MLB Player News

Alvarado (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Wednesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Alvarado could be cleared to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment if Wednesday's workout goes smoothly. The hard-throwing left-hander was sporting a 0.63 ERA with 24 strikeouts and zero walks through 14.1 innings this year for the Phillies when he landed on the injured list May 10 due to elbow inflammation. He had also earned five saves and could eventually challenge Craig Kimbrel for a chunk of the team's ninth-inning opportunities.

Colorado recalled Calvo from Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.

Calvo holds a rough 8.50 ERA in 18 innings of work this season at the Triple-A level, but the Rockies are desperate for fresh arms. The 27-year-old will presumably operate in a low-leverage relief role as he gets his first taste of MLB action.

Colorado optioned Kauffmann to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.

Kauffmann heads back to the minors after getting hammered for 17 runs -- 16 earned -- over his first three major-league starts covering 12.2 innings. That works out to an 11.37 ERA. Blair Calvo will join the Rockies' bullpen Tuesday in a corresponding move.

The Cubs optioned Rucker to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Rucker has yielded 10 earned runs over 8.1 innings across his last four appearances, causing his ERA to balloon from 2.45 to 5.48. He will head to Iowa in order to right the ship, and Hayden Wesneski was recalled to take Rucker's roster spot.

Heuer (elbow) will make another rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A Iowa, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

This could be one of the final tests for Heuer, who struggled in the early part of his minor-league rehab stint but tallied two strikeouts over 1.1 hitless innings this past Saturday versus the Triple-A affiliate of the Brewers. He worked 1.2 scoreless frames for Iowa last Wednesday. The 26-year-old reliever is on the long road back from Tommy John surgery.

Bender (elbow) increased his flat-ground throwing Tuesday to 120 feet, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Bender needed Tommy John surgery in late August of last year and probably won't be ready to return to a major-league mound until the beginning of the 2024 season, but all of the reports from the early stages of his recovery have been encouraging.

Puk (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Pensacola, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Puk could reclaim a majority share of the Marlins' closer role by the weekend, assuming all goes well on the farm. He had posted a sharp 3.07 ERA and 19:3 K:BB through 14.2 innings this season with Miami before landing on the injured list May 14 due to left elbow nerve irritation.

Yacabonis (quad) was designated for assignment by the Mets on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Yacabonis had been on the injured list since May 9 while recovering from a left quad strain. Now he has lost his 40-man roster spot and heads into DFA limbo with an ugly 9.00 ERA in nine major-league innings for the year.

Los Angeles recalled Vesia from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Vesia posted an ugly 7.84 ERA and 2.81 WHIP across 10.1 innings of relief earlier this season with the Dodgers, but he hadn't allowed an earned run over his last nine appearances at the Triple-A level. The 27-year-old left-hander will try to climb back into a prominent setup role as he returns to the big-league bullpen mix.

Jameson allowed five hits and one walk while striking out six over 3.2 relief innings to earn a hold in Monday's 7-5 win over Colorado.

Starter Ryne Nelson put the Diamondbacks in an early 4-0 hole, but Arizona's bats and Jameson's multi-inning relief effort bailed him out. Jameson made his first appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Reno and figures to work as a multi-inning reliever, who can spot start if need be. He started three games for Arizona earlier this season but was optioned to the minors following a disastrous one-inning outing against the Padres. The right-hander had lost the ability to command his slider and became too predictable, leaning too heavily on his fastball, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. He rediscovered the slider in the minors, and it was the pitch he used the most often Monday (28 times among 59 pitches).