MLB Player News

Steele will make his next start Friday against the Marlins, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Steele appeared set to pitch in Thursday's doubleheader after his start Wednesday was postponed due to inclement weather, but Chicago will instead push him back an additional day. Marcus Stroman will start Game 1 of the twin bill, and the Cubs have yet to announce who will take the mound for the nightcap.

Steele won't start as scheduled Wednesday against the Cardinals since the game was postponed due to inclement weather, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The contest will be made up via a doubleheader Thursday, and Steele should start one of those games. He's given up five runs (one earned) with an 8:5 K:BB across 8.2 frames in his two starts since the All-Star break.

Mikolas won't start as scheduled Wednesday against the Cubs since the game was postponed due to inclement weather, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The game will be made up via a doubleheader Thursday, and Mikolas figures to start one of those contests. The right-hander surrendered six runs in his first outing after the All-Star break, but he bounced back with two runs allowed across seven innings during his last start.

Wheeler (10-5) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits over seven innings in a 3-1 victory over Atlanta. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

The right-hander was on the wrong end of a pitchers' duel with Charlie Morton through six innings, but the Phillies erased a 1-0 deficit in the top of the seventh to get Wheeler the win. The quality start was his sixth in his last seven trips to the mound, a stretch during which he's posted a 2.54 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 43:7 K:BB through 46 innings.

Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Rays, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw put together a solid line but got the hook after 74 pitches (44 strikes), as Toronto interim manager John Schneider didn't want him to face the Tampa Bay batting order for a third time. Kikuchi has been solid in two starts since returning from the IL, allowing three runs in nine innings with a 10:2 K:BB, but his 4.86 ERA on the season remains lackluster.

Odorizzi, whom Atlanta acquired from the Astros on Monday, will make his team debut Saturday as a starter in one of the doubleheader games versus the Mets, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The upcoming twin bill will be the first of two doubleheaders on consecutive Saturdays for Atlanta, so expect the team to maintain a six-man rotation for at least the next two weeks. After that, manager Brian Snitker and his staff will likely assess where his pitching staff stands from a health and performance standpoint before determining whether to move back to a five-man rotation or keep the six-man setup in place. If all of Atlanta's other starters remain healthy following the two doubleheaders and Snitker's preference is to go with a five-man rotation, Odorizzi and Ian Anderson would seemingly be the pitchers most at risk of losing out on a starting spot. Over his 12 starts with Houston this season spanning 60 innings, Odorizzi turned in a respectable 3.75 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.

Miley (shoulder) yielded three earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two over 2.1 innings Wednesday in his second rehab start for Triple-A Iowa.

Miley also covered 2.1 innings in his initial rehab outing last weekend, though he upped his pitch count from 36 to 49 this time around. The southpaw will likely require one or two more rehab starts to get fully ramped up, so he doesn't appear on pace to come off the 15-day injured list until next weekend at the soonest.

The Phillies optioned Falter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following Wednesday's 3-1 win over Atlanta.

Though he struck out eight in a quality start in his last trip to the mound July 29 in Pittsburgh, Falter was sent back to the minors after the Phillies no longer had room for him in the rotation following the acquisition of Noah Syndergaard from the Angels on Tuesday. Syndergaard is slated to start Thursday's series opener with the Nationals and will fill the opening on the 26-man active roster vacated by Falter.

Bello was removed from Wednesday's game against the Astros due to a left groin strain, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

The Red Sox hoped that Bello would be able to eat up some innings behind starter Rich Hill during Wednesday's matchup to give the rest of the bullpen some rest, but Bello exited after throwing just two-thirds of an inning. It's not yet clear whether the right-hander will require a trip to the injured list following his diagnosis.

Bello was removed from his relief appearance in Wednesday's game against the Astros due to an apparent injury, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. He struck out two of the four hitters he faced and allowed a double and a base hit.

Bello was originally scheduled to start Wednesday, but the Red Sox later scrapped those plans and had Rich Hill open the contest after he ultimately stayed with Boston following Tuesday's trade deadline. Hill was still on a restricted pitch count in his first start back from the injured list and tossed only three innings before exiting, as the Red Sox were counting on Bello to piggyback him. Instead, Bello's day ended after just 19 pitches, which will force the Red Sox to use their other relievers more than anticipated. The team should provide an updated diagnosis for Bello's injury later in the day.