MLB Player News

Thompson (4-5) earned the win Sunday, allowing three runs on seven hits and zero walks over seven innings against Pittsburgh. He struck out six.

It was the longest outing of Thompson's career, as he closed out the seventh emphatically by inducing a pop-up then striking out the final two batters for a 1-2-3 inning. The win was his second over the Pirates in 11 days and helped the Cardinals stave off a sweep. Thompson will carry a 3.86 ERA into his next start, likely to take place next weekend in Cincinnati.

Antone will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Monday's game against Seattle, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Antone was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Friday after spending the start of the 2023 campaign continuing his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He allowed a hit and no walks while striking out one in a scoreless relief inning against the Cubs on Saturday. It's not yet clear who will serve as the Reds' bulk reliever Monday.

Kennedy worked two innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's 15-7 loss to the Cubs, giving up four earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one batter.

The Reds likely would have preferred to stay away from Kennedy on Sunday so he could fill the opening in the team's depleted rotation Monday against the Mariners, but the right-hander was ultimately needed for mop-up duties after Cincinnati burned through six pitchers in the game's first seven innings. With Kennedy likely out of consideration for a spot start during the three-game series with the Mariners after his 42-pitch relief appearance Sunday, the Reds are expected to summon another pitcher from Triple-A Louisville to fill the void in the rotation Monday.

Phillips is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Mariners in Cincinnati, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Phillips was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday as a replacement for Brandon Williamson (illness), who became the fourth Reds pitcher to land on the COVID-19 injured list in recent days. The Reds didn't need Phillips in relief for the final two games of their weekend series with the Cubs, so the 22-year-old right-hander will end up filling a hole in the depleted Cincinnati rotation, at least temporarily. Between stops with Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga in 2023, Phillips has compiled a 3.77 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 154:57 K:BB across 105 innings.

Pomeranz (elbow) pitched two-thirds of an inning for Triple-A El Paso in a rehab appearance Friday, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk without notching any strikeouts.

Pomeranz hasn't pitched in the majors since 2021, so some rustiness isn't unexpected. Still, the Padres may not want to activate him until he begins throwing more effectively -- in hist last two outings with El Paso, he's allowed six runs on five hits and three walks with just one punchout over 1.1 frames. It's not yet clear when San Diego plans to have Pomeranz rejoin the big-league club, though the veteran reliever has previously indicated a determination to pitch for the Padres before the end of the season.

Atlanta recalled Heller from Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

He joined the 28-man active roster as a replacement for right-hander Darius Vines, who was demoted to Gwinnett in a corresponding move. In 14.1 innings out of the Atlanta bullpen this season, Heller has pitched to a 4.40 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 14:9 K:BB.

The Rockies placed Bard on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right forearm fatigue.

Bard might have been pitching through the injury of late, as he was lit up for seven earned runs over two innings between his last two appearances out of the bullpen. He'll now be sidelined until around mid-September after landing on the IL. The Rockies activated their starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Chase Anderson (shoulder), from the IL in a corresponding move.

Williams gave up a run on two hits and a walk in the ninth inning Saturday to record his 32nd save of the season in a 7-5 win over the Phillies. He struck out one.

The right-hander wasn't at his best, tossing only 13 of 24 pitches for strikes, but Williams got Trea Turner swinging with two men aboard to end the game before he could squander a three-run cushion. Williams has blown two of his eight save chances since the beginning of August, but his 2.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB in 11.1 innings over that stretch indicate there's little for those with fantasy shares in the Milwaukee closer to worry about.

Vesia (0-5) took the loss against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and one walk over 1.1 relief innings.

Vesia entered with two outs in the ninth to face Matt Olson, retiring the lefty hitter on a fly out. When the game went into an extra frame, Vesia remained in the contest and initially looked like he would hold Atlanta at bay, retiring the first two batters he faced in the 10th. However, the southpaw issued a two-out walk to Sean Murphy, then served up a long three-run homer to Orlando Arcia, creating a deficit the Dodgers couldn't come back from. It was the second time since the All-Star break Vesia has allowed multiple runs in an outing, but he's been pretty effective overall during that period, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB over 18.2 innings while notching four holds.

Phillips is a candidate to start a game during the upcoming week while the Reds deal with multiple absences in the starting rotation, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Cincinnati added Graham Ashcraft (toe) to the injured list Saturday, and he's now sidelined along with fellow starters Hunter Greene, Brandon Williamson and Ben Lively, all of whom are on the COVID-19 injured list. The absences leave openings in the starting rotation over the next four days. Carson Spiers will make his MLB debut Sunday, and Phillips could follow soon after. The 22-year-old right-hander last started for Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, when he pitched six scoreless innings with six strikeouts. If the Reds give him a spot start, his five-day schedule comes due Tuesday at home against the Mariners.