MLB Player News

Lively (pectoral) will be activated from the 15-day injured list and start Sunday's game against the Brewers, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lively has been sidelined since June 24 by a pectoral strain, and he'll return to the mound without a rehab assignment. It's unclear how deep he may be able to work into the game as a result, though it has been only 17 days since he last took the mound.

Toussaint (0-2) took the loss Saturday as the White Sox fell 3-0 to the Cardinals, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander kept Chicago in the game, tossing 53 of 81 pitches for strikes before exiting, but the team's hitters couldn't solve Miles Mikolas and the St. Louis bullpen. Toussaint could lose his rotation spot to Michael Kopech (shoulder) immediately after the All-Star break, but in four appearances (two starts) for the White Sox he's posted a respectable 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 16:9 K:BB over 15 innings.

Mikolas (5-5) picked up the win Saturday, allowing four hits over seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory over the White Sox. He struck out six without walking a batter.

All four hits were singles, and Chicago couldn't even get a runner past second base against the veteran right-hander. Mikolas tossed 71 of 95 pitches for strikes en route to his first win since May 30 and sixth quality start of the year. He'll take a 4.23 ERA and 78:24 K:BB through 112.2 innings into the second half.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday he isn't sure if Kershaw (shoulder) will return during the team's series against the Mets immediately after the All-Star break, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw has been throwing off flat ground and threw a brief five-pitch bullpen session Friday. He previously expressed optimism about pitching after the All-Star break, but it now seems possible he might have to wait a little while longer. Kershaw has been on the injured list since Sunday with left shoulder inflammation.

Manager Kevin Cash said Saturday that Rasmussen (elbow) will undergo an internal brace procedure and won't return until the middle of next season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays had previously hoped that Rasmussen would be able to return late in this season after he hit the 60-day injured list with a right flexor strain in mid-May, but that won't be the case. The righty will avoid undergoing Tommy John surgery for the third time in his career, but not by a wide margin. The internal brace alternative is a similar surgery and carries a recovery time that's at best only somewhat shorter.

Faedo was optioned to Triple-A Toledo following his start against the Blue Jays on Friday.

Faedo wasn't going to pitch again before the break after struggling through 3.2 innings on Friday, so the Tigers didn't need to keep him on the roster. He might not get the chance to reclaim his rotation spot at the start of the second half, however, as his 6.98 ERA through six starts trails Reese Olson's 4.02 ERA by a significant margin. Olson has seemingly secured the Tigers' fifth starter spot, with Faedo likely stuck waiting for an injury to open up another chance.

The Brewers reinstated Alexander (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Nashville, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

A right shoulder strain forced Alexander to the injured list before the start of the season. His last three rehab starts came in Nashville, and he will remain in Triple-A after surrendering just three runs on 15 hits and four walks while striking out six batters through 15 innings. If he continues at his current pace in Nashville, Alexander could potentially work his way back onto the Brewers as a multi-inning reliever.

Manager Rob Thomson said Saturday that tests on Painter's right elbow revealed healing in his UCL, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Painter will remain shut down from throwing for now, but he and the Phillies can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Tommy John surgery won't be necessary. The 20-year-old righty has spent all season rehabbing a sprained UCL and could still pitch later this season, though no official timeline has been established for his return.

Blackburn was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against the Red Sox due to illness.

The fact that Blackburn is dealing with an illness rather than an injury means he's probably not going to miss more than one start, but he'll be down for at least one unless he's healthy enough to pitch Sunday and the A's elect to bump JP Sears. Austin Pruitt will be the first pitcher on the hill Saturday in Blackburn's absence.

Anderson tossed 4.1 innings out of the bullpen Friday against the Dodgers, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

Manager Phil Nevin announced earlier in the week that Anderson would be available out of the bullpen until the All-Star break with the team not needing his services as a starter. The southpaw threw more pitches (71) on Friday than starter Griffin Canning (56), and neither hurler was able to contain the Dodgers' offense. Given his workload in the contest, Anderson is unlikely to pitch again until after the Midsummer Classic.