MLB Player News

Spiers (4-5) took the loss Tuesday against the Blue Jays, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 13 hits and two walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out three.

It was a night to forget for the right-hander -- Spiers gave up five homers in the lopsided defeat, including two in each of the second and third innings. The 26-year-old Spiers has given up 19 earned runs in just 12 innings over his last three appearances. His ERA is up to 5.43 on the year with a 1.42 WHIP and 64:17 K:BB across 68.2 innings. He's currently in line to face the Pirates on the road this weekend, though the Reds could elect to move Spiers back to a bullpen role.

Suarez (back) lines up to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Saturday against the Royals, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The left-hander still needs to complete a bullpen session in the next couple days, but he should return Saturday assuming he doesn't suffer a setback. Suarez landed on the shelf in late July due to lower-back soreness, and he'll likely face some minor workload restrictions in his return to the rotation while coming back without a minor-league rehab assignment.

Lynn (knee) threw a session of live batting practice Tuesday and is scheduled for another session Monday, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol previously indicated Lynn might be able to return from the 15-day injured list following Tuesday's live BP, but the right-hander will need at least one more session before being activated. The 37-year-old threw the equivalent of three innings and should continue building up his workload in the next session before potentially rejoining the rotation later next week.

Matz (back) is scheduled to throw about 90 pitches in his rehab start with Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Matz has a 1.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB across 13 frames in his four previous rehab outings, and Wednesday's start is likely to be his last before being reinstated from the injured list. The left-hander will be fully stretched out as a starter, though his official role upon being activated has yet to be determined. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated the club could move to a six-man rotation with Lance Lynn (knee) also on the cusp of returning from the injured list.

The Nationals promoted Stuart from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.

Stuart will join the Triple-A rotation as a replacement for Brad Lord (hand), who was placed on the 7-day injured list in a corresponding move. The 24-year-old right-hander earned the bump to Rochester based on merit, as he had logged a 2.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 21.2 innings over his four starts with Harrisburg since joining the Washington organization after being acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline.

Sykora has a 2.51 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 101:22 K:BB through 16 starts (68 innings) for Single-A Frederickburg.

The right-hander, a third-round pick out of a Texas high school in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, didn't turn 20 years until late April, but he's been utterly dominant in his first pro campaign. Sykora has combined a fastball that sits 95-97 mph with a rapidly improving slider and splitter, and he's gotten stronger as the season has progressed -- he fired six perfect innings with 10 strikeouts against Carolina on Aug. 9, the first time in his career he'd worked more than five frames in a start. The Nationals won't push him up the ladder too quickly given his age, but a 2026 big-league debut isn't off the table if he continues developing at his current pace.

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Sunday that an MRI on Greene's elbow revealed the right-hander's injury is not as significant as originally feared, Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com reports.

Krall added that Greene will get a second opinion, but at this point, the injury is "minimal" and a "best-case scenario." The right-hander is eligible to come off the injured list Aug. 29, but it's too early in the process to put any timeline on Greene's potential return.

King (11-6) earned the win over Minnesota on Monday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six batters over six innings.

The three walks King issued were his most over his past nine starts, but he was still pretty efficient in getting through six frames on 85 pitches (53 of which were strikes). The right-hander induced 14 whiffs and finished with his fifth quality start across his past six outings. King has thrived in his first season as a full-time starter, registering a 3.18 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 167:50 K:BB over 141.1 innings. He's been a huge addition to a Padres rotation that is currently without Yu Darvish (personal) and that was without Joe Musgrove for much of the campaign.

Stone (11-5) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out 10 over seven shutout innings to earn the win Monday over the Mariners.

Stone's 10 strikeouts were a career high. He earned his second win in a row with this dominant performance, which was also the first time since his June 26 shutout against the White Sox where he didn't allowed a home run. Stone is now at a 3.44 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 105:34 K:BB through 128.1 innings over 23 starts this season. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Rays.

Hicks allowed two hits in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Monday's 5-3 win over the White Sox.

Ryan Walker threw 35 pitches Sunday versus the Athletics and was likely unavailable for Monday's contest. This was Hicks' seventh appearance since he moved to the bullpen, and he's kept runs off the board in each of his last six outings. He has previous experience as a closer, but Hicks has added just one save and one hold since losing his place in the rotation. For the season, he's pitched to a 3.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 94:44 K:BB over 107.2 innings across 27 appearances (20 starts). He has given up at least one hit in each of his outings as a reliever this year, so his current success could be short-lived.