MLB Player News

Martinez (oblique) will toss a side session within the next couple days in order to determine his availability for next week against Colorado, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

If all goes well, Martinez will likely be able to return from the 10-day DL without missing more than one start in the rotation, which was the expectation when he landed on the shelf this past weekend. Look for the right-hander to step on the mound for his throwing session Tuesday or Wednesday while the team is in Cincinnati.

Smoker was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Monday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Smoker was cast off the 40-man roster in order to make room for Casey Sadler, who was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move. Max Moroff was optioned to the minors. Across seven appearances with the Pirates this year, Smoker posted an unsightly 11.12 ERA and 2.82 WHIP over 5.2 innings of relief. He will be subject to waivers and could join a new organization if claimed or traded within the next week.

Fried (finger) will make a rehab start Monday for Double-A Mississippi, David O'Brien of The Athletic Atlanta reports.

Fried was considered a candidate to return to Atlanta and start Tuesday against the Marlins, but he'll make one more rehab start instead. He would now be lined up to start Saturday against the Dodgers, though the Braves' plans for him are not yet clear.

Davies (shoulder) is scheduled to start Thursday for Low-A Wisconsin and then make a pair of starts for Triple-A Colorado Springs, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Davies has been out since late May with a shoulder issue and has also suffered from back tightness. He got through a sim game Monday and now has a comprehensive rehab schedule on tap. Assuming that all three rehab starts come on the standard four days' rest, he could be lined up to return Aug. 10 in Atlanta.

Eflin (finger) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list ahead of his start against the Dodgers on Monday.

As expected, Eflin will rejoin Philadelphia's rotation after hitting the DL on July 14 with a blister on his right middle finger. Through 12 first-half starts, he posted a 3.15 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 68.2 innings.

The Padres moved Lauer's start back to Tuesday after recalling Joey Lucchesi for Monday's game against the Mets.

Lauer started 16 games for the Padres during the first half of the 2018 campaign, logging a 4.87 ERA and 1.67 WHIP with a 67:32 K:BB across 77.2 innings. This move likely takes Lauer out of the running for a pair of starts this week as his next projected appearance after facing New York comes Monday versus the Giants.

Lucchesi was called up from Triple-A El Paso and will take the hill against the Mets on Monday.

The Padres elected to move Lucchesi up a day and throw Eric Lauer on Tuesday, contrary to their previous plan. The club will need to make a corresponding move in the coming hours in order to make room for Lucchesi on the active roster. Lucchesi got knocked around pretty hard during his start with El Paso over the All-Star break (seven earned runs across two innings), but will rejoin the Padres rotation moving forward after a solid first half with the team (3.34 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 67.1 major-league innings).

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Sunday that there's a "100 percent" chance that Burnes will return to a full-time starting role in 2019, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Though he predictably endured some hiccups while pitching at altitude at Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, Burnes, who posted a 5.15 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 78.2 innings with the affiliate, remains one of the top prospects in Milwaukee's system. As such, the Brewers are confident the 23-year-old will seize a starting role with the big club at some point in 2019, but for now, Burnes will get familiarized with major-league hitters while serving as a multi-inning bullpen arm. He only has three appearances under his belt thus far, but Burnes has impressed each time out, collecting a win and a save and surrendering no runs over six innings while striking out eight.

Lucchesi will be recalled from Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday to start the Padres' game against the Mets, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Because Lucchesi had been sidelined for a month earlier in the season with a hip strain, the Padres wanted the rookie southpaw to pick up some innings over the All-Star break. He was thus optioned to El Paso following his final start of the first half July 11 and took the hill seven days later for the affiliate, working 2.2 innings and giving up seven runs on seven hits and four walks. Despite that rough showing, the Padres will have no reservations about bringing Lucchesi back to the majors after he performed as one of the team's top starters in the first half, delivering a 3.34 ERA and 69:25 K:BB across 67.1 frames.

Senzatela (3-3) got the loss against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, giving up four earned runs on five hits over 5.1 innings while striking out six and walking two in Colorado's 6-1 defeat.

It wasn't a terrible final line for the right-hander, but he still labored for a second straight outing after giving up six earned to the Mariners in his last start, eventually taking his third defeat of the season. He'll take a 5.55 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 26:11 K:BB through 35.2 innings into his next start, which will see him take on the Athletics next Sunday.