MLB Player News

Poulin will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Zack Littell had been in line to start Sunday, but the Nationals will instead use him in bulk relief while having Poulin face off against the first few Milwaukee hitters. Poulin has opened on four other occasions for Washington this season, covering just 4.1 innings in those games while yielding one earned run on four hits and no walks.

The Reds recalled Maxwell from Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.

The right-hander was optioned to Louisville after Friday's game but will quickly rejoin Cincinnati's bullpen with Pierce Johnson (personal) being placed on the bereavement list. Maxwell surrendered four earned runs over one inning during his season debut for the Reds against the Pirates on Friday.

The Cubs designated Rios for assignment Sunday.

During his week-long stint in the majors, Rios made just one appearance out of the bullpen, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings last Sunday's loss to the Dodgers. The 32-year-old reliever will now be subject to the waiver process, and if he goes unclaimed, he'll have the option of electing free agency.

The Cubs reinstated Palencia (lat) from the 15-day injured list Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Placed on the shelf April 17 due to a lat strain on his non-throwing arm, Palencia ended up missing just over the minimum amount of time. The righty will rejoin the Cubs after making a 19-pitch rehab appearance for Triple-A Iowa on Friday, when he retired two of the three batters he faced and averaged 100.4 miles per hour with his fastball. Given the brevity of his absence, Palencia should settle back in as the Cubs' closer right away.

The Reds placed Johnson (personal) on the bereavement list Sunday.

The 34-year-old will step away from the team for a few days for personal reasons. Johnson could rejoin the Reds toward the end of the upcoming road series versus the Cubs, which ends Thursday.

Atlanta optioned Stratton to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Stratton's stay in the big leagues lasted just two days, with the reliever making his lone appearance Saturday, when he tossed a scoreless inning in Atlanta's 9-1 win over Colorado. He'll cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to right-hander Spencer Strider (oblique), who was reinstated from the injured list ahead of his scheduled start in Sunday's series finale in Colorado.

Ferguson (oblique) allowed one run on one hit and struck out two over one inning for Double-A Chattanooga on Friday.

Ferguson threw 16 pitches (12 strikes) as a game opener in his second rehab appearance for the Lookouts. The Reds are expected to have the left-hander throw at least two more games for Triple-A Louisville, MLB.com reports.

O'Brien notched the save Saturday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out two.

O'Brien needed every bit of the three-run cushion he was granted, giving up four straight hits and two runs with two outs before finally closing the door with a strikeout -- although three of those hits were inches away from becoming outs in the gloves of Masyn Winn or JJ Wetherholt. The 31-year-old right-hander has been a bit shaky lately, converting just three of his last five save chances while yielding four runs during that span. Overall, O'Brien still sports a 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 19:1 K:BB with nine saves across 16.1 innings.

Mlodzinski (2-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 17-7 rout of the Reds, giving up five runs on eight hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out 10.

The 10 strikeouts were a career high for Mlodzinski, but he fell short of lasting six innings for the second time this season and was lifted after 101 pitches (67 strikes), including a dominant 40 called or swinging strikes. The right-hander will take a 4.76 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 40:13 K:BB through 34 innings into his next start, which is set to come on the road next weekend in San Francisco.

Uribe gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his third save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Nationals.

A David Hamilton error made things interesting and allowed the first two batters in the ninth to reach base for Washington, but Uribe buckled down and retired the next three batters. Trevor Megill worked a perfect eighth against the Nats' 2-3-4 hitters while Uribe faced the bottom part of the order, so both high-octane relievers could still be in the closing mix, but it's the latter who's handled his team's last three ninth-inning save chances. On the season, Uribe sports a 3.65 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB over 12.1 innings.