MLB Player News

Rainey (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with the Nationals' Florida Complex League affiliate on Monday.

Rainey is finally game-ready following a long road back from Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing reliever will eventually work his way up to higher affiliates and figures to need a good number of appearances before rejoining the Nationals' bullpen.

Sewald (3-2) was charged with the loss and a blown save after allowing three runs on two hits and a walk while failing to record an out in the ninth inning against the Twins on Sunday.

Sewald had a nightmare outing in just his second appearance since being acquired by the Diamondbacks. Max Kepler led off the ninth with a home run to tie up the game. Sewald then walked Jorge Polanco before Matt Wallner crushed a fastball to walk it off for the Twins. It was a dramatic meltdown for Sewald, who had given up just one run over his prior 10 appearances, but he'll remain the closer unless his struggles persist across multiple outings.

Finnegan picked up the save Sunday against Cincinnati. He allowed two hits while striking out two over a scoreless ninth inning.

Finnegan allowed two baserunners to reach with one out, leaving the door open for a Reds comeback, but finished the job by retiring the final two batters he faced. Despite being stuck on a last-place team, Finnegan has had a highly effective season for the Nationals, having allowed a total of only three earned runs in 27 innings since the beginning of June. With Hunter Harvey on the injured list with an elbow strain, Finnegan should maintain the role of closer for the foreseeable future.

Alzolay allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 6-4 win over Atlanta.

Alzolay allowed two runs in an inning Saturday versus Atlanta, but that was a non-save situation. He's given up a pair of runs four times in his last 15 outings while keeping runs off the board in his other 11 appearances in that span. The right-hander is now at a 2.54 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 55:7 K:BB while adding 14 saves and six holds through 49.2 innings this season.

Hatch was claimed off waivers by the Pirates on Sunday.

Hatch was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Friday, but he'll now have a chance to carve out a role as part of the Pirates' 40-man roster. Over six relief appearances with Toronto this year, he posted a 4.26 ERA and 2.37 WHIP in 6.1 innings.

High-A Jersey Shore reinstated McGowan (elbow) from its 60-day injured list Saturday and assigned him to Single-A Clearweater.

McGowan started for Clearweater in Saturday's game against Lakeland, covering two innings and striking out two while allowing four earned runs on five hits and two walks. The appearance with Clearwater marked his 2023 debut in full-season ball, after McGowan previously made two rehab starts in the rookie-level Florida Complex League as he worked his way back from April 2022 Tommy John surgery.

Hudson was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Hudson has spent the past month in the minors but will rejoin the big-league club ahead of Sunday's game in San Diego. The left-hander has given up four earned runs in two major-league appearances this season and has a 2.61 ERA over 41.1 innings at Triple-A.

The Marlins optioned Weathers to Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday.

Just one day after being called up from Triple-A for his Marlins debut, Weathers finds himself back in the minors. The demotion comes after he covered 3.2 innings in relief and gave up six earned runs on six hits and four walks while taking the loss Saturday against the Rangers. Weathers is expected to slot into the rotation at Jacksonville, and he could be first in line for a call-up if Miami requires a starter at any point over the final two months of the season.

The Marlins selected Hartlieb's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday. He appeared in relief in the Marlins' 6-0 loss to the Rangers, working one inning and allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out two batters.

Hartlieb joined the Miami bullpen as a replacement for lefty Ryan Weathers, who was sent back to Triple-A after tossing 3.2 innings out of the bullpen Saturday. The appearance Sunday was Hartlieb's first in the big leagues since the 2021 season. Hartlieb is expected to work primarily in lower-leverage spots out of the bullpen for the duration of his stay with the Marlins.

Thompson (2-4) allowed a run on two hits and a walk while striking out eight over four innings, taking the loss Sunday versus the Rockies.

Thompson drew the assignment for a spot start necessitated by Miles Mikolas' suspension for throwing at Ian Happ. This was Thompson's first major-league start of the year, and he covered the most innings of any St. Louis pitcher in the contest, though it resulted in a tough-luck loss after he gave up a run on a sacrifice fly. The southpaw is still viewed as a starter in the long run, but he's been a multi-inning reliever in the majors this season. He's at a 4.29 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 29:12 K:BB through 21 innings. With Mikolas set to return to the rotation Tuesday, Thompson will likely be down for a few days before returning to a bullpen role.