MLB Player News

Skenes (10-2) got the win Monday over the Marlins, giving up one run on six hits and one walk while striking out nine over six innings.

Skenes was sharp yet again Monday, holding the Marlins to one run through six innings. Skenes recorded nine strikeouts and surpassed Cy Blanton in 1935 for the most strikeouts by a Pirates rookie in franchise history. Skenes now has 151 strikeouts this season, making him the fifth pitcher since 1920 with 150 or more strikeouts in his first 20 pitching appearances. The 22-year-old lowered his ERA to 2.10, and he now has 14 quality starts in his first 20 big-league appearances.

Morton (8-8) took the loss Monday, giving up one run on six hits and two walks over 6.2 innings in a 1-0 loss to the Mets. He struck out seven.

Morton put together one of his better efforts of the season in a losing effort Monday. He pitched into the seventh inning for just the fifth time this season and held the Reds to a single run on an RBI double by Ty France in the third inning. The 40-year-old got lit up for eight runs against the Brewers early in August but has bounced back nicely since then with a 2.88 ERA over his last six starts. 

Glasnow (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday followed by a simulated game Friday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

This is another step in the right direction for Glasnow, who successfully fired a 25-pitch bullpen session Saturday. If he's able to get through Tuesday's bullpen and Friday's sim game without issue, the right-hander could be sent out on a rehab assignment as early as next week.

Kershaw (toe) was spotted throwing off a makeshift mound at Dodger Stadium on Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ardaya added that Kershaw was testing his ability to push off his big left toe by not wearing a shoe. It's another step in the right direction for Kershaw, who landed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 31 due to a bone spur in his left big toe. A timeline for the veteran southpaw's return remains unclear.

The Phillies will call Allard up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start in Saturday's game against the Mets, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The Phillies will avoid skipping the No. 5 spot in their rotation by calling up Allard to provide a spot start Saturday, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Allard has won in each of his last two starts with the big club, and across four major-league outings this season (three starts), the 27-year-old southpaw holds a 2-0 record with a 3.50 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB over 18 innings.

Rodriguez (lat) could face hitters at some point this week during the Orioles' road trip, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez began throwing off a mound last week and should be able to take the next step in his recovery soon. The right-hander has been sidelined since early August with a right lat strain and will surely need a rehab start or two before rejoining the Orioles' rotation, so he's probably looking at a late-September return even if all goes well.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday that Blackburn (hand) was scratched from his start Monday against the Blue Jays due to a back issue, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Blackburn was placed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 25 after taking a comebacker off his pitching hand. He was slated to return from the IL to start Monday, but the Mets opted to delay activating him once the back issue cropped up. Mendoza added that the Mets will monitor Blackburn's back over the next couple of days, and the right-hander will not pitch in the upcoming series in Toronto, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.

The Guardians recalled Cantillo from Triple-A Columbus on Monday.

Cantillo will make a start Monday against the White Sox. Ben Lively had been in line to take the hill Monday, but Lively has struggled lately and will have his turn pushed back or perhaps skipped altogether. The left-handed Cantillo has produced an unsightly 7.71 ERA and 15:9 K:BB over 18.2 innings in four starts and one relief appearance with the Guardians this season.

Interim manager Grady Sizemore said Saturday that Nastrini will be available in relief Monday in what's expected to be a bullpen day in the White Sox's series opener versus the Guardians, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Sizemore hasn't officially pulled the plug on Nastrini as the fifth member of the rotation, but the rookie right-hander will look to turn in better results in relief after posting a 7.79 ERA and 24:32 K:BB in 32.1 innings through his first eight big-league starts. Jared Shuster is slated to open the contest and has worked at least four innings over four of his 37 appearances this season between the majors and Triple-A, so Nastrini could end up piggybacking Shuster rather than serving as a true bulk reliever Monday.

The Phillies optioned Johnson to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Johnson's stay in Philadelphia will last just one start, as he'll head back to Triple-A after he was lit up for nine earned runs over 2.1 innings during his MLB debut in Sunday's 10-1 loss to the Marlins. The Phillies recalled left-hander Tyler Gilbert to provide some extra coverage in the bullpen in the short term, but it's not immediately clear whom Philadelphia might turn to as Johnson's replacement in the rotation.