MLB Player News

Kolek heads back to the minors after a solid effort where he allowed three runs over six innings against the Guardians in a spot start on Tuesday in place of an injured Noah Cameron (back). It sounds like Kansas City is going to stick with Cameron this weekend instead of letting Kolek take the ball again. That could change if the back issue flares up again.

Dobbins will be used as the starter for Game 2. The 26-year-old has a 3.63 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and a 19/7 K/BB ratio over 17 1/3 innings with the Cardinals this season and has also posted a 3.79 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 44/18 K/BB ratio in 59 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year. There is not a lot of strikeout upside here, but he has a case to remain in the Cardinals’ rotation if he pitches well on Tuesday.

Fernandez was activated off the injured list on June 30th and had thrown 3 2/3 scoreless innings before having a tough outing on Monday, where he allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits without recording an out. He has also pitched on back-to-back days, so the Cardinals likely wanted a fresh arm in the bullpen with seven more games on tap for this week. He should be back after the All-Star break.

Zimmermann is expected to follow Matt Svanson, who will be the opener for Game 1 of the doubleheader on Tuesday. Zimmermann has pitched to a 3.78 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 84/21 K/BB ratio in 78 2/3 innings at Triple-A this season. His strikeout rate and swinging strike rate are the highest we’ve seen from him in a few years, and there is a chance that he could pitch his way into the Cardinals’ rotation, but we’d avoid him in fantasy leagues for right now.

Gasser will start Game 2 on Tuesday. The left-hander has a 4.54 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 36/13 K/BB ratio in 35 2/3 innings across seven starts for the Brewers this season. He has pitched better of late, allowing five runs on 13 hits in 17 1/3 innings across his last three starts with a 17/4 K/BB ratio. He’s a decent streamer in deeper formats today.

Perkins will be sent down to make room for outfield prospect Luis Lara to be called up. Perkins had not started a game since June 29th and was hitting .157/.250/.258 in 101 plate appearances this season for the Brewers.

This move was rumored earlier in the day and is now official. We will need to wait for Tuesday’s lineup to get a better sense of what Lara’s role will be because it seems like there remains an outfield logjam unless Sal Frelick is moved to the infield. Lara can be added as a batting average and speed asset in deeper formats, but we’d still wait and see in shallow league types.

Junk didn’t walk anybody, hit one batter, and struck out three while throwing 37 of his 61 pitches for strikes. The 30-year-old has been on the injured list since May 31st with right shin inflammation after being hit by a comebacker. He then took another comebacker off of his left wrist while beginning his rehab assignment at the end of June. He will likely make one more rehab start before rejoining the Marlins’ rotation after the All-Star Break.

Bader has been on the injured list with plantar fasciitis since May 30th. He will also run the bases on Tuesday and continue all baseball activities as he works his way back. If running goes well this week, he could conceivably begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break.

Wesneski threw 46 pitches and struck out three batters on the day. The 28-year-old is recovering from last May’s Tommy John surgery. His return to Houston will depend on what role they envision for him. If he’s going to be a bulk relief option, then he could conceivably be up with the big league team after one more appearance. However, he will likely be pushed to around 60 pitches in his next outing, so he would need at least one more after that if the team envisions him as a starting pitching option.

The 29-year-old was diagnosed with a Grade 3 (severe) tear of a portion of the left plantar fasciitis back on June 10th. He was expected to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday, but he has continued to feel soreness, which has paused that plan until he can be reevaluated. Lane Thomas should continue to see regular playing time with Isbel out.