MLB Player News

Megill (shoulder) will throw live batting practice Friday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Megill resumed mound work in mid-August and has been cleared to take another step in his recovery process by facing hitters Friday. The right-hander is expected to pitch out of the bullpen once he's cleared to return and hopes to rejoin the Mets in late August or early September.

Walker (back) will start Tuesday against the Yankees, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Walker exited his start against Atlanta last Tuesday due to back spasms and was unable to start Sunday, but he'll return to action after receiving a few additional days of rest. The right-hander has had mixed results since the All-Star break, posting a 6.97 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 20.2 innings over five starts.

Rodriguez (lat) will face hitters this week, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rodriguez threw 25 pitches off a mound two weeks ago, and he'll ramp up his workload this week as he continues to recover from a right lat strain. He's slated to throw a bullpen, live batting practice and a simulated game this week, and it seems likely that he'll be able to return from Triple-A Norfolk's 60-day injured list sometime in September.

Liberatore is a candidate to start one of the two games during Tuesday's doubleheader with the Cubs, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Liberatore has joined the Cardinals' taxi squad for their trip to Wrigley Field, and he'll likely be formally called up from Triple-A Memphis and designated as the 27th man once Tuesday arrives. Although he's in the mix to start Tuesday, manager Oliver Marmol said that he's leaning toward starting Jake Woodford. If that's the case, Liberatore would likely be available as a long reliever. Over seven appearances (six starts) in the majors this season, Liberatore has posted a 5.33 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in 27 innings.

Schmidt was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Schmidt was sent down to Triple-A earlier this month but will rejoin the major-league club following a three-week stint in the minors. Although the right-hander has operated exclusively as a starter at the Triple-A level this year, he'll likely serve as a multi-inning relief option once again in the big leagues after Scott Effross (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday.

Eovaldi (shoulder/neck) will likely require a trip to the injured list, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Eovaldi was scratched from his scheduled start last Thursday due to soreness in his neck and shoulder area, and Josh Winckowski will take his place as the starter Tuesday against the Blue Jays. Although Eovaldi's scratch was initially considered precautionary, he hasn't responded to treatment as well as the team had hoped, and he'll require additional time to recover. If Winckowski performs well as Tuesday's starter, it's possible that he'll remain in the rotation until Eovaldi is ultimately cleared to return.

The White Sox announced that Kopech was removed in the first inning of his start Monday against the Royals with a sore left knee.

Kopech looked to be managing the injury during pregame warmups, as he was checked out by a trainer prior to opening pitch before getting the green light to make the start. In hindsight, the White Sox may have preferred to scratch Kopech, who showed diminished velocity and allowed all four hitters he faced to reach base before being lifted with the bases loaded after throwing 19 pitches. With reliever Jimmy Lambert allowing all three baserunners to score, Kopech was charged with four earned runs on one hit, two walks and a hit batsman. He'll be evaluated in the coming days before the White Sox determine if he's ready to make his next start, which is set to come Saturday at home versus the Diamondbacks.

Kopech was lifted midway through the first inning of his start Monday against the Royals due to an apparent injury he suffered while warming up prior to the game, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Kopech failed to retire a batter in the 19-pitch outing, throwing only nine pitches for strikes while allowing four earned runs on one hit, two walks and a hit batsman. Official word on what prompted Kopech's early exit may not come until after the game, but the right-hander looked to be in some discomfort while warming up and was visited by a trainer on the mound before he ultimately tried to give it a go. In addition to his velocity being down during his brief start, Kopech struggled mightily to locate his pitches before manager Tony La Russa pulled him from the contest.

Hendricks (shoulder) said Sunday that he'll move his rehab to the Cubs' spring training facility in Arizona this week to build up his throwing, but the right-hander noted his main focus at this stage in the season is to get ready for 2023, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Though Hendricks didn't rule himself out for the season while he continues to recover from a strained right shoulder, his comments implied that he won't be pushing for a return as the 52-68 Cubs play out the string over the next six and a half weeks. Before the Cubs provide a more definitive stance on Hendricks' potential return in 2022, the team will likely wait and see how he responds to throwing bullpen sessions and facing hitters in Arizona over the next few weeks. Given the strong likelihood that Hendricks will be shut down or make only a couple late-season starts if he does get activated from the 15-day injured list at some point, fantasy managers still holding him in redraft leagues can probably feel comfortable cutting bait at this point.

Butto allowed seven runs on nine hits and two walks over four innings against the Phillies on Sunday. He struck out five and did not factor in the decision.

The Mets eventually won the back-and-forth thriller, letting Butto off the hook in his MLB debut. The right-handed rookie was tagged with a pair of three-run homers by Alec Bohm. Butto will likely head back to Triple-A Syracuse, where he's posted a 4.00 ERA this season.