MLB Player News

Velasquez will start Friday against the Pirates, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Velasquez was originally expected to start the second half of Thursday's doubleheader against the Nationals. While he was removed from that assignment, he hasn't been removed from the rotation entirely but will simply start one day later than previously scheduled.

Sanchez was recalled to start the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Nationals, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The start will be the first of Sanchez's big-league career. He owns a 3.68 ERA and an 8:4 K:BB in 7.1 innings of relief at the highest level this season. The Phillies didn't play Wednesday and got a complete game from Zack Wheeler in the first game of the day, however, so their bullpen should be well-rested, meaning Sanchez may not be asked to pitch deep into the contest.

Manager Mike Matheny said Thursday that Singer (shoulder) will likely begin a rehab assignment soon, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Singer has been on the injured list for just over a week due to right shoulder fatigue, but he's felt much better in recent days. Matheny isn't sure what day the right-hander could report to a minor-league affiliate, but he should return to game action soon.

Velasquez is no longer listed as the scheduled starter for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Nationals, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Velasquez owns a 10.91 ERA and 2.04 WHIP over his last four starts, so it's hard to make the case that he deserves to remain in the rotation. It's unclear if his removal as the scheduled starter means he's being dropped from the rotation entirely or if the Phillies are merely keeping the option available to use him as a reliever during the first game of the day.

Keller allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits and one walk in five innings for Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. He walked three while striking out nine batters.

Since being demoted to the minors, Keller has compiled a 3.21 ERA in 28 innings for Indy but is still struggling with his command. While the 25-year-old has struck out 39 batters he's walked 13 (including nine in his last three starts). Keller will likely get another shot with Pittsburgh prior to season's end, but he hasn't dominated Triple-A the way the organization had hoped.

Snell (4-4) was tagged for seven runs on seven hits and four walks while fanning one in Wednesday's loss against the Athletics.

Snell had a rough outing Wednesday and has been very inconsistent of late, as he has given up four or more earned runs in three of his last six appearances. The lefty owns a 5.44 ERA on the season, which is a huge step in the wrong direction after he posted a 3.24 ERA during the shortened 2020 campaign.

Kikuchi (6-6) was tagged with the loss Wednesday against the Astros after allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks across five innings, striking out seven.

Kikuchi didn't have his best stuff and delivered another subpar outing, as he has now allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last four contests. Even though he has fanned at least seven in three straight outings, the left-hander also owns an inflated 7.71 ERA during that aforementioned four-game stretch.

Ray (9-5) earned the win Wednesday against the Red Sox after tossing six innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out eight.

Ray started the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader and was crisp on the mound en route to his ninth win of the campaign. He managed to bounce back after the Red Sox trounced him for four runs -- including three homers -- across five innings in his previous outing, and he posted his ninth quality start since the beginning of June. In fact, he has allowed one or fewer runs in three of his last four appearances.

Smyly (knee) is listed in the lineup as Atlanta's starting pitcher for Thursday's series finale against the Mets.

As anticipated, Smyly's left knee checked out fine following a bullpen session earlier this week, so he'll be able to stick in the Atlanta rotation after the injury resulted in his early removal from his most recent start Saturday against the Phillies. After a sluggish start to the season, Smyly has re-emerged as a reliable rotation option since the beginning of June. Over his last nine starts spanning 45.2 innings, Smyly has gone 5-0 with a 2.76 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Corbin would start the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Phillies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Corbin will end up being pushed back one day in the pitching schedule after he was initially on tap to start Wednesday before the contest was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the Washington organization. Through his first two starts of the second half, Corbin has been lit up for 11 runs (10 earned) over 10.2 innings to bring his ERA up to 5.71 on the season. With Corbin in the third season of a six-year, $140 million contract and in the midst of a brutal campaign, he's unlikely to command much trade interest from contending clubs ahead of Friday's deadline.