MLB Player News

Mozzicato (undisclosed) was activated from the 7-day injured list at Single-A Columbus on Thursday and gave up three earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three over 3.1 innings.

He was originally expected to miss a month with the undisclosed injury, but his absence ended up lasting just two weeks. This was Mozzicato's worst outing of the season, but the young southpaw still boasts a 2.54 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 77 strikeouts in 49.2 innings.

Steele (forearm) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Saturday against the Orioles, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Steele got through a bullpen session Thursday without any hiccups, clearing up any remaining concern about his ability to rejoin the rotation. The left-hander will be returning from the IL in the minimum 15 days and is skipping a rehab assignment, so it's possible he won't quite be ready for a full workload against Baltimore. Steele posted a 2.65 ERA in 12 starts before going down with a left forearm strain.

Smith-Shawver (1-0) earned the win Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk over 5.2 innings against the Rockies. He struck out six.

Smith-Shawver was solid Thursday, earning his first major-league win in his second start. Through his first two outings (13.1 innings), Smith-Shawver has a 2.03 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB after pitching to a 1.09 ERA in 33 innings in Triple-A. He's certainly earned a spot in Atlanta's rotation while Max Fried (forearm) and Kyle Wright (shoulder) are sidelined. Smith-Shawver tentatively lines up for a road matchup with the Phillies in his next outing.

Freeland (4-8) took the loss Thursday, allowing seven runs on nine hits and three walks over 4.1 innings against Atlanta. He struck out one.

Most of the damage against Freeland came in the second inning, when he was tagged for five runs on four hits. The 30-year-old southpaw had pitched well in his prior two starts, allowing three runs over 12 innings, though he's only logged five or more strikeouts once in his last six outings. Freeland's ERA is now up to 4.48 with a 1.34 WHIP and 50:22 K:BB through 15 starts (80.1 innings). He's currently slated for a road matchup with the Reds in his next outing.

Gray did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks over four innings against the Tigers. He struck out three.

Gray struggled with his command, matching a season high with four walks while needing 79 pitches to get through just three innings. After starting the year with a 1.39 ERA through his first eight starts, Gray's posted a 3.82 mark with a mediocre 1.57 WHIP over his last six outings. Overall, the 33-year-old right-hander is 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 79:30 K:BB through 76 innings. Gray currently lines up for a home matchup with the Red Sox in his next outing.

Nola (6-5) earned the win Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk over 6.2 innings against the Diamondbacks. He struck out nine.

All of the damage against Nola came in the bottom of the third, when he allowed three consecutive hits to open the inning before eventually surrendering a three-run home run to Ketel Marte. He rebounded nicely, however, striking out the side in the very next inning after the Phillies' offense had retaken the lead. The right-hander has allowed at least four runs in six of his last nine starts, though he's now racked up 28 strikeouts to only six walks through 20 innings during three June outings.

Sheehan will be called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to make his major-league debut against the Giants on Friday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Sheehan was promoted from Double-A Tulsa to Oklahoma City last weekend but will wind up making a start in the big leagues before he starts for OKC. The 23-year-old has been fantastic this season at Tulsa, putting up a 1.86 ERA and 88:23 K:BB over 53 innings. Questions remain as to whether Sheehan will be able to throw enough strikes, but he has a big fastball and an excellent changeup that he uses to miss plenty of bats. With the Dodgers' rotation battling multiple injuries, Sheehan could potentially get multiple starts if he pitches well.

Brown won't start Sunday's game against the Reds as initially anticipated and now lines up to make his next turn Monday versus the Mets at Minute Maid Park, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

According to Rome, Brown is feeling fine physically, but the Astros want to build in an extra day of rest between starts for the rookie right-hander after he tied a season high by covering seven innings his last time out in Tuesday's win over Washington. Ronel Blanco is now scheduled to take the hill Sunday, denying Brown of a two-start week. Brown should still line up for two turns the following week, with the right-hander expected to take on the Dodgers in Los Angeles after facing the Mets.

Cease allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out 10 batters over 5.1 innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Thursday.

For five innings Cease looked every bit the pitcher who finished second in AL Cy Young voting last season, giving up just two hits while punching out nine batters. However, the right-hander was lifted after giving up two singles around another strikeout in the sixth, and both runners came around to score when reliever Reynaldo Lopez surrendered a game-tying grand slam to Chris Taylor. That prevented Cease from getting the win, but he nonetheless continued his nice turnaround in June. Through three starts this month, Cease has posted a 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB over 16.2 frames.

Grove allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over five innings in a no-decision against the White Sox on Thursday.

There's rarely a bright side when a pitcher gets blasted for four long balls, but in this case at least all four were solo blasts, and that the Guardians didn't push any runs across the plate otherwise. Grove did manage 18 whiffs and seven punchouts, which tied his season-high mark. The right-hander has given up exactly four runs in each of his past three starts, totaling 14 innings over that span, but Los Angeles may have no choice but to stick with him given its injury-burdened rotation. From a fantasy perspective, managers can probably do better than Grove's current 8.10 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and lack of any wins across seven outings.