MLB Player News

Sasaki (shoulder) will join the Dodgers in Arizona during their upcoming road trip and could be activated off the IL to join the big-league bullpen, though he won't be available to pitch until at least Wednesday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Sasaki recently shifted to a relief role in his rehab stint and has looked great through two subsequent outings with Triple-A Oklahoma City, tossing a pair of hitless and scoreless frames while posting a 3:1 K:BB. Since his most recent appearance took place Sunday, the Dodgers won't put him on the mound again until at least Wednesday, but even in that scenario he'd still have time to make a couple major-league appearances before the end of the regular season if he's activated. Los Angeles' bullpen has been its weak point of late, so the team could look to Sasaki to shore up what has been an inconsistent relief corps, though that would be a risk in itself since the rookie hurler has (until the recent pair of rehab outings) worked exclusively as a starter throughout his professional career, both in the US and in his native Japan.

Cortes (biceps) will toss another sim game early in the coming week, per MLB.com.

Cortes' most recent sim game, which took place Friday, lasted two innings and went well, according to Padres manager Mike Shildt. The team nonetheless wants the veteran lefty to throw to hitters one more time before potentially returning to the big-league club. That would still give Cortes a chance of being activated from the IL before the end of the regular season, though that likely wouldn't happen until near the end of the coming week.

Rodriguez (9-8) earned the win Sunday against the Phillies, allowing six hits and three walks while striking out five over six scoreless innings.

The veteran southpaw allowed at least one baserunner in every frame but consistently worked around trouble to preserve the clean outing. Rodriguez has now won four of his last five starts, posting a 1.84 ERA and 21:12 K:BB across 29.1 innings during that span, including three scoreless performances. The 32-year-old will carry the momentum into his next scheduled outing against San Diego, a pivotal one for Arizona as they enter the final week of the season with legitimate playoff hopes.

Suarez (12-7) took the loss Sunday against the Diamondbacks, giving up six runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out two over four innings.

Suarez was tagged for all six runs in the first two frames, capped off by a three-run homer from Corbin Carroll, before finishing the day with back-to-back clean innings. The rough outing snapped a dominant stretch in which the right-hander had posted a 1.47 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 44:8 K:BB across his previous six starts, including a trio of double-digit strikeout games. It also marked his shortest outing since May 4, when he was tagged for seven runs in 3.1 innings. The 30-year-old now sits at a 3.12 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 147:38 K:BB over 153 innings and is slated for his next start against the Twins.

Vodnik earned the save Sunday against the Angels, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

The right-hander issued a leadoff walk to Jo Adell but quickly erased it with a double play before ultimately closing the door to secure his 10th save of the season. Vodnik has been outstanding of late, giving up just one run over his last 15 appearances while converting eight saves in that span. The 25-year-old now owns a 2.92 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 47:24 K:BB across 49.1 innings on the year.

Kyle Freeland (5-16) earned the win Sunday against the Angels, allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out seven over six innings.

Freeland bounced back from a rough outing in his previous start, when he surrendered six runs, by limiting Los Angeles to just a first-inning RBI single from Jo Adell before settling in to retire 14 of the final 17 batters he faced. It marked the right-hander's 13th quality start in 30 outings this year. Despite Sunday's win, Freeland remains tied with Mitchell Parker for the MLB lead in losses with 16. The 32-year-old now owns a 5.00 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 120:37 K:BB across 156.2 innings and is scheduled to face San Francisco in his next outing.

Soriano earned the save Sunday against the Rangers, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning in Miami's 4-2 victory.

Soriano entered with a two-run cushion, sat down Kyle Higashioka on strikes, and needed just eight pitches to retire the side in order and record his first save of the season. The appearance was a needed step in the right direction for the right-hander, who had surrendered 14 runs across his last 13.1 innings. Despite Sunday's success, the 26-year-old still carries an 8.31 ERA and 1.73 WHIP across 53.1 innings on the season.

Taillon (10-7) allowed just one run on five hits across seven innings but took the loss Sunday against the Reds. He had no walks and struck out four.

A Gavin Lux double in the third inning brought home the only run of the game and left Taillon with a tough-luck loss. Despite not getting the outcome he wanted, the veteran righty at least continued to pitch well after missing a few weeks with a strained left groin. In three starts since coming off the injured list on Sept. 10, Taillon has allowed just three runs across 17.1 innings. He'll carry a 3.78 ERA overall into his next scheduled start, which is slated to come in Chicago's regular-season finale on Sept. 28. Taillon could then slot into the Cubs' postseason rotation, though he's likely the fourth option behind Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton, which could push the former into a long-relief role instead.

Perez didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Rangers, allowing two hits and a walk across four scoreless innings. He struck out nine.

Perez struck out nine of the 16 batters he faced, and retired 10 straight batters at one point, flashing dominant stuff once again but exited after 88 pitches. The right-hander's September has been a tale of two halves, as he was tagged for 10 runs across his first two starts of the month but has since bounced back with nine straight scoreless innings over his last two. Perez will carry a 4.20 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 94:29 K:BB through 90 frames into his next scheduled outing against the Mets.

Turner (hamstring) is scheduled to face live pitching Tuesday and Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park, Bob Cooney of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Manager Rob Thomson adds that Turner is recovering well from his Grade 1 right hamstring strain and that the star shortstop will be reinstated from the injured list once he's able to run close to 100 percent. A return before the end of the regular season for Turner remains in play, though his earliest possible activation date appears to be Thursday based on the next steps in his rehab.