MLB Player News

Wright (shoulder) threw three scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out four in a rehab outing with High-A Rome on Thursday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Wright appeared in a game for the first time since May 3 and looked sharp across 26 pitches. He'll likely be in line for a couple more rehab appearances to build up his pitch count and knock off some of the rust, though this was an encouraging first step.

Medina (finger) will throw a bullpen session with Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Joey Pollizze of MLB.com reports.

Medina landed on the injured list Monday due to a blister on his right index finger. He'll be sidelined until early September at a minimum as a result, but it sounds as if he could need just one rehab outing before being activated if his finger responds well to resumed throwing.

Bello (10-7) earned the win Thursday, allowing one run on nine hits and three walks over seven innings against the Astros. He struck out four.

The Red Sox gave Bello plenty of cushion in a 17-1 drubbing of the Astros, though he was impressive in his own right, allowing just one run for the third time in his last four starts. Bello lowered his ERA to 3.56 and also has a 1.28 WHIP and 104:34 K:BB across 22 starts (126.1 innings) this season. The 24-year-old right-hander will look to keep rolling in his next outing, currently scheduled as a home rematch with Houston early next week.

France (9-5) took the loss Thursday, allowing 10 runs on 11 hits and two walks over 2.1 innings against Boston. He struck out three.

France began his outing by surrendering a home run to Alex Verdugo, and it wouldn't get better from there -- the Red Sox would eventually tally 10 runs on 10 hits off the rookie right-hander, who recorded just seven outs. Coming into the day, France hadn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last seven starts, working to a 1.94 ERA over that span. His ERA ballooned from 2.75 to 3.56 on the season with a 1.31 WHIP and 83:33 K:BB across 18 starts (110.1 innings). France could get a chance for redemption in his next outing -- he's currently slated for a rematch with the Red Sox at Fenway.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Thursday that Smyly will return to a bullpen role, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

It's unclear who might fill the vacant rotation spot, though Hoyer offered an intriguing "no comment" when asked if it could be top pitching prospect Jordan Wicks. Smyly was lit up for seven earned runs over 3.2 innings in his most recent start Tuesday at Detroit and holds a 5.28 ERA in 124.1 total innings (22 starts, five relief appearances) this year with Chicago.

The Guardians added Gaddis from Triple-A Columbus to serve as their 27th man Thursday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Because Wednesday's game with the Dodgers ended up spilling into Thursday due to rain, the Guardians will be allowed to use Gaddis as an extra man in their bullpen. The 25-year-old righty has put up a 5.17 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through 31.1 frames in the majors this season, and he will likely return to Columbus immediately after Thursday's contest.

Manoah has joined Triple-A Buffalo to be built back up after a wide range of medical tests cleared him of any major structural issues, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manoah hasn't pitched since being optioned to Buffalo nearly two weeks ago, and we now know it's because he was going through a battery of tests to see if anything physical has contributed to his 5.87 ERA and 1.74 WHIP this season. No red flags were found, though, so he'll be thrown into Buffalo's rotation as he looks to get back on track. It's too soon to write Manoah off for the long haul, but he certainly can't be counted on by the Blue Jays or fantasy managers for the rest of 2023.

Strasburg (neck/shoulder) is planning to announce his retirement from baseball in September, Jesse Dougherty and Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post report.

There is a news conference scheduled for Sept. 9 at Nationals Park, where Strasburg will officially call it a wrap at age 35. Washington still owes him more than $105 million on a contract that runs through 2026, and it'll be paid in full because this is an injury-related retirement, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Strasburg burst onto scene in 2010 and registered a 3.17 ERA with 1,695 strikeouts across his first 239 major-league starts (1438.2 innings), but he's battled a range of physical issues -- most notably thoracic outlet syndrome -- since helping the Nats win the World Series in 2019. The right-hander did not pitch this year and surrendered 25 runs (24 earned) in just 31.1 total big-league innings between the 2020-2022 campaigns.

Miller (elbow) shifted his rehab assignment Thursday to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Miller is moving along in the Athletics' minor-league system as he completes his recovery from the mild UCL sprain that sent him to the injured list back in May. He allowed two earned runs while striking out four batters across 3.2 innings (two starts) with Single-A Stockton, topping out at 32 pitches Sunday. The 25-year-old has some more work to do on the farm if he's going to return to Oakland in a full-on starting role, but early September seems like a reasonable target.

Teheran (hip) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Friday with High-A Wisconsin.

Teheran should again be an option for the Brewers, as either a starter or long reliever, after a couple of outings on the farm. The 32-year-old right-hander had pitched to a 4.74 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 44:11 K:BB in 62.2 innings (11 starts) prior to landing on the injured list in late July with a right hip impingement.