MLB Player News

Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced Tuesday that Steele (elbow) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday against the Athletics, Ryan Herrera of AllCHGO.com reports.

The left-hander landed on the shelf after experiencing elbow tendinitis following his last start Aug. 27 in Pittsburgh, and he'll be back with the Cubs for the final week and a half of the campaign. If Chicago sticks to a five-man rotation, Steele tentatively lines up for three starts before the end of the regular season. The 29-year-old has a 3.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 131:34 K:BB across 128 innings this season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that there's a "big chance" Houck (shoulder) will start Wednesday's game against the Rays, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The 28-year-old was scratched from his scheduled start Friday versus the Yankees after receiving extra rest between outings in order to combat a "dead arm" phase, but he's now on the cusp of making his first start since Sept. 5. Assuming Houck pitches Tuesday as indicated by Cora, the right-hander could have some workload limitations while making his first start in two weeks.

Senga (calf) threw a bullpen session and did some pitchers' fielding practice drills Tuesday, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said afterward that it remains possible Senga will return sometime during the final week of the regular season. If that happens, it will almost certainly have to be in a relief role, as Senga does not have time to get stretched back out to start.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday that Springs (elbow) is feeling better but will not return from the 15-day injured list this season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Springs landed on the IL earlier this month with left elbow fatigue, roughly six weeks after he returned to the majors following a long rehab from Tommy John surgery. While Springs' current elbow issue doesn't seem to be overly concerning, the Rays would have little to gain by rushing him back before the regular season concludes.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Tuesday that it's possible Rodriguez (lat) temporarily pitches out of the bullpen when he eventually returns from the 15-day injured list, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rodriguez is throwing off a mound and is "moving in the right direction," per Elias, as the right-hander works his way back from a lat strain. However, he is simply running out of time to get built back up before the end of the regular season, so the Orioles might have no choice but to use him in relief initially as they rebuild his stamina on the fly. Rodriguez has been sidelined since early August.

Greene (elbow) threw 52 pitches over a three-inning simulated game Tuesday at Great American Ball Park, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Greene came out of the session feeling great. While the successful sim game should set him up to return from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday against the Pirates, the team has not yet confirmed as much. If Greene does indeed start Sunday, he would be surely be working on a limited pitch count. The right-hander has been shelved since mid-August with right elbow inflammation.

Garrett (forearm) tossed three scoreless innings in his rehab start with Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, striking out three batters while scattering three hits and two walks.

Garrett built up to 59 pitches (33 strikes) in the second start of his rehab assignment, after he previously tossed three scoreless innings for Single-A Jupiter on Sept. 5. Per MLB.com, Garrett is scheduled to make another rehab start Tuesday, and assuming he gets stretched out to around five innings and 80 pitches and experiences no physical setbacks, he could be cleared to return from the 60-day injured list thereafter. Garrett has been on the shelf since June 23 with a left forearm flexor strain.

Alcantara (elbow) threw live batting practice at LoanDepot Park on Tuesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Alcantara faced batters for the first time since he underwent Tommy John surgery Oct. 6, 2023. The right-hander's rehab from the operation has moved along swimmingly thus far, and he should be ready to roll for the start of spring training.

Monegro posted a 0.61 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 54:14 K:BB in 44 innings over his final nine appearances for High-A Greenville.

Monegro logged exactly five innings in eight of those nine starts. The lanky 6-foot-4 righty built up to a career-high 76 innings this year after logging 65.2 innings in 2023, so he is making strides, but still hasn't shown he can handle a full starter's workload. Monegro is so projectable that his already good stuff could keep getting better in the coming years.

Gonzalez has a 1.84 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 49:17 K:BB in 44 innings across his last 12 appearances for Double-A Portland.

Gonzalez had a rough stretch from May 10 through June 21, where he gave up 25 earned runs while walking 19 in 24 innings. However, he flipped the script in late June and into July, logging three straight scoreless appearances to start this run. He's been even better of late, going at least four innings in five straight outings, including seven Ks over five scoreless frames in his last start last Tuesday. Even when Gonzalez is going well, he'll walk a decent amount of batters, but his stuff is good enough to get by if he can just keep his walk rate in a manageable range. He is already on the 40-man roster, so Gonzalez could begin his big-league career out of the bullpen if there is a need in 2025, but he did enough to close this season to keep the long-term dream of starting alive.