MLB Player News

Alzolay (forearm) will throw a touch-and-feel bullpen session Friday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

While not a regular bullpen session, Alzolay getting on a mound in any fashion still looks to be a notable step forward. The Cubs' closer is working his way back from a right forearm strain and is still hopeful he can make it back before the end of the regular season. Alzolay is eligible for activation Sept. 26, although he could need a little more time than that even if all goes well.

Yarbrough is expected to serve as a bulk reliever in Friday's game versus the Giants, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Caleb Ferguson will be the Dodgers' opener. It's possible the team will use a right-hander in between Ferguson and Yarbrough in order to break up the lefties, but Yarbrough looks to be in line to eat up the bulk of the innings.

Ferguson will serve as an opener for the Dodgers in Friday's game versus the Giants, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Manager Dave Roberts also noted that Ryan Yarbrough will be part of the pitching plan, likely as a bulk reliever. It's the sixth opener assignment this season for Ferguson, who boasts a 2.56 ERA and 66:21 K:BB over 56.1 frames in 2023.

Vines was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

Vines is replacing Max Fried (blister) on the roster and could get a start over the final week-plus, although the rookie right-hander is more likely to be used for length in the bullpen. Vines holds a 3.27 ERA and 8:2 K:BB over 11 innings in three appearances (one start) for Atlanta this season, and per Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com, he'll head straight to the Arizona Fall League right after the end of Atlanta's regular season.

Chargois will serve as an opener for Friday's game against the Brewers, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Johnny Cueto was originally set to start, but the veteran righty would appear lined up for bulk relief duty instead as Miami opens up a huge series versus Milwaukee. It's the fourth opener assignment this season for Chargois, who holds a 3.46 ERA and 32:15 K:BB over 39 innings this season.

Rodriguez was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

Rodriguez was designated for assignment Monday and went unclaimed on waivers. As a result, he'll remain in Atlanta's organization and likely finish out the minor-league season with Gwinnett.

Alvarado picked up the save Thursday against the Mets. He allowed a hit while striking out two over a scoreless inning.

Alvarado worked around Brandon Nimmo's one-out double, logging a pair of strikeouts while improving to 9-for-11 in save chances. The 28-year-old lefty continues to see occasional save chances and has three in September, but Craig Kimbrel remains the primary closer in Philadelphia. Alvarado's ERA is down to 1.88 with a 1.25 WHIP and 59 strikeouts across 38.1 innings this season.

The Dodgers could deploy Yarbrough as a piggyback pitcher behind starter Emmet Sheehan in Thursday's game against the Giants, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

While manager Dave Roberts hasn't revealed how he plans to manage his pitching staff in the series opener, piggybacking the right-handed Sheehan with the left-handed Yarbrough would make sense. The Dodgers are cognizant of managing the rookie Sheehan's workload and haven't had him cover more than five innings in the majors or minors since July 29, so having him toss three or four frames before exiting the contest may be Roberts' preferred approach. Additionally, having Yarbrough enter the contest in the middle innings would help the Dodgers neutralize a Giants lineup that often contains four lefty bats in Michael Conforto, Joc Pederson, Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade. Yarbrough last pitched Sunday, but he should be capable of giving the Dodgers three or four innings on three days' rest, if necessary.

Lawrence allowed two hits and no walks while striking out one in two-thirds of a scoreless inning during Wednesday's loss to the Padres.

Lawrence exited Friday's appearance against the Giants due to an ankle injury, but he made two appearances during the team's series in San Diego this week. He tossed 1.2 scoreless innings during those outings but was charged with a blown save during Wednesday's appearance. Tyler Kinley picked up two saves over the past week but gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning Tuesday against the Padres, so it's unclear which pitcher will be used in save situations over the final few games of the regular season.

The Giants recalled Beck from Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday.

Beck had been struggling badly in a swingman role just prior to his Sept. 4 demotion, but he holds a decent 4.04 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 62:20 K:BB in 75.2 overall major-league innings this year. The right-hander will return in long relief ahead of Thursday's series opener at Dodger Stadium.