1.02 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 82:20 K:BB. The minor-league strikeout leader with 154 punchouts in 97 innings on the season, Tong should be getting a promotion to Triple-A any day now, especially with the trade of Blade Tidwell to the Giants having opened up a spot in the Syracuse rotation.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Wheeler's next start will be pushed back from Friday to Sunday in Texas while the right-hander manages shoulder stiffness, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Wheeler felt some stiffness following his most recent start in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Tigers. He was sent for an MRI -- which came back negative -- and the hurler was able to play catch Wednesday. The Phillies don't appear concerned that the shoulder could be a lingering issue for Wheeler, but fantasy managers should nonetheless keep a eye on news pertaining to the 35-year-old leading up to Sunday. Assuming he makes it through his between-starts bullpen session without issue, Wheeler isn't expected to face any restrictions Sunday.

Peralta (13-5) picked up the win in Tuesday's 7-2 victory over Atlanta, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

The right-hander racked up 31 called or swinging strikes among his 108 pitches (63 total strikes) in a typically dominant, if not exactly efficient, performance. Peralta could push himself into NL Cy Young contention with a strong finish to the season -- his 13 wins are tied for the major-league lead with Garrett Crochet, and Peralta boasts top-10 marks in the Senior Circuit in ERA (3.03), WHIP (1.14) and strikeouts (141). His chances of collecting win No. 14 look good in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Pirates.

Holmes didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Guardians, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out six.

The six strikeouts were the most for Holmes in nearly two months, matching his total from a June 7 win over the Rockies. That was also the last time the right-hander completed six innings, and he's been held under 80 pitches in his last two outings as the Mets try to find ways to limit the converted reliever's workload down the stretch. Since the beginning of July, Holmes has stumbled to a 4.72 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 22:12 K:BB through 34.1 innings. He'll look to build on Tuesday's performance in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against Atlanta.