MLB Player News

The Cardinals promoted Mathews from Double-A Springfield to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.

Mathews will reach his fourth level this season in what has been a breakout campaign for the 23-year-old lefty. He leads the minor leagues with 180 strikeouts over 126.2 innings in his first three stops, posting a 2.27 ERA along the way. The left-hander was particularly dominant in his last five starts at Springfield, collecting a 0.85 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 49:5 K:BB over 31.2 innings. It might be a tough ask for Mathews to reach the majors in 2024, but he's positioning himself to spend ample time in the St. Louis rotation in 2025.

Lodolo might miss the remainder of the regular season due to his sprained finger, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "It's not concerning for the long term, but it's a rare injury that could keep him out for the year," manager David Bell said of Lodolo. "That's the bottom line."

Lodolo further said that the sprain has been bothering him for most of the summer, dating back to when he developed a blister on his pitching finger.

Robberse (elbow) gave up one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three over three innings in a rehab start for Single-A Palm Beach on Tuesday.

According to MLB Pipeline, Robberse started dealing with elbow tightness in June and officially began his rehab assignment Aug. 13. The Dutch righty logged a 4.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 71.2 innings across 13 appearances for Triple-A Memphis before landing on the 7-day injured list June 18.

Ashcraft (forearm) threw a live batting practice session earlier this week and is expected to be activated from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Indianapolis later this week, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Ashcraft last pitched for Indianapolis in early July, so he will have missed nearly two months of action by the time he returns. The 24-year-old might have pushed for a major-league debut this season if he hadn't missed so much time, but he and the Pirates are likely now eyeing 2025.

Gonzales will undergo left flexor tendon surgery in early September and is expected to be sidelined for 9-to-12 months, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Gonzales is getting his second forearm surgery in just over a year, as he had an operation last August for a nerve issue. The lefty was ready in time for Opening Day after last year's surgery, but the upcoming procedure will be more invasive, and he could be sidelined until around midseason. Gonzales, who turns 33 in February, will be a free agent this offseason after the Pirates decline his $15 million club option for 2025.

The Royals placed Lorenzen on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a strained left hamstring, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

Lorenzen suffered the injury during Tuesday's game versus the Guardians while covering first base. He will be eligible to return in mid-September, but a firm timeline for his recovery won't be known until the results of his MRI become available. Alec Marsh is likely to slide into Lorenzen's rotation spot.

The Rangers will recall Leiter from Triple-A Round Rock to start Wednesday versus the White Sox and "intend to give him some runway" in the rotation during September, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers are essentially turning the page to next season at this point and want to gauge Leiter's readiness for a rotation spot in 2025. Leiter's first three starts at the major-league level have not gone well (16.39 ERA), but the 24-year-old has had an excellent season at Round Rock and has pitched particularly well of late with a 2.37 ERA and 30:6 K:BB over 19 frames covering his last four outings.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that it's "going to take a while" for Scherzer (shoulder) to be built back up after he resumes throwing, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

A scheduled rehab start for Scherzer last Friday was pushed back indefinitely, and the pitcher was re-evaluated by team orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister earlier this week. While nothing overly concerning was found during that exam, Scherzer hasn't resumed throwing yet, and it's unclear when that might happen. The Rangers and Scherzer aren't dismissing him returning from the 10-day injured list before the end of the season, but the 40-year-old doesn't look poised to be activated anytime soon. Scherzer has been out since early August with right shoulder fatigue.

Crochet threw four pitches in his start Tuesday against the Rangers before the game was suspended due to inclement weather.

The White Sox and Rangers will resume the suspended game as part of a doubleheader Wednesday, but Crochet isn't expected to be available for either contest after he went through a full warmup before Tuesday's contest was called in the top of the first inning. Per LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune, Chris Flexen is slated to "start" in the resumption of the suspended game Wednesday, while the White Sox are likely to treat the originally scheduled game as a bullpen day. The White Sox haven't revealed when Crochet might pitch next, but assuming he sticks to his usual four-day rest schedule, he would tentatively line up to make his next start Sunday versus the Mets. Crochet has now covered four innings or less in each of his last nine starts, making it difficult to extract much fantasy value from him.

Flexen will be the de facto starter Wednesday for the resumption of Tuesday's suspended game versus the Rangers, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Tuesday's starter, Garrett Crochet, threw only four pitches in the top of the first inning before the game was delayed and eventually suspended. Flexen had been slated to start the regularly scheduled contest Wednesday, but he will now be the first to take the ball in the suspended game and the White Sox will go with a host of relievers in the nightcap.