MLB Player News

Manager Bud Black, according to Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com, "has confidence Feltner (head) will pitch again in 2023."

Feltner has been out of action since being struck on the head by a baseball in mid-May, but he resumed throwing earlier this month, and he is scheduled to face hitters Saturday "without a protective screen." It's unclear how close he is to embarking on a rehab assignment, but that might not be too far in the future if things continue going as planned.

DeSclafani (elbow) was transferred Monday from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

DeSclafani landed on the IL in late July with a flexor strain in his right elbow and recently underwent platelet-rich plasma treatment. He's not expected to resume throwing until at least mid-September and seems doubtful to pitch again for the Giants in 2023.

Miller (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment this week with Single-A Stockton, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Miller threw a couple bullpen sessions in recent days, and he was given the green light to resume pitching in games. The A's will undoubtedly take the cautious route with one of their top prospects, so it could still be several weeks before he is cleared to rejoin Oakland's rotation.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Monday that Wright (shoulder) has advanced to throwing live batting practice, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Wright resumed throwing off a mound in late July and has steadily progressed over the last couple of weeks. The 27-year-old right-hander has been limited to 18.2 major-league innings (five starts) this season because of shoulder issues, but he could be an option again for the NL East leaders around early September if all continues to go well. The next step after a few more live BP sessions would be a minor-league rehab assignment.

St. Louis placed Matz on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left lat strain.

This injury comes with brutal timing for the 32-year-old southpaw, who has delivered a 1.86 ERA and 38:7 K:BB in 38.2 innings (seven starts) since returning to the Cardinals' rotation in early July following a month-long stint in the bullpen. Zack Thompson will take over the vacant rotation spot, possibly through the remainder of the 2023 campaign. Lat strains usually require several weeks of rest and rehab, and St. Louis is fully out of contention here in mid-August.

Keller (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Monday with Kansas City's affiliate in the Arizona Complex League.

Keller had a chance to kick off an official rehab assignment last week, and he did not have to wait much longer to begin one. Keller's last rehab assignment was paused midway through, so expect the Royals to try their best to avoid a similar outcome.

Watkins was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.

Watkins was assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas after being claimed off waivers by the A's last week, but he is now set to receive his first big-league opportunity with his new club. It's unclear what role he will fill, but he has started 11 Triple-A games this season, so he looks like the leading candidate to replace the injured Freddy Tarnok (undisclosed) in Oakland's rotation.

Williams did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over 4.1 innings against Oakland. He struck out four.

The A's got to Williams early Sunday with three runs on a pair of first-inning homers. However, the 31-year-old right-hander was ultimately spared the loss when the Nats rallied for six runs in the ninth to win 8-7. Still, it's been a struggle for Williams of late. He's allowed six home runs over his previous two starts while pitching to a 9.47 ERA in his last four outings. Overall, he's 5-7 with a 5.20 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 90:40 K:BB across 24 starts (117.2 innings this season). Williams will try to right the ship in his next outing, currently scheduled as a home matchup with the Phillies.

Crawford did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk over 4.2 innings against the Tigers. He struck out two.

Crawford pitched fairly well for four innings, though he came an out shy of qualifying for a win after he was replaced in the fifth following an Akil Baddoo home run. The 27-year-old Crawford hasn't made it past the fifth inning in any of his last five starts, despite working to a respectable 3.97 ERA in that span. Overall, he's 5-6 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 89:22 K:BB across 90 innings this season. Crawford's currently lined up for a road matchup with the Yankees in his next start.

Cabrera has looked good in two starts for Triple-A Jacksonville since his demotion, allowing just two earned runs over 12 innings with a 13:3 K:BB, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

Both runs came on solo homers, but the Marlins are more concerned with Cabrera simply getting the ball into the strike zone consistently, trusting that the movement on his plus stuff will take care of the rest. "You watch him, [but] you don't watch the results," manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday before the right-hander's most recent outing, in which he struck out 10 over six scoreless innings against Norfolk. "When you're watching him, he's commanding all of his pitches again, which is what we're looking for. Hopefully he continues to do that. If he continues to do that and knock the door down, he'll come back up." Cabrera is eligible to return to the big-league roster as soon as Wednesday, and with Eury Perez struggling to last five innings since rejoining the Miami rotation, the two young hurlers could switch places for this weekend's road series against the Dodgers.