MLB Player News

The Pirates placed Ashcraft on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right arm discomfort, retroactive to Monday.

Ashcraft gave up three earned runs during his most recent outing Saturday against the Angels, and he appears to have come away from his start with an arm injury that's serious enough to warrant a trip to the injured list. A minimum-length stay would give him enough time to make one more start during the final week of the season, though the Pirates -- currently five games back of a wild-card spot with 16 to play -- could shut him down for the year if they're eliminated before Ashcraft is healthy. Antwone Kelly was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Valdez isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.

Valdez will get a chance to rest his legs Thursday after going 2-for-6 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored over the first two games of the series. While he sits, Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz and Jake Mangum will start across the outfield.

Wheeler took a no-decision Thursday against Houston, allowing one run on five hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out nine.

Wheeler has now fired at least six innings while yielding just one run in three consecutive starts. The right-hander has also tapped back into his best swing-and-miss stuff, tallying nine strikeouts in consecutive starts after fanning six or fewer in six of his prior seven outings. He'll bring an outstanding 3.14 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 172:45 K:BB through 143.1 innings into his next scheduled appearance in Washington against the division-rival Nationals.

Moniak is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Yankees.

The left-handed-hitting Moniak doesn't always sit against lefty hurlers, but he'll begin Thursday's tilt on the bench as the Yankees send southpaw Max Fried to the bump. Jordan Beck will play right field and bat eighth for the Rockies.

Marsh was removed from Thursday's game versus the Astros due to a right foot bruise, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Marsh fouled a ball off his foot during a plate appearance in the bottom of the eighth inning and was replaced on defense before the top of the ninth. The Phillies could send the outfielder for X-rays after the contest. Marsh was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before departing.

Iglesias earned the save Thursday against the Rays, allowing a run on one hit and one walk in the ninth inning. He struck out one.

It didn't appear as though Atlanta would have a save situation until its three-run eighth inning, so Iglesias had to get warmed up quickly for the ninth. The right-hander was scored upon Thursday for the first time since Aug. 16, ending a seven-outing scoreless stretch. He has a 2.83 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 56:17 K:BB over 54 innings, collecting 32 saves in 35 opportunities, as he maintains a strong grip on the closer role.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Thursday that Thomas (side) will be placed on the 10-day injured list, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Thomas had to be scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Rays after tweaking his left side pregame. Though he will be eligible to return later this month, it's an injury that could end Thomas' regular season. He's gone just 7-for-41 with one home run in 21 contests since joining Atlanta at the trade deadline.

Perez took a no-decision Thursday against Tampa Bay, allowing four hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings. He struck out four.

Perez outdueled Nick Martinez on Thursday, scattering four singles across seven sterling frames. The southpaw showed signs of rust his last time out while pitching on extra rest, coughing up four runs over 3.2 innings in Philadelphia on Saturday, so it was encouraging to see him rebound in response after a normal between-starts protocol. He'll carry a 3.08 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 98:56 K:BB through 131.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance in Chicago against the Cubs.

Ruiz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Padres.

The switch-hitting backstop took Walker Buehler deep to lead off the third inning and open the scoring, but the game quickly got away from the Nationals in an eventual 9-2 loss. Ruiz has been in a timeshare with Harry Ford since late August but has been by far the more productive hitter in that time -- over his last 10 games, Ruiz is batting .344 (11-for-32) with two of his 10 homers on the season.

Early (elbow) is tentatively slated to make a rehab start for Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday, MLB.com reports.

The southpaw threw 30 pitches in a bridge league game Tuesday, so he could be ready to handle around 40-to-50 during his upcoming appearance with Harrisburg. Early has yet to make his Nationals debut after being acquired from the Red Sox in July, but he may be able to join the big-league club before the end of the season if all goes well Sunday. Over 17 starts for Boston prior to being shut down with elbow inflammation, Early delivered a 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 93:34 K:BB through 91.2 innings.