MLB Player News

Fried (finger) tossed 4.2 scoreless, no-hit innings for Triple-A Gwinnett in his rehab start Wednesday for the affiliate. He struck out six and walked three in the 76-pitch outing.

Fried showed no ill effects of the blister on his left middle finger that resulted in his placement on the 10-day disabled list July 6. Given the hefty pitch count he saw Wednesday, Fried looks like he would be ready to handle a starter's workload for the Braves if they opt to bring him back from the DL when a fifth member of the rotation is first needed July 24 in Miami. If Fried is bypassed for the starting assignment, Luiz Gohara would likely be recalled from Triple-A to enter the rotation that day.

Mikolas was placed on the paternity leave list Wednesday.

This will not impact his next start as Mikolas is expected to take the mound against the Cubs on Sunday. Across 19 appearances with the Cardinals this year, he's posted a 2.79 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 83 strikeouts in 119.1 innings. In a corresponding move, Matt Bowman was recalled from the minors.

Fried (finger) will start a rehab assignment for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Fried developed a blister on his left middle finger during a start against the Brewers on July 5 and was placed on the disabled list a day later. If all goes according to plan, this start with Gwinnett will be his lone rehab outing before returning to the Braves, though it's up in the air as to whether he will rejoin the rotation upon activation.

Asher was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Tuesday.

Asher was up for four games and made his second appearance of the season, tossing a scoreless inning Thursday in Pittsburgh. He could be up again in a low-leverage role at some point in the second half.

Strasburg (shoulder) will start Friday against the Braves, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez confirmed Strasburg will come off the disabled list to start the first game after the All-Star break. The 29-year-old has been out for over a month with shoulder inflammation. Prior to the injury, he had posted a 3.46 ERA in 80.2 starts, with excellent strikeout (29.1 percent) and walk (5.8 percent) rates.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts estimated Sunday that Urias (shoulder) could be ready to return from the 60-day disabled list in 4-to-6 weeks, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Urias has advanced to pitching in simulated games at the Dodgers' spring training facility in Arizona and could soon be ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment. Since the 21-year-old lefty has been on the shelf for nearly 13 months while recovering from shoulder surgery, he'll need extensive time to build up his arm to the point he's capable of covering multiple innings. Roberts' timetable suggests that Urias could be an option to rejoin the Dodgers by mid-August, but any activation seems more likely to happen when rosters expand in September. While it's clear the Dodgers still view Urias as a starter in the long run, he seems most likely to contribute as a reliever in 2018 if or when he reports to the big club. The Dodgers already have a crowded rotation with six healthy options and another on the mend in Hyun-Jin Ryu (groin).

Lively is likely out for the year with a shoulder injury, The Morning Call reports.

Lively opened the year in the Phillies' rotation but struggled to a 6.85 ERA in five starts. Solid showings by Vince Velasquez and Nick Pivetta and the emergence of Zach Eflin and Enyel De Los Santos have pushed Lively down the pecking order, giving him a tough road back to the roster even if healthy. He'll compete for a roster spot again next spring but is unlikely to be a favorite to make the team.

Gore tossed five innings and struck out a career-high 10 batters for Low-A Fort Wayne in its 2-1 loss to Peoria on Sunday. He gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in the outing.

Gore has been magnificent since coming off the 7-day disabled list in early June, posting a 2.25 ERA and 35:10 K:BB over 28 innings in his seven starts. The 19-year-old has covered at least five frames in each of his last three turns and may not need much more development time at Fort Wayne before the Padres decide to test him with an assignment in the California League.

Maeda faced two hitters in relief and picked up the win Sunday in the Dodgers' 5-3 win over the Angels. He hit a batter and struck out another to strand the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning.

Though Maeda had started just three days earlier, manager Dave Roberts elected to make the starter available out of the bullpen with the impending All-Star break affording the right-hander ample rest. The decision paid dividends for the Dodgers, as Maeda cleaned up the mess created by starter Clayton Kershaw, who exited with two outs and two runners on in a tie game. After Maeda put out the fire, he watched as the Dodgers took the lead on Enrique Hernandez's solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, securing the 30-year-old his seventh win of the season. Maeda's second-half outlook remains somewhat murky, as the Dodgers are expected to recall Walker Buehler from the minors after the break and would then have to send a starter to the bullpen if Roberts opts to stick with a five-man rotation.

Strasburg (shoulder) is expected to be activated from the 10-day disabled list to start Friday's series opener against the Braves, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Strasburg made his second rehab appearance for High-A Potomac on Sunday, covering 5.2 scoreless innings and giving up five hits and no walks while striking out seven. The right-hander upped his pitch count to 82 in the start, so he should be able to take the hill without any restrictions during the upcoming weekend. Before the Nationals sign off on his return from the 10-day disabled list, Strasburg would likely need to complete a bullpen session in front of the team brass Tuesday or Wednesday.