MLB Player News

Wicks will start Saturday's game against the Pirates, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Wicks was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday and was initially expected to make his MLB debut in Sunday's series finale. Instead, the 23-year-old southpaw will swap rotation spots with Javier Assad and make his debut a day early. Wicks logged a 3.82 ERA and 1.18 WHIP through 33 innings across seven Triple-A starts.

Hill (finger) started a minor-league rehab assignment with Single-A Lake Elsinore on Friday, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and no walks while striking out one batter over two-thirds of an inning.

Hill has been on the injured list since Aug. 2 due to a sprained left ring finger. The southpaw looked rusty in getting lit up in his first rehab outing Friday, and he'll likely need at least another appearance before he's ready to return to the Padres, though his stay in the minors isn't expected to be an extended one, per MLB.com. Hill had been going through a rough patch with San Diego prior to getting hurt, posting a 7.30 ERA, 2.27 WHIP and 5:6 K:BB over 12.1 innings across his previous 14 outings.

Pomeranz (elbow) pitched one inning for Single-A Lake Elsinore on Friday, striking out all three batters he faced in a scoreless inning.

Pomeranz had previously engaged in a minor-league rehab stint in late April but ended up getting shut down from throwing after three outings due to continued elbow discomfort. The lefty reliever hasn't pitched in the majors since undergoing flexor tendon surgery in August of 2021, and he also dealt with a neck strain this spring. If he doesn't encounter any setbacks in his current rehab assignment, Pomeranz could be back in the Padres' bullpen in early September.

The Reds placed Young on the 15-day injured list Saturday with left hamstring tightness.

Young has already missed a bit of time this month due to a back injury, but now a hamstring issue will force him onto the injured list. He'll be sidelined for the next two weeks, and his roster spot will be filled by Ben Lively, who was activated from the injured list Saturday.

Kranick (elbow) had his rehab assignment shifted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, MLB.com reports.

Kranick struggled across two outings and 4.1 innings by allowing five earned runs with Single-A Bradenton. He turned things around a bit in his opening appearance with Indianapolis, allowing only one hit across 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out four and walking one. Kranick is returning from Tommy John surgery, and it's possible that he will be activated from the injured list at some point in September.

Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Diamdonbacks, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Though the Reds haven't confirmed that a bulk reliever will work behind Cruz, Ben Lively (pectoral) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list Saturday and appears likely to cover multiple innings out of the bullpen. Cruz, who will be making his first start of 2023, hasn't recorded more than six outs in any of his 46 appearances this season. He carries a 4.30 ERA and 1.22 WHIP into Saturday's contest.

Graterol earned a hold over the Red Sox on Friday, allowing two hits and striking out two batters over 1.2 scoreless innings.

Graterol has picked up two saves since Aug. 10, but he remains a secondary closing option for Los Angeles behind Evan Phillips. Graterol has emerged as a shutdown high-leverage weapon for manager Dave Roberts, racking up 12 straight scoreless appearances and yielding just one run over 25.2 innings since June 21. The fireballing right-hander has just 17 strikeouts during that span, but he's posted a 0.90 WHIP and notched two wins, three saves and 10 holds. Phillips has also been solid and is in no danger of losing his closing job, so Graterol's fantasy value is mostly limited to leagues that count holds, though he could pick up a few more saves down the stretch.

Ginkel struck out both batters he faced to earn the save in Friday's 10-8 win over the Reds.

A save situation wasn't expected to arise in Friday's game, but Justin Martinez allowed a grand slam while Arizona was ahead by six. With the game getting closer, Ginkel stepped in and stopped the bleeding to pick up his first save in a month. In that span, he recorded four wins and four holds while surrendering five runs (three earned) over 13.2 innings in a setup role ahead of Paul Sewald, who was presumably unavailable after pitching three of the last four days. Ginkel is up to four saves with a 2.19 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 53:17 K:BB over 53.1 innings this season, and he should continue to see high-leverage work.

Walker will serve as the Giants' opening pitcher for Saturday's game versus Atlanta, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

It's a familiar assignment for Walker, as he'll work as the opener for the 11th time this season. Based on recent usage, Sean Manaea would seem to be the top candidate to work in bulk relief Saturday.

Phillips allowed a hit in a scoreless inning against Boston on Friday. He struck out two and earned a save.

Phillips worked around a leadoff single to close out the 7-4 win. Since the All-Star break, he's converted all eight of his save opportunities while yielding three runs over 13.2 frames. For the season, Phillips has 20 saves in 22 chances while registering a 2.39 ERA and a 54:11 K:BB through 49 innings.