MLB Player News

Angels general manager Perry Minasian said last weekend that the the team hasn't yet decided if Soriano (arm) will be shut down from pitching this season, per MLB.com.

Soriano said when he was placed on the IL following his Aug. 16 start that he doesn't believe he's dealing with a serious injury, and there's been no evidence to contradict that assessment. However, the right-hander has already blown past his previous professional high of 82.1 innings by tossing 113 frames this season and indicated that he was feeling arm fatigue before landing on the injured list. The Angels, who are well out of the playoff race, may opt to play it safe and keep him sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. Soriano figures to be a key part of the team's starting rotation next year regardless of whether he returns to action in 2024.

The Yankees reinstated Schmidt (lat) from the 60-day injured list Saturday.

After being held out since May due to a strained right lat, Schmidt will now return to the Yankees' rotation and start Saturday's game against the Cubs. The 28-year-old righty made three rehab games in the minors, allowing three earned runs and posting an 18:2 K:BB through 11.1 innings. He was only able to get up to 70 pitches during his most recent outing, however, so there's a good chance he makes a relatively early exit during his first start back in the majors. Ian Hamilton (lat) will return from the 60-day IL alongside Schmidt, pushing Phil Bickford and Nick Burdi off the 40-man roster.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed that Blackburn (hand) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Monday in Toronto, Tyler Antonelle of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.

Blackburn landed on the IL on Aug. 25 after taking a comebacker off his pitching hand in his start in San Diego two days prior, but he's been given the green light to rejoin the New York rotation after completing a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Syracuse. He struck out four while allowing one earned run on four hits and one walk across 6.2 innings in the outing with Syracuse, so Blackburn shouldn't face any workload restrictions when he takes the hill for the Mets on Monday.

Fedde (8-9) took the loss Friday, allowing one run on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings as the Cardinals fell 6-1 to the Mariners. He struck out one.

The right-hander was locked in a scoreless pitchers' duel with Bryce Miller through four innings, but Fedde blinked first and loaded the bases in the fifth on a hit-by-pitch, a single and a walk before Randy Arozarena brought home the game's first run with a sacrifice fly. Matthew Liberatore relieved Fedde and prevented any further damage, but the Cards were never able to tie things back up. Over seven starts with St. Louis, Fedde has a 4.30 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 30:15 K:BB through 37.2 innings, a far cry from his numbers with the White Sox before being traded. He'll look to find his early-season form in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come on the road next weekend in Toronto.

Ray (hamstring) is expected to throw a three-inning simulated game Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Ray already tossed a two-inning sim game Wednesday, so he'll be looking to get stretched out a bit more Saturday. The Giants placed Ray on the 15-day injured list Aug. 27 with a left hamstring strain, but provided he experiences no setbacks while building up, the southpaw should be able to return to the big club in a starting role down the stretch. The club hasn't indicated whether Ray will need to make a minor-league rehab start prior to being activated, but he'll likely require at least another sim game after Saturday before he's ready to handle a starter's workload for the Giants.

Miller (11-8) picked up the win in Friday's 6-1 victory over the Cardinals, allowing three hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander fired 62 of 94 pitches for strikes and benefitted from some impressive defense behind him when St. Louis put the ball in play. The quality start was his 15th of the year, and he's given up three runs or fewer in six straight outings, posting a 1.56 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 38:8 K:BB in 34.2 innings over that stingy stretch. Miller will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Rangers.

Rockies manager Bud Black said Friday that Freeland (finger) is fine and will make his regularly scheduled start Sunday versus the Brewers in Milwaukee, MLB.com reports.

During his previous start Tuesday in Atlanta, Freeland felt a blister pop up on his left middle finger during the third inning, but he remained in the game until exiting after five frames. Freeland didn't appear to be affected much by the issue, as he struck out five over his five innings while allowing just two runs (one earned) on six hits and zero walks. With Freeland checking out fine a few days after the start, he should take the hill Sunday without any restrictions.

Ragans (11-9) picked up the win in Friday's 5-0 victory over the Twins, allowing four hits and a walk over six scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

When Ragans fanned Royce Lewis with a changeup in the third inning, it made him the first left-hander in Kansas City history to record 200 strikeouts in a season. He's only the fifth Royals pitcher to ever reach that mark, joining a group that includes Zack Greinke (2009), Kevin Appier (1996), Dennis Leonard (a franchise-record 244 Ks in 1977) and Bob Johnson (1970). The quality start was the 18th of the season for Ragans, and since the beginning of August he's posted a 3.23 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB over 39 innings. His 204 strikeouts on the year put him third in the majors behind Tarik Skubal's 208 and Chris Sale's 206. Ragans is scheduled for a tough road start against the Yankees next week, and his subsequent turn in the rotation could set him up for a dramatic showdown with Skubal in Kansas City on Sept. 17.

Matthews (1-3) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings as the Twins were downed 5-0 by the Royals. He struck out four.

While his offense gave him no support, Matthews once again left too many hittable pitches over the plate. The rookie right-hander served up his sixth homer in 22 big-league innings, a fourth-inning solo shot by Michael Massey, and while his 22:3 K:BB over that stretch demonstrates that the impeccable control he displayed in the minors remains intact, it comes with a 7.36 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. Matthews lines up to make his next start at home next week against the Angels.

Valdez (14-6) picked up the win in Friday's 8-0 rout of the Diamondbacks, allowing two hits and three walks over seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

Valdez has now held the opposition scoreless three times in his last four trips to the mound. The southpaw has been nearly untouchable since the beginning of August, giving up only 15 hits in 41 innings over his last six starts en route to a 1.32 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 45:12 K:BB. Valdez will look to stay dominant in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Athletics.