MLB Player News

Sulser (shoulder) shifted his rehab assignment to Triple-A Reno on Saturday and has made two appearances for the affiliate, covering two innings while allowing two earned runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three.

Sulser began his assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on July 4 and is nearing the end of his 30-day rehab window. The 33-year-old right-hander will likely settle into a low-leverage role out of the Arizona bullpen once he's brought back from the 60-day injured list.

Zuniga (undisclosed) was reinstated from Triple-A Memphis' 7-day injured list Monday and gave up three earned runs on three hits and one walk while recording one out in his return to action Wednesday.

Zuniga had been sidelined for around six weeks with the injury before getting the green light to rejoin the Memphis bullpen this season. Though he was roughed up in his 31-pitch appearance Wednesday, Zuniga retains a spot on the Cardinals' 40-man roster and remains one of the organization's better relief prospects.

Diaz (knee) played catch at Citi Field on Thursday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Healy notes that Diaz was throwing from center field to the foul line in right field, a substantial distance as he ramps up his rehab program. The 29-year-old closer has stated that he wants to return this season from March surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, through he still has quite a few hurdles to clear and the Mets are currently 7.5 games back of the third wild-card spot in the National League. The Mets might rather have him focus toward getting fully healthy for spring training.

Pallante (3-1) allowed a run on two hits and a walk while striking out one over 1.1 innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Diamondbacks.

Pallante has had a rough July, allowing seven runs over 8.2 innings this month. The right-hander has been scored on in four of his eight appearances in that span, but he was able to emerge with his first win since May 13. He's at a 4.78 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 31:20 K:BB through 37.2 innings overall. Pallante has added nine holds and five blown saves, though he could move up the leverage ladder a bit if Jordan Hicks is traded before Tuesday's deadline. Giovanny Gallegos would have the most to gain in that scenario.

Nance (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with the Marlins' Florida Complex League affiliate on Wednesday.

Nance allowed a hit and a walk but struck out three over two scoreless innings in his first outing with the FCL Marlins. The righty reliever has been out all season with shoulder issues, having had to be shut down after one appearance in his initial rehab assignment back in May. He'll need to avoid more setbacks this time around and figures to need a handful of outings before being an option for the major-league bullpen.

Soto struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his second save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Orioles.

Craig Kimbrel got the call in the eighth inning against the heart of Baltimore's order, while Soto faced the 6-7-8 hitters for the O's en route to his first save since mid-May. While the left-hander does appear to be manager Rob Thomson's second choice for save chances, Kimbrel's spot as closer doesn't seem to be in any jeopardy. Since the beginning of June, Soto has posted a 2.70 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB through 16.2 innings while collecting six holds and a win in addition to Wednesday's save.

Bard (4-2) allowed four earned runs on four walks and one hit while striking out none across 0.2 innings to blow the save and take the loss Wednesday against the Nationals.

Justin Lawrence had pitched in three of the last five days entering Wednesday's game, likely leaving him unavailable for the matchup. As a result, Bard got the chance to close out the game with a three-run lead, however, he allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base and was charged with four earned runs despite letting only one ball leave the infield. He has turned in scoreless appearances in seven of nine tries in July, though control of the zone continues to be a major problem as he has a 6:8 K:BB across 10 frames in that span.

Bednar recorded his 20th save of the season Wednesday in a 3-2 win over the Padres, giving up one run on one hit, two walks and a hit by pitch while striking out two.

The right-hander established a new career high in saves, topping the 19 he collected in 2022, but Bednar made things interesting by loading the bases with one out then issuing a free pass to Juan Soto on four pitches. Pitching around Soto worked out in the end, however, as Bednar retired the next two batters. The 28-year-old closer has seen his name mentioned in trade rumors due to his stellar 1.35 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 49:11 K:BB through 40 innings on the year, but the Pirates seem reluctant to move the Pittsburgh native, who's still under team control through 2026.

Young retired the lone batter faced in Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Brewers.

Young finished off the seventh inning after starter Ben Lively ceded a two-run home run to Tyrone Taylor. Finishing off innings is Young's job, and he's been executing well of late. The left-hander has not allowed a run in 13 outings (8.2 innings), and owns a 1.50 ERA over the last 32 appearances (24 innings). For the season, Young has a 2.25 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 15 walks over 40 innings.

Antone (elbow) struck one over a scoreless inning for the Reds' affiliate in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Antone is working his way back from a second Tommy John surgery and recently had a setback with a sore right shoulder. Cincinnati manager David Bell received good reports on the outing and said, if all goes well, Antone is projected to rejoin the Reds bullpen by Aug. 19.