MLB Player News

Alcantara (7-4) picked up the win in Wednesday's 12-4 romp over the Phillies, giving up four runs (two earned) on eight hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out six.

The veteran righty got tagged for two runs in each of the first two innings, with two errors and a balk contributing to the damage in the second frame, but Alcantara kept his focus and shut the door the rest of the way while while getting backed by 13 hits and five homers from Miami's bats. The quality start was Alcantara's 11th of the season and fourth straight, a stretch in which he's posted a 2.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 25:3 K:BB over 28 innings while winning all four outings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next trip to the mound, which is set to come at home early next week against the Rangers.

The Phillies optioned Painter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following his start against the Marlins on Wednesday.

Painter was lit up for six earned runs on six hits and two walks while he struck out three batters in just two innings Wednesday. It's the third start in a row that he's allowed five or more runs, so the Phillies will send him back to the minors to get back on track. A corresponding move will be made ahead of Thursday's game to presumably add more depth to Philadelphia's bullpen while the team determines who will claim the open rotation spot.

Littell (6-6) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings as the Nationals were downed 6-2 by the Royals. He struck out two.

All four runs came on solo shots by Carter Jensen, John Rave, Lane Thomas and Michael Massey, not exactly a fearsome array of sluggers. It's the first time since April 28 that Littell has served up multiple homers in an outing, but after a five-start win streak he's dropped two straight decisions, getting tagged for nine runs in 6.2 innings during the sudden downturn. Littell will carry a 5.45 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 41:23 K:BB through 71 innings into his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Phillies.

Atlanta transferred Strider (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Strider landed on the 15-day IL on June 13 with right elbow inflammation, and it was later deemed that he would be shut down for at least four weeks. Although the 27-year-old avoided any structural damage to his elbow, Atlanta made the decision to transfer him to the 60-day IL in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Carlos Carrasco. Strider has only appeared in eight games this season for Atlanta after having the start of his campaign delayed due to an oblique injury that sidelined him until May 3.

Boyd (knee/shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

The location of Boyd's rehab outing has yet to be announced, but it will be his first game action since he suffered a setback with his shoulder following his June 6 rehab outing at Triple-A Iowa. It's also not clear whether Saturday will mark the left-hander's only rehab outing or if he'll require additional appearances coming off the setback. If he is cleared to rejoin the Cubs after Saturday, Boyd would be lined up to make his return to the big-league rotation next week.

Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Cabrera's right hand is feeling better, and he's expected to be on a normal schedule leading up to his next start, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Cabrera was removed from his start Tuesday due to cramping in his right hand, but the Cubs don't seem to be very concerned about the issue. As long as he gets through his upcoming bullpen session without any problems, he should be ready for his next turn through the rotation against the Mets.

Lodolo (2-2) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up seven runs on 11 hits and two walks over 4.2 innings as the Reds were routed 9-1 by the Mets. He struck out two.

The southpaw escaped potential trouble in the first two innings thanks to double plays, but Lodolo's luck began to run out in the third as New York strung together three straight two-out RBI singles. He finally got the hook after 90 pitches (54 strikes), with the only silver lining on Lodolo's performance being that he didn't serve up a homer for only the second time in eight starts this season. The 28-year-old has been unable to find any sort of rhythm since missing the first six weeks of the campaign with blister issues, and he'll carry a 6.12 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 32:17 K:BB through 42.2 innings into his next outing, which is set to come at home early next week against the Brewers.

The Athletics reinstated Civale (shoulder) from the injured list ahead of his start Wednesday against the Pirates.

Civale was brilliant during his rehab outing at Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday, striking out seven batters without allowing a man to reach base in 4.1 innings. He now has the green light to rejoin the Athletics' rotation, though he will be making his return against a Pirates offense that's posted a .764 OPS since the beginning of June. The 31-year-old righty is also likely to have his workload limited Wednesday after tossing just 56 pitches during his appearance in the minors. Luis Morales was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Canning (1-5) earned the win against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 4.1 innings.

Canning entered in the second inning and was actually the only Padres pitcher to allow a run, which came via a single in the fifth. The 30-year-old has opened June in uneven fashion, yielding one earned run in two of three outings with a seven-run blowup in between. Overall, he owns a 6.64 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 41:25 K:BB across 42 innings this season. With German Marquez (forearm) closing in on a return, it's unclear what Canning's role will be for his next turn through the rotation.

The Athletics optioned Morales to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Morales will head back to Triple-A after just being recalled to the big-league club Monday. The 23-year-old made no appearances in his brief two-day stint in the majors. The Athletics activated Aaron Civale (shoulder) from the injured list to start Wednesday against the Pirates.