MLB Player News

Ramirez will start for the Pirates against the Reds on Thursday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Thursday will be the first start of Ramirez's major-league career, with his last start taking place in 2023 with Triple-A Indianapolis. He'll likely pitch one or two innings before handing things over to Hunter Barco, who was recalled from Indianapolis on Wednesday, per Demilio. Ramirez has a 3.21 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, six holds, one save and a 62:33 K:BB across 56 innings this season.

The Reds optioned Franco (elbow) to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

Franco will report back to Triple-A after he served as the Reds' 27th man for Wednesady's doubleheader with the Guardians. He was active for Game 2 of the twin bill and worked in bulk relief in the Reds' 2-0 victory, earning his first big-league win while striking out two and allowing one hit and two walks over 3.2 scoreless frames before exiting in the seventh inning due to right elbow discomfort. He'll likely undergo further testing before the Reds have a better idea regarding the extent of his injury, but Franco could be at risk of landing on Louisville's 7-day injured list if he isn't ready to go for his next turn through the rotation.

Assad will start Thursday's game in St. Louis, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Shota Imanaga had been listed as the starter for Thursday's series finale, but he and the other Cubs starters will be pushed back in order to bake in some extra rest. Assad went three shutout innings out of the bullpen in his last appearance Saturday in Pittsburgh, so he'll be taking the ball on four days' rest. The righty has not made a start in nearly three weeks, so he will not have a full workload at his disposal.

Garcia worked around a walk and struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to secure his second save of the season in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Pirates.

While facing off against the Nos. 2 through 5 hitters in the Pittsburgh lineup, Garcia navigated a fairly stress-free 17-pitch frame to sew up the win. He could be in the mix for more closing opportunities in the short term, as manager Torey Lovullo told Jack Sommers of SI.com after the game that Paul Sewald -- who leads the team with 24 saves but blew two of his last three chances -- will be moved into a lower-leverage role for the time being. Rather than settling on a designated closer, Lovullo indicated he plans to play the matchups in the ninth inning, so the left-handed Garcia may be deployed primarily against left-handed-heavy portions of the lineup late in games. Lovullo mentioned Jonathan Loaisiga as another pitcher who might factor into the late-inning picture, and Juan Morillo and Kevin Ginkel could also be part of the mix.

The Padres designated Waldron for assignment Wednesday.

The Padres needed to clear room for Jeremiah Estrada's (knee) return from the injured list, and because he doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, Waldron was dropped from the 40-man roster to facilitate the transaction. Waldron was a serviceable back-end starter for the Padres in 2024 but has seen his effectiveness wane in the two seasons since while also missing considerable time due to injuries. In 10 appearances (three starts) for San Diego this season, Waldron turned in a 7.16 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 32.2 innings.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said after Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Pirates that Sewald has been removed from the closer's role for the time being and will be used in lower-leverage situations, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

After recording just one out and yielding three earned runs en route to blowing his second save in his last three chances during Tuesday's 8-7 win in 12 innings, Sewald was passed over for the save chance Wednesday. Brandyn Garcia got the call in the ninth inning and retired three of the four batters he faced to earn his second save of the season, though Lovullo declined to name him the team's closer moving forward. Instead, Lovullo indicated that he plans to play matchups for any save chances that emerge in the short term with Garcia, Juan Morillo, Jonathan Loaisiga and Kevin Ginkel all potentially factoring into the late-inning picture. Sewald could eventually join that group, but he'll first have to pitch effectively in less pressure-packed situations after he had yielded at least one run in seven of his last 13 appearances.

The Padres reinstated Estrada (knee) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Estrada will be available out of the bullpen for the Padres' series finale versus the Rockies after San Diego cleared a spot from him by designating right-hander Matt Waldron for assignment. Prior to landing on the IL on June 5 due to right knee inflammation, Estrada had handled a key setup role in front of closer Mason Miller. In 21 appearances, Estrada notched two wins, seven holds and one save while pitching to a 3.48 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB across 20.2 innings.

The Brewers optioned Stallings to Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.

He's clearing off the roster to make space for Thomas Pannone, who will start Wednesday's game in San Francisco. Stallings has turned in five scoreless innings covering three appearances for the Brewers this season, so he should eventually get another opportunity.

Hart will serve as the Padres' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Hart opened ahead of bulk reliever Griffin Canning in a game last week in Atlanta, and it's expected to be the same setup for Wednesday's contest. The lefty has posted a 5.21 ERA and 33:12 K:BB across 38 innings for the Padres this season.

Nardi (ribs) said Wednesday that he's about 2-to-3 weeks away from beginning a rehab assignment, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

It's unclear where Nardi is in his throwing program, but the reliever has progressed enough that he believes he's not far off from pitching in games. The lefty collected a 5.16 ERA and 27:11 K:BB over 22.2 innings before going down with a left ribcage stress reaction in late May.