MLB Player News

Ashcraft and the Pirates won't face the Brewers on Friday, as the game was postponed due to rain.

The Pirates and Brewers will play a doubleheader Saturday to make up Friday's contest, and Ashcraft will toe the slab during the earlier game, per Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com. The 26-year-old righty has collected a win in each of his last four starts while posting a 3.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 32:6 K:BB across 23.2 innings.

Sproat and the Brewers won't face the Pirates on Friday, as the game was postponed due to rain.

The two sides will make up Friday's contest during a doubleheader Saturday, and the Brewers will send Sproat to the mound to start Game 1, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The 25-year-old righty has begun to turn things around as of late, giving up two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts while posting a 2.88 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 30:8 K:BB across 25 innings in that span.

Chapman (abdomen) will not participate in baseball activities over the weekend, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

There was hope that Chapman could return to the active roster before the All-Star break when he initially landed on the injured list July 1 with an abdominal strain, but the team's decision to hold him out of all activities will officially rule him out for the final three games of the first half. The 33-year-old said Wednesday that he hasn't seen any significant improvement in his recovery, and his absence could bleed into the second half if his progress remains minimal during the intermission.

Hernandez (oblique) said Friday that he expects to return from the injured list during the Dodgers' first homestand after the All-Star break, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The Dodgers will open the second half with three consecutive road series before returning home July 28 for a three-game series against the Mariners, followed by another three-game set against Boston that runs through Aug. 2. Hernandez was cleared to begin taking live BP last weekend, and he will presumably head out on a minor-league rehab assignment after the break while the Dodgers are on the road.

The Giants recalled McCray from Triple-A Sacramento on Friday.

With Victor Bericoto moving to the injured list with an oblique injury, the Giants will bring McCray back onto the big-league roster to bolster their outfield depth. The 25-year-old has slashed .237/.360/.370 across 211 plate appearances with Sacramento and could make a handful of starts with the Giants while Bericoto and Harrison Bader (foot) are both on the IL.

The Giants placed Bericoto on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left oblique strain.

Bericoto had to make an early exit from Thursday's game after injuring his oblique while making a diving catch, and he'll now be forced to sit out until at least shortly after the All-Star break. Grant McCray was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to replenish the Giants' depth in the outfield.

The Giants optioned Whisenhunt to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday.

Whisenhunt gave up two runs in 5.2 innings during his spot start against Colorado on Thursday, but he'll now return to the minors in order to make room for Keaton Winn's (elbow) return from the injured list. Whisenhunt now owns a 3.38 ERA and 1.41 WHIP through 10.2 frames in the majors this season, and he could be an option to return to San Francisco later in the year if the big club's rotation depth is tested.

The Giants reinstated Winn (elbow) from the injured list Friday.

Winn will return to the Giants' bullpen after spending nearly a month on the shelf due to a right elbow strain. During his rehab assignment, the 28-year-old fired three scoreless innings while striking out three batters and walking two across three appearances. Now healthy, he figures to reclaim a high-leverage role and could be in the mix for saves if Caleb Kilian continues to struggle.

McCullers (shoulder) will make his next rehab start July 17 with Double-A Corpus Christi, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers has logged three rehab starts thus far, with his last taking place with Triple-A Sugar Land this past Tuesday, when he allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out four across four innings. The right-hander pushed his pitch count up to 77 in that outing, but McCullers will require at least one more outing in the minors before Houston considers adding him back to its rotation upon activating him from the 15-day injured list. McCullers has been on the shelf since May 19 due to a right shoulder impingement.

The Blue Jays reinstated Fisher (personal) from the bereavement list ahead of Friday's game against the Padres.

Fisher was away from the team while attending to a personal matter, but he'll be available out of the bullpen for Friday's series opener. The 25-year-old right-hander has a 3.33 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, eight holds, one save and a 46:21 K:BB across 46 innings this season.