Both the Cubs and Reds, two NL Central teams fighting for a playoff spot, placed starters on the injured list on August 5. Nick Lodolo was placed on the IL with a familiar injury, while recent acquisition Michael Soroka went down with a shoulder issue.
Lodolo dealing with blister
Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo was placed on the 15-day IL with a left finger blister.
This is not the first time Lodolo has dealt with finger/hand issues. The Reds pitcher went on the IL for a blister in late June of last year and missed two weeks for it. Additionally, Lodolo dealt with a middle finger sprain that cost him the final month of 2024.
Soroka placed on IL
The Cubs placed pitcher Michael Soroka, whom Chicago acquired before the deadline, with a right shoulder strain.
Soroka left his first start as a Cub on August 4 after two innings. The right-hander dealt with a slight velocity drop over the last few weeks, and Cubs baseball ops head Jed Hoyer stated the team was aware of the issue.
However, the team felt comfortable enough during the medical review to go ahead with the trade.
One outfielder back, another on IL for Yankees
The Yankees activated Aaron Judge on August 5, as expected, given what manager Aaron Boone stated on the 4th. He started the team’s game in the DH slot, spelling Giancarlo Stanton for the day.
Additionally, the Yankees placed Austin Slater on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
Rehab assignments
Brewers pitcher Shelby Miller struck out three over a scoreless inning for Nashville (AAA). Miller topped out at 97 MPH during the outing.
Orioles pitcher Tyler Wells struck out four over 2.1 innings for Norfolk. Wells threw 49 pitches in the outing and topped out at 95 MPH.
Royals pitcher Michael Lorenzen threw 66 pitches (three innings) for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Lorenzen struck out five but gave up three walks and four hits, two of which were home runs.
Other injury news
The Athletics placed catcher Austin Wynns on the 10-day IL with an abdominal strain. It’s retroactive to August 4.
Luke Keaschall (Twins), Mark Leiter Jr. (Yankees), and Joe Ross (Phillies) were activated off the injured list.
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