MLB Player News

Mlodzinski will start Wednesday's game against the Marlins in Miami.

Mlodzinski rejoined the rotation last week after the Pirates shut Mitch Keller down for the season Aug. 3 due to a right arm teres major muscle injury. While making his first start since May 25 in last Friday's 6-4 loss to the Mets, Mlodzinski dropped to 6-4 on the season while yielding five earned runs on seven hits and one walk across three innings. He threw 63 pitches in that outing but should be able to push up into the 70-to-80 range Wednesday as he builds back up following his extended stay in the bullpen.

Sanoja is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Leo Jimenez will get the nod at third base in place of Sanoja, who extended his hit streak to seven games with a 1-for-3 effort in Tuesday's 2-0 win. Sanoja appears to be locked into a near-everyday role, as he started in each of the last three games and is batting .284/.312/.432 with nine extra-base hits (one home run, eight doubles), one stolen base, eight runs and eight RBI since the All-Star break.

Simon will start at designated hitter and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis a week ago, the switch-hitting Simon appears to have taken hold of a spot in the Pirates' everyday lineup. He'll pick up his sixth consecutive start Wednesday after going 6-for-19 with a a double, a walk, a stolen base, three runs and two RBI in the prior five games. Simon could soon be in danger of a role reduction, however, as the Pirates appear likely to get center fielder Oneil Cruz (hand) back from the injured list either later this week or early next week.

Davis will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Davis will be making his fourth straight start behind the dish while Endy Rodriguez continues to miss time while nursing a hip injury. The Pirates are treating Rodriguez as day-to-day, and if Rodriguez is able to avoid a trip to the injured list and return to the lineup in the near future, Davis will likely see his playing time fall by the wayside.

Rodriguez (hip) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Rodriguez will be relegated to the bench for a fifth consecutive game while he contends with left hip discomfort. Henry Davis will get another start at catcher in place of Rodriguez, whom the Pirates are viewing as day-to-day.

Taylor will start in left field and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Acquired from the Mets on Aug. 3, Taylor reported to the Cubs a day later and has been included in the lineup for five of the team's ensuing eight games. Only two of those five starts have come against right-handed pitching, but Taylor at least looks like he'll be a regular presence in the lineup versus lefties.

Happ is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Happ, who turned 32 on Wednesday, will end up getting the night off for his birthday. Tyrone Taylor will pick up the start in left field in place of Happ, who had been included in the lineup in each of the past six games while going 6-for-24 with two home runs, one double, two walks, three RBI and four runs.

Suarez (elbow) will advance his throwing progression on flat ground Thursday, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.

He's still not ready to throw off a mound yet, but that could be around the corner if Suarez feels good with his flat-ground progression. The veteran reliever has been shelved for nearly two months with right elbow inflammation and has multiple boxes to check before a potential return date becomes clearer.

Schwellenbach (elbow) is still not feeling 100 percent and will have his throwing progression slowed, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.

Schwellenbach has been throwing bullpen sessions for several weeks as he works his way back from surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. However, he hasn't felt totally comfortable and is still searching for his pre-surgery velocity. Once he's ready, Schwellenbach will head back to Atlanta's spring training facility in Florida to begin facing hitters. There's no timetable for when that will happen, however, and Schwellenbach is running out of time to get ramped up enough to return later this season.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Wednesday that Smith-Shawver is "on the cusp" of being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Smith-Shawver has been on the shelf for most of the season while recovering from June 2025 Tommy John surgery, but he was activated in late July and then sent to Gwinnett after making a lone 4.1-inning spot start for the big club. The right-hander has turned in a pair of strong starts since heading to Gwinnett, including a gem of an outing Tuesday in which he struck out seven over 5.1 scoreless frames while permitting just one baserunner. Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Weiss made it clear Wednesday that he prefers to keep a five-man rotation intact, so once Smith-Shawver gets called up, Atlanta will likely look to move two of Reynaldo Lopez (knee), Tyler Mahle, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Martin Perez to the bullpen.