MLB Player News

Chirinos is scheduled to start Friday's game against the Brewers in Atlanta.

Chirinos will be making his Atlanta debut after the club claimed him off waivers from Tampa Bay last weekend. The 29-year-old had often worked as a primary pitcher out of the Rays bullpen this season, but he's expected to fill a traditional starting role for an Atlanta squad that has had its rotation depth tested. He'll carry a 4.02 ERA and 1.24 WHIP into Friday's contest.

Gutierrez (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with the Reds' Arizona Complex League affiliate Friday.

Gutierrez is in the final stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery and is finally ready to test things out in game action. While he could return to starting in 2024, Gutierrez will be prepped as a reliever for the rest of 2023.

Kershaw (shoulder) will throw a multi-inning simulated game over the weekend, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Manager Dave Roberts indicated that the 35-year-old lefty will be added back into the rotation if his shoulder doesn't give him any issues after the sim game. No specific return date has been mentioned, but it's possible Kershaw is activated from the 15-day injured list during the Dodgers' upcoming series against San Diego next weekend. Kershaw holds a 2.55 ERA and 1.05 WHIP through 16 starts and has been on the IL since July 3.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Friday in an interview on MLB Network Radio that Eflin (knee) remains day-to-day, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Eflin was lifted from his last outing Wednesday versus the Marlins due to left knee discomfort, but an MRI didn't reveal anything overly alarming. At this point it seems he has a good chance to avoid the injured list and potentially make his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Yankees.

Atlanta has not yet revealed when Fried (forearm/illness) will make his next rehab start, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Fried had been scheduled to make his final rehab start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday but was scratched from that outing because he was under the weather. Presumably, the illness will push back the left-hander's return from the 60-day injured list for at least a few days, although a target date for Fried's activation hasn't yet been identified.

Gray hurled six scoreless innings against the Mets on Thursday, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out four batters in a no-decision.

Gray didn't have his best control in the outing, needing 106 pitches to get through six frames and throwing 43 of them for balls. However, he did more than enough to earn a win, only to watch the team's bullpen give up the lead in the eighth inning. The 25-year-old finished July on a strong note, ending the month with two straight quality starts during which he yielded just one run over 13 frames.

Senga pitched six innings in a no-decision against Washington on Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out five batters.

Senga rattled off five scoreless frames before the Nationals broke a scoreless tie with a run in the sixth. That was enough to put the right-hander in line for the loss upon his departure, but the Mets rallied for two late runs to take him off the hook. Senga finished a strong July with a 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 29:7 K:BB over 23.1 innings covering four starts, though he had only one win to show for it.

Manning (3-2) took the loss against the Angels in the second game of a doubleheader Thursday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five batters over five innings.

This was arguably the worst outing of Manning's campaign, as both the seven runs and seven hits were season-high marks. The right-hander was particularly vulnerable to the long ball Thursday, as the final four runs against him came by way of three Angels homers. Prior to this contest, Manning hadn't surrendered a home run over 25 innings in five starts since coming off the injured list June 27, so there probably isn't cause for concern in regard to a problem keeping the ball in the park, especially since two of the three blasts against him Thursday were hit by MLB homer leader Shohei Ohtani. Manning will look to bounce back in his next start, which is tentatively lined up to come at home versus the Rays next week.

Sandoval (6-7) earned the win in Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against Detroit, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Sandoval needed 97 pitches to get through five frames, but he kept the Tigers off the scoreboard outside of a two-run third inning. The timing of the left-hander's turn in the rotation in relation to the All-Star break limited him to just three appearances in July, but he pitched well in those outings, posting a 2.08 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 17.1 frames. Sandoval may be turning things around after compiling a 4.57 ERA and 1.49 WHIP across 15 starts through the end of June.

Cease (4-4) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against Cleveland. He struck out five.

Cease's final line certainly could've been uglier as he surrendered nine hits, including four for extra bases. Still, it was a tough outing for the 27-year-old right-hander after he allowed just two runs over his previous two starts (11 innings). Cease now sports a 4.15 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP and 143:49 K:BB across 22 starts (119.1 innings) this season. He'll look to get back on track in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week against Texas.