MLB Player News

Cabrera (hamstring) is slated to make the second start of his rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Iowa, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Cabrera kicked off his rehab assignment at Iowa last Friday, tossing 43 pitches and striking out three over 1.2 innings while surrendering three earned runs on two hits and two walks. The right-hander, who has been shelved since June 24 due to a left hamstring strain, is expected to need around three total rehab starts before he'll be viewed as a viable option for the Chicago rotation. With the Cubs shoring up their rotation with the trade-deadline additions of Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes (fibula), Cabrera may need to show improvement in his next two rehab outings to ensure he'll have a starting role waiting for him once he returns from the injured list. Cabrera had struggled over his first 14 starts of the season with Chicago, serving up 14 home runs in 72.1 innings while pitching to a 5.10 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that Rea will have his turn in the rotation skipped this week, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Rea had been a model of consistency of late for the Cubs, covering between five and six innings in each of his last eight starts while submitting a 3.30 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 34:13 K:BB in 43.2 innings. Despite his solid numbers, Rea will at least temporarily find himself as the odd man out of the rotation while the Cubs clear room for Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes (fibula), both of whom were acquired leading up to Monday's trade deadline. Even if the Cubs elect to expand the rotation to six on a more permanent basis, Rea could still face competition for a spot from Javier Assad, who will start Tuesday's game versus the Dodgers. Edward Cabrera (hamstring) is also in the midst of a rehab assignment and could factor into the Cubs' rotation plans once he's activated from the 15-day injured list.

Manager Craig Counsell said that Gausman is in line to make his first start with the Cubs this weekend in Kansas City, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Cubs will at least temporarily move Colin Rea to the bullpen to clear room in the rotation for Gausman and Clay Holmes (fibula), who were both acquired within the final two days leading up to Monday's trade deadline. Based on the Cubs' current alignment, Gausman appears likely to start Friday's series opener, while Holmes is expected to get the ball Saturday. Gausman went 5-10 and pitched to a 4.38 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 127.1 innings in 23 starts with Toronto this season, but most of his underlying metrics (3.85 SIERA, 3.95 xERA, 3.51 FIP) paint a rosier picture of his performance.

Arrighetti (foot) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Arrighetti landed on the injured list July 25 due to nerve irritation in his right foot, but he's made encouraging progress in his recovery and even said he'd be willing to pitch in Toronto's current series against the Astros -- his former team -- if needed. He won't be eligible to return from the IL until Sunday, however, and the Blue Jays will likely hold off on having him make his team debut until around mid-August.

The Padres optioned Sears to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.

Sears will end up losing his spot on the 26-man active roster after the Padres needed to clear room for right-hander Casey Mize, who was acquired from the Tigers on Monday. After being called up from Triple-A on June 23, Sears had started or worked in bulk relief in his first seven appearances for San Diego, logging a 4.26 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB in 31.2 innings. The 30-year-old lefty had shifted to a more traditional relief role by the end of the past week, as he gave up two runs in a one-inning appearance in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants.

Manager Matt Quatraro said that Avila is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

The 24-year-old was placed on the injured list Sunday due to forearm tightness, and further evaluation apparently revealed a torn UCL. Avila will miss the rest of this year and is also likely to be sidelined for the full 2027 season. He made 21 appearances (12 starts) for Kansas City prior to the injury and had a 5.53 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 61:42 K:BB over 70 innings this season. Avila will likely be shifted to the 60-day injured list in the near future.

Manager Matt Quatraro announced that Kolek is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

The right-hander headed for a second opinion on his strained right forearm last week and is now set to go under the knife. The full scope of the procedure isn't clear, but if it's standard Tommy John surgery, Kolek will miss the rest of the season and will likely be sidelined for the entirety of the 2027 campaign. In 10 starts for the Royals this year, he posted a 4.50 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 34:12 K:BB across 54 innings.

Manager Aaron Boone said Rodon (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Saturday, likely with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The left-hander threw 40 pitches during a session of live batting practice Monday and should continue building up his workload Saturday. Rodon has been sidelined by elbow inflammation since late June and is likely to require at least a couple starts in the minors before being cleared to rejoin the Yankees rotation.

Taillon will start Wednesday's game against the Astros in Houston, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays are moving to a six-man rotation for the time being, and Taillon looks poised to occupy a spot at least until Spencer Arrighetti (foot) is ready to return from the injured list. In 15 starts with the Cubs this season, Taillon pitched to an ugly 5.92 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 68:27 K:BB across 76 innings. He also surrendered 25 home runs during that span.

Manager John Schneider said that Soriano will make his Blue Jays debut Friday against the Phillies, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Soriano was acquired from the Angels on Monday in a surprising move by Toronto. Under club control through 2028, Soriano fit the team's plans of quickly rebounding into playoff contention next season. Soriano owns a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 127:57 K:BB across 123 innings spanning 22 starts this season.