MLB Player News

Arizona recalled Pfaadt from Triple-A Reno ahead of his scheduled start Thursday against the Rays.

As expected, Pfaadt is back in the Diamondbacks' rotation as a replacement for Merrill Kelly, who went on the injured list earlier this week due to a blood clot in his right calf. There is no timetable for Kelly's return, so Pfaadt should have an extended chance to strut his stuff and perhaps rebound from his poor five-start introduction to the majors in May. The talented 24-year-old has worked to a promising 3.16 ERA and 28:5 K:BB across 25.2 innings (five starts) with Reno since his May 27 demotion and is worth another look in most fantasy formats.

Skubal (elbow) is expected to return from the 60-day injured list to make his next start with the Tigers, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Skubal has been electric on his rehab assignment, holding a 1.23 ERA and 20:3 K:BB over 14.2 innings covering five starts between High-A West Michigan and Triple-A Toledo. He will throw a bullpen session over the weekend, and if he gets through it with no issues, he could make his season debut with the big club as soon as Tuesday at home versus the Athletics. The upcoming start would be his first in the majors since he underwent season-ending flexor tendon surgery last August. Skubal didn't work more than four frames in any rehab start, so he will likely be limited from a workload perspective initially. However, with what shapes up to be two starts in his first week back from the IL and one of those outings slated to come against Oakland, he might be worth using in fantasy leagues, anyway.

Wentz was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Wentz was rocked for six runs (four earned) on nine hits across 4.2 innings in a loss to the Rangers on Wednesday to push his ERA on the season to 6.09. He'll head to Toledo for a reset, but there may not be a clear path back to the rotation for him once Tarik Skubal (elbow) and Eduardo Rodriguez (finger) are healthy.

Allen was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The moves comes one day after Allen needed 98 pitches to cover 3.2 innings against the Royals, albeit in a scoreless appearance. Allen didn't last longer than four frames in any of his last three starts, and while his ERA for the Guardians is sitting at 3.47, his 1.44 WHIP points to some work still needing to be done. Cal Quantrill (shoulder) is slated to return from the injured list this weekend and will take Allen's rotation spot.

Darvish (illness) is questionable for the Padres' three-game weekend series against the Reds, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Seth Lugo is expected to start Friday's series opener in Cincinnati, but the Padres are still in wait-and-see mode on both Darvish and Michael Wacha (shoulder) as they hold off on setting the remainder of their weekend probables. Darvish was scratched from his previous turn Tuesday versus the Pirates due to an illness and has yet to throw his typical between-starts bullpen session, though he did play catch Thursday. The best-case scenario is likely that Darvish returns for Sunday's series finale at Great American Ball Park, with Wacha handling Saturday's game.

Wacha (shoulder) is throwing a bullpen session Thursday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

If the workout goes well, Wacha should be able to slot back into the Padres' starting rotation during their three-game weekend series in Cincinnati. He was skipped on his last turn Saturday versus the Nationals due to right shoulder fatigue.

Javier did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk over four innings against the Cardinals. He struck out one.

After allowing four runs just once over his first 12 starts, Javier has now given up at least four in three of his last four appearances. During that stretch, he owns a 7.27 ERA and has more walks (nine) than strikeouts (six). Despite his recent struggles, Javier hasn't taken a loss since April 29 and continues to be bailed out by Houston's offense. As long as he's healthy, the right-hander should remain a prominent part of the Astros' rotation, and he'll look to get back on track in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled during a four-game set in Texas.

Mikolas did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks over 5.2 innings against the Astros. He struck out four.

Mikolas was sharp in his last outing (two earned runs through seven innings) but had a few extra days off due to St. Louis' trip to London and struggled to find a rhythm versus Houston. It was the sixth time this season that the right-hander has given up at least five runs, and he currently sports a 4.44 ERA, which would be his highest mark in five seasons with the Cardinals. While Mikolas' ERA could use some work, his 70:22 K:BB is on par with previous seasons and his BABIP (.323) is higher than ever, suggesting he's been the recipient of some bad luck so far this year. Either way, Mikolas' spot in the rotation is secure, and he'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled during a four-game set in Miami.

Garrett (4-2) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over five innings in a 6-2 victory over the Red Sox. He struck out two.

The 25-year-old southpaw made a relatively early exit due to a rain delay despite his stingy performance, throwing 66 pitches (43 strikes) and leaving with the score tied 1-1, but the Marlins erupted for three runs in the top of the sixth when play resumed while Garrett was still the pitcher of record. He hasn't been tagged with a loss since May 8, going 3-0 over his last nine starts with a 1.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and dazzling 64:9 K:BB through 50 innings, Garrett will look to keep rolling in his next outing, likely to come at home early next week against the Cardinals.

Senga didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Brewers, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out eight.

The right-hander fired only 59 of 102 pitches for strikes but was effectively wild, generating 31 called or swinging strikes before exiting with the score tied 2-2. Senga has a 3.23 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 69:28 K:BB through 55.2 innings since the beginning of May but only a 3-4 record to show for it as the Mets continue to struggle. He'll try to get back in the win column in his next start, likely to come early next week in Arizona.