Interim manager Tony Mansolino said Tuesday that Eflin (back) will undergo lumbar microdiscectomy surgery and will miss the rest of the 2025 season, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The 31-year-old received an injection to address his lower-back discomfort in early August shortly after landing on the injured list, but he's now headed for season-ending surgery. It was a difficult contract year for Eflin, who had three different stints on the injured list and will close the campaign with a 5.93 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 50:13 K:BB across 71.1 innings.

Brown is no longer expected to start Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays after the Cubs activated Javier Assad (oblique) from the 60-day injured list, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Assad will take the bump and make his 2025 season debut after throwing 18.1 innings across five rehab starts. It's unclear if the Cubs will move Brown's turn back in the rotation or send him to the bullpen. Brown has struggled to a 6.04 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 104:27 K:BB across 92.1 innings of work this season.

The Cubs activated Assad (oblique) from the 60-day injured list, and he's expected to start Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Ben Brown had originally been slotted in as Tuesday night's starter in Toronto, but Assad is back from the IL and will make his 2025 season debut after coming back from a strained oblique. Assad made five rehab starts in the minors, pitching to the tune of a 2.45 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB across 18.1 innings. He built up to 68 pitches in his latest rehab start last Wednesday.

Manager Mark Kotsay said Monday that the Athletics received better news on Severino's left oblique strain than initially anticipated after the right-hander was evaluated in West Sacramento, Jessica Kleinschmidt of Baseball America reports.

Severino was unexpectedly placed on the injured list over the weekend, prompting the Athletics to turn to rookie Luis Morales to make a start in his stead in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Orioles. Though Kotsay didn't go into specifics regarding the Athletics' findings on Severino's medical tests, the right-hander appears to have at least avoided a high-grade oblique strain, which most likely would have ended his season. Severino still appears unlikely to return from the IL when first eligible Aug. 21, but a return before the end of the month can't entirely be ruled out.

The Reds list Martinez as their starting pitcher for Friday's series opener versus the Brewers in Cincinnati.

After a brief stint in the bullpen, Martinez moved back into the rotation last week when Nick Lodolo (finger) landed on the injured list. The veteran righty proceeded to deliver a gem in Saturday's win over the Pirates, striking out four over seven innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits and two walks to earn himself another turn through the rotation. With the Reds set to get Hunter Greene (groin) back from the IL to start Wednesday's game against the Phillies and with Martinez receiving another start, rookie Chase Burns appears likely to have his turn in the rotation skipped for at least this week. Manager Terry Francona acknowledged Monday that Burns will be facing some workload restrictions as the season winds down, so the Reds could shift him to the bullpen in order to help manage his innings count while also allowing the team to keep a five-man rotation intact.

Gray (elbow) continues to throw bullpen sessions at the Nationals' spring training complex in Florida, but the team has no immediate plans to have him face live pitching, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The right-hander is now over a year removed from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, and he's been throwing side sessions since June. While Gray has indicated he would like to make a few starts in the majors before the end of the season, the organization doesn't seem to have much urgency to accelerate his rehab. The Nationals haven't yet ruled Gray out from pitching in 2025, but at this point, the organization appears to be targeting next spring for his return to a big-league mound.

Williamson (elbow) recently began throwing from a mound at the Reds' training facility in Goodyear (Ariz.) but has returned to Cincinnati, MLB.com reports.

The report indicates Williamson was told to "throttle back," which suggests the stress of throwing from a mound was too much for the left-hander. He'll be with the Reds for the week to play catch and participate in workouts. Williamson is recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent last September and is not expected back until 2026.

Springs (10-8) allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 3.1 innings to take the loss against Tampa Bay on Monday.

Springs got through a scoreless first inning but then gave up at least one run in each of the following three frames. He was pulled with one out in the fourth, marking his shortest outing since he completed just two innings against Toronto on May 30. Springs had been pitching well coming into Monday with three straight quality starts and a pair of wins over his previous 18 frames, though he's now given up at least one homer in four straight appearances. In fact, the 23 home runs Springs has surrendered this year are tied for seventh-most in the league, which is largely why he has a mediocre 4.06 ERA despite a strong 1.15 WHIP.

Paddack didn't factor into the decision Monday against the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits and one walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out four.

Paddack yielded a lone run for the third time in his last four starts, and the one walk was his first issued since his July 18 outing in Colorado. The 29-year-old right-hander also pitched efficiently, as he threw 54 of his 76 pitches for strikes, though Colson Montgomery did take him deep for a solo shot in the fifth inning. Paddack has a weak 6.34 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over his last 11 starts (55.1 innings), but he'll try to build on Monday's performance this weekend in Minnesota against his former Twins team.

Pepiot (8-9) earned the win over the Athletics on Monday, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 6.1 innings.

Pepiot cruised through four scoreless frames before giving up a solo homer to Shea Langeliers in the fifth. The veteran hurler pitched into the seventh, but his final line was spoiled a bit when the final batter he faced -- Tyler Soderstrom -- tagged him for a three-run homer. Nonetheless, Pepiot got enough run support to end up with the victory, and this was the deepest he has pitched since he tossed eight frames against Baltimore on June 16. The right-hander's next start is slated to be against the Rays this weekend.