MLB Player News

Woodford is expected to start Thursday against the Dodgers, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals are still officially listing Thursday's starter as "TBD," but it seems clear that Woodford will be the one to get the nod. Kwang Hyun Kim will be available out of the bullpen Tuesday. Woodford took batting practice with the rest of the Cardinals' starting pitchers, indicating that he'll be stepping into Kim's spot in the rotation.

Kim will be available out of the bullpen starting Tuesday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Kim has struggled in his last five appearances, allowing 12 runs in 15 innings while striking out nine and walking seven. Jake Woodford will step into the rotation in his place.

Dunn (shoulder inflammation) is nearing a rehab stint and will pitch out of the bullpen if he is able to return to the big-league club this season, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Dunn probably doesn't have time to get fully stretched out as a starter, so the Mariners will prioritize getting him back in a relief role. He has been sidelined since June 17 and has a 3.75 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 49 strikeouts in 50.1 innings.

Stripling (oblique) is making a rehab start Tuesday for Triple-A Buffalo, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

If things go well in this start, Stripling could be an option to pitch in Saturday's doubleheader in Baltimore on three days' rest, although he obviously wouldn't log a full starter's workload in that scenario. Either way, it seems like he will be back in the big-league rotation in short order if he avoids setbacks.

Lopez (shoulder) will resume bullpen sessions this week, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Lopez has been out for the entirety of the second half while battling a shoulder strain. He made one three-inning rehab appearance back on Aug. 21 before the Marlins elected to slow him down. He still seems to have time to make it back for at least a start or two before the end of the season, but he may not be fully stretched out, and even a small setback could see him shut down for the season with less than four weeks remaining on the schedule.

Montas (visa issues) was reinstated from the restricted list Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

He was placed on the restricted list for the team's trip to Toronto due to visa issues but can be activated now that the A's have returned to Oakland. Montas will start Wednesday at home against the White Sox.

Civale (finger) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's start against Minnesota, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Civale will make his first major-league appearance since June 21 after he missed two-and-a-half months due to a sprained finger. The right-hander recently made three rehab starts and posted a 0.79 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in 11.1 innings. He tossed 71 pitches across five innings in his most recent rehab appearance, so he should be able to handle a fairly significant workload Tuesday.

Garcia was recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

Garcia was sent to the minors in early July, but he's been productive recently with a 0.87 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 10.1 innings across his last seven appearances with Toledo. The right-hander has an underwhelming 7.31 ERA and 28:20 K:BB in 32 innings across 32 appearances in the majors this year, but he'll rejoin the Tigers' bullpen after Drew Carlton was sent down Monday.

The Rangers list Arihara as their scheduled starter for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

After being activated from the 60-day injured list Sept. 1, Arihara was immediately thrust into the Texas rotation. The 29-year-old looked good in his first outing with Texas in nearly four months, tossing 3.1 innings (47 pitches) while striking out three and allowing one run on one hit (a solo home run) and no walks. Given his light workload his last time out, Arihara likely won't be asked to cover more than 4-to-5 frames Wednesday, which will hurt his chances of factoring into any decision.

Lyles is expected to piggyback starting pitcher Spencer Howard (COVID-19 injured list) in Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Texas will formally reinstate Howard from the COVID-19 IL later Tuesday and likely cap him at around 2-to-3 innings after he covered two frames (36 pitches) in a rehab start Sept. 2 with Triple-A Round Rock. Even before Howard landed on the COVID-19 IL, the Rangers had been regularly limiting his workloads in starts, so it's possible the tandem arrangement with the 25-year-old and Lyles continues beyond Tuesday. That setup won't do too much to improve Lyles' fantasy outlook, which had been especially bleak while he worked in a traditional starting role for much of the campaign. The 30-year-old right-hander has served up an MLB-high 36 home runs in 2021 while submitting a 5.63 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 7.3 K/9 across 148.2 innings.