Phillies second baseman Chase Utley will go for an MRI on his rib cage Thursday, CSN Philadelphia reports.

Utley is expected to miss Wednesday's game as a result of the injury, the same one that forced him out of Tuesday's lineup. He said he felt pain and a burning sensation during batting practice. His timetable will become clear following the MRI.

Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter is hoping to join the rotation by late June or early July, CBSSports.com's Scott Miller reports.

The Cardinals initially thought a nerve condition in Carpenter's shoulder would cause him to miss the season. Progress in a throwing program allowed Carpenter to speculate on returning in the bullpen. Now, with Jaime Garcia out for the year following shoulder surgery, Carpenter is going to try and join the rotation.

The club has stated nothing is a sure thing, but Carpenter's status is a far sight better now than it was in February, when all bets were on his retirement.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe was placed on the 7-day disabled list Wednesday, despite saying he was "feeling better" a day after getting kneed in the head as he attempted to break up a double play. Plouffe showed sensitivity to light during an exam for concussion-related symptoms.

Plouffe is expected to get a few days off before taking a concussion test. 

"He took a good shot in the head. That's what this rule is for, to protect the player," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Give him a little bit of a break here and do what's right. He was a little woozy and that's why there was concern."

Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia will undergo surgery on his left shoulder, CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman reports.

Garcia first suffered the shoulder problem May 17 against Milwaukee. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Tyler Lyons will take his spot in the rotation for now, but expect that to be in flux with Jake Westbrook's return on the horizon.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin said he wants to stay away from using Jed Lowrie (foot) Wednesday at Texas, but he's not opposed to using him in an emergency situation. Lowrie had to leave Tuesday's game with a right foot contusion after getting hit by a pitch.

Lowrie is considered day to day after X-rays came back negative Tuesday.

The Dodgers have discussed calling up prospect Joc Pederson, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pederson, a left-handed outfielder, is hitting .327/.400/.554 in Double-A. However, the Dodgers' personnel issues aren't in the outfield. Matt Kemp is struggling but not the type of player the Dodgers will nor should give up on. Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford are both having above-average seasons at the plate. As such, it's difficult to imagine these discussions going anywhere at this point, unless the Dodgers have a major injury or two in the outfield.

Sources close to White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale said Wednesday they expect he will only miss one start with "mild" shoulder tendinitis, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman. Sale was scratched from his start Wednesday against the Red Sox as a precaution, with Hector Santiago replacing him on the hill.

The Dodgers have discussed calling up prospect Yasiel Puig, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers have struggled this season and Puig's talent has made him a much-discussed commodity outside the front office as well. However, it doesn't appear as if there's a place to play him -- Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier have both been above-average hitters this year and the club is not going to give up on Matt Kemp as he works through his slump. At this point, it seems unlikely the club will call up Puig unless there's a major injury in the outfield.

Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers will get a spot start Saturday against Pittsburgh, MLB.com reports.

Fiers will get the nod with starter Kyle Lohse out due to elbow irritation. Fiers has a 5.93 ERA in eight appearances; he allowed six runs on nine hits over five innings against Arizona in his only start of the year.

Brewers starter Kyle Lohse will miss his next start with elbow irritation, MLB.com reports.

It's unclear if Lohse's injury will require a disabled list trip at this time. Mike Fiers will take the start Saturday against Pittsburgh in his place.