MLB Player News

The Cardinals reinstated Matz (back) from the 60-day injured list Sunday.

Matz will rejoin the big club for the first time since early May after he completed a lengthy recovery from a lower-back strain and the subsequent setback he experienced in June. He restarted his rehab assignment Aug. 1 and built up to five innings and 85 pitches over the course of six outings at Triple-A Memphis, but Matz doesn't appear as though he'll be reclaiming a spot in the St. Louis rotation in September. Miles Mikolas is starting Sunday's series finale against the Yankees, while John Denton of MLB.com relays that Andre Pallante, Sonny Gray and Erick Fedde are listed as the Cardinals' three starters for the team's upcoming series in Milwaukee. While St. Louis could expand its rotation to six men, Lance Lynn (back) is poised to make a rehab start Sunday and could be activated later this week to fill a potential opening. As such, Matz could be relegated to a multi-inning role out of the bullpen.

Anderson did not factor into the decision in a win over Seattle on Saturday, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks over four innings while striking out three.

Anderson was victimized by leadoff homers in both the second and fourth innings, with the latter kicking off a three-run frame for the Mariners. The veteran southpaw would not return for the fifth inning after needing 83 pitches to get through four, marking his shortest outing of the season. Anderson has now given up four or more runs in three of his last four starts in addition to issuing multiple free passes in four straight. He finished the month of August with a 5.97 ERA while going 2-3 and posting a 26:16 K:BB.

Woo did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Angels on Saturday, allowing four runs on five hits over 6.1 innings. He struck out three.

The first two runs charged to Woo on the night both came off the bat of Jo Adell, with the first one coming on a 405-foot blast to center field in the third inning and the second coming on a leadoff shot in the sixth. The right-hander would go on to surrender a season-high three homers in the contest while also snapping his streak of five consecutive quality starts. Furthermore, Woo's three strikeouts Saturday marked his lowest total in that category since July 27 against the White Sox, and he's now given up at least one long ball in three straight outings. Even with the lackluster performance, Woo still finished the month of August with a 2.23 ERA to go along with an outstanding 34:3 K:BB.

The Brewers recalled Hall from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

Hall rejoined the Brewers in short order after he was briefly returned to the minors following his spot start in the second game of Friday's doubleheader with the Reds. Since he tossed seven scoreless innings for Milwaukee in the 14-0 win, Hall presumably won't be available for another couple of days, but once he's recovered from Friday's start, he'll likely operate as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen. Milwaukee has a pair of off days coming up Thursday and Sept. 9, but with the club finishing the regular season with a stretch of 19 games in 20 days, it's possible that Hall picks up some starts as part of a six-man rotation.

Black (0-2) took the loss against the Marlins on Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits over five innings while striking out six.

Black struck out three of the first four batters he faced in the contest before allowing three hits in the second, including a two-run homer off the bat of Griffin Conine. The rookie right-hander recovered nicely, however, hurling three consecutive scoreless from that point on until he was relieved by Taylor Rogers to open the sixth. Black's five innings on the mound marked a season high, as did his six strikeouts on the night. On the downside, he's now allowed a home run in all five of his outings this season.

The Rays reinstated Littell (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Sunday, and he's scheduled to start Monday against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander landed on the shelf due to shoulder soreness after his last start Aug. 14 against Houston, but he's ready to rejoin the Rays as MLB rosters expand to 28 players Sunday. Littell will look to pick up where he left off, as he has a 1.19 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB in 22.2 innings across his past four starts.

Cabrera (3-6) earned the win over the Giants on Saturday, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings while striking out three.

Cabrera was shaky early on, issuing two walks in the first inning while needing 28 pitches to get through the frame. The right-hander was still able to get through the inning unscathed, however, and managed to keep the Giants off the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth when he surrendered back-to-back hits with one out, followed by an RBI groundout from Mike Yastrzemski. Cabrera was then relieved by Xzavion Curry with two outs in the sixth, narrowly missing out on his fourth quality start of the season. The 26-year-old had a decent August, pitching to the tune of a 3.58 ERA while going 2-3. However, he's now issued multiple walks in nine consecutive starts and has posted three or fewer strikeouts in three of his last four.

Bradford came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 3-2 win over the A's, giving up two runs on four hits over seven innings. He struck out eight without walking a batter.

The southpaw reeled off his fourth straight quality start on 97 pitches (68 strikes), but Bradford left the mound with the score tied 2-2 before Leody Taveras walked it off with a single in the bottom of the ninth. Bradford posted an impressive 3.12 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 33:5 K:BB through 34.2 innings in August, but he had just one win to show for his efforts. The Rangers expect to get Jacob deGrom (elbow) and Tyler Mahle (shoulder) back in September, and potentially even Max Scherzer (shoulder) too, but it's hard to imagine Bradford moving back to the bullpen given his current form. He lines up to make his next start at home next weekend against the Angels.

The Reds designated Buchanan for assignment Sunday.

Buchanan's stay on the Reds' 40-man roster lasted just one day, as Cincinnati called him from Triple-A Louisville to serve as a bulk reliever in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Brewers. After relievers Fernando Cruz and Buck Farmer covered the first three innings, Buchanan entered for the next 3.1 innings, giving up one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out one. If Buchanan isn't claimed off waivers, he'll likely stick around in the Cincinnati organization and report back to Louisville.

Estes came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers, giving up two runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

The right-hander was stingy once again as he produced his seventh quality start of the year, although he left the mound with the score tied 2-2 in a game during which the A's never held the lead. Estes has allowed two runs or less in eight of his last nine starts, a stretch in which he's posted a 2.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 39:9 K:BB over 50 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Mariners.