MLB Player News

The Phillies activated Luzardo (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Sunday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Luzardo will be available out of the bullpen for Sunday's game against the Rays as the Phillies look to punch their ticket to the postseason. The left-hander has been shelved since mid-September with shoulder inflammation, but he showed enough progress in recent days to convince the Phillies he could be available for a relief outing, if needed.

Vasquez is slated to start Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

With their win Saturday, the Padres are locked in as the No. 4 seed in the National League playoffs and will have little at stake in the regular-season finale. As such, the Padres will likely use Game 162 to rest multiple key position players and pitchers, which clears the way for Vasquez to pick up his first start since Sept. 1. Over 31 appearances (22 starts) on the campaign, Vasquez owns a 10-6 record, 4.01 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 85:37 K:BB across 134.2 innings.

Lambert will start Sunday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Lambert was believed to have made his final appearance of the regular season during his 2.2-inning start in Thursday's series opener, but since the Astros have yet to punch their ticket to the postseason, he'll end up getting the ball on two days' rest in Game 162. The Astros will clinch the AL West title with a win or a Rangers loss, so the team is expected to make all of its top pitchers available for Sunday's contest. Given that he's pitching on short rest, Lambert is unlikely to work deep enough into the game to qualify for a win.

Wrobleski has made his last two appearances out of the Los Angeles bullpen, covering 1.2 innings while striking out one batter and allowing one earned run on four hits in outings Tuesday and Thursday against the Padres.

Wrobleski most recently started Sept. 17 against the Reds and tossed three perfect innings, but the strong performance didn't result in him earning any additional turns through the rotation. With the Dodgers locked in as the No. 2 spot in the National League playoffs heading into Sunday's regular-season finale against the Giants, Wrobleski could be a candidate to cover multiple innings as a starter or bulk reliever as the team aims to rest most of its key pitchers for the postseason.

Nola (7-12) took the loss against the Rays on Saturday, allowing three runs on four hits in one inning. He did not record a walk or a strikeout.

Working on two days' rest but trying to help his club make the postseason, Nola was jumped for three runs in the first inning before departing. It was a tough regular-season finale for the veteran, though he'll finish the second half with a solid 3.33 ERA over 14 starts since the All-Star break. Overall, he posted a 4.67 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 177:59 K:BB across 175.1 innings this season and may be an option to start should the Phillies make the playoffs.

Johnson allowed four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out three over five innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Saturday.

Johnson allowed 12 runs over 27.2 innings over his five games in September, a step back from his strong August but still a decent way to wrap up the campaign. He closes out at a 5-9 record, 5.04 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 79:43 K:BB through 100 innings over 22 games (19 starts). Johnson's work late in the season should keep him in the mix for a spot in the rotation moving forward.

Wesneski (6-2) allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out five over seven innings to earn the win Saturday over the Athletics.

Wesneski allowed 13 runs (eight earned) across 28.1 innings over five games in September. He had gone two games without a win prior to his strong regular-season finale. Over 11 starts following his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Wesneski delivered an excellent 3.25 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 46:20 K:BB across 61 innings. There will likely be a spot for him in the postseason rotation if the Astros are able to clinch a spot Sunday.

Buehler allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out three over 3.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Buehler fell short of the five-inning mark for the third time in his last four outings. He threw just 38 of 73 pitches for strikes in his final regular-season start. In September, he gave up 12 runs (11 earned) over 22.1 innings across five starts. He finishes the regular season with a 9-6 record, 4.63 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 131:57 K:BB across 153.2 innings over 32 starts.

Wheeler will be the Phillies' starter for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Rays, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The Phillies were unable to clinch a wild-card spot for the playoffs following Saturday's loss to the Rays. As a result, Wheeler will take to the mound for Sunday's regular-season finale, meaning that he wouldn't be available to pitch in the playoffs until Game 3 of the Wild Card Series, if Philadelphia qualifies. Jesus Luzardo (shoulder) is also expected to be activated from the 15-day IL ahead of Sunday's game and be available out of the bullpen.

Phillies manager Don Mattingly said after Saturday's loss to the Rays that Luzardo (shoulder) will be activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Sunday's regular-season finale, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Luzardo will be available out of the bullpen for Sunday's contest as the Phillies look to clinch a spot in the National League playoffs. The veteran southpaw landed on the 15-day injured list Sept. 12 due to left shoulder inflammation and recently resumed mound work, so he figures to only be called upon in a high-leverage situation.