MLB Player News

Padres manager Bob Melvin said Suarez (elbow) could be activated from the 60-day injured list Thursday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Suarez has joined the Padres in Toronto and might finally be ready to be a contributor out of the bullpen. The 32-year-old right-hander re-upped with San Diego on a five-year, $46 million contract over the winter, but he missed the entire first half while recovering from a severe case of elbow inflammation.

Washington selected Garcia's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Garcia joined the Nationals on a minor-league contract over the All-Star break after getting pushed off the 40-man roster in Oakland. He had allowed eight earned runs in 8.2 innings of work with the A's and will likely fill a low-leverage bullpen role in Washington.

Cincinnati optioned Duarte to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

Duarte had allowed nine walks in 13 innings of relief with the Reds, who are calling up Levi Stoudt to replace Duarte in the bullpen ahead of Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Dominguez (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment on Friday or Saturday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Dominguez is expected to require 2-to-3 rehab appearances before rejoining the Phillies' bullpen, setting him up for a return before the end of next week. The hard-throwing reliever has been sidelined since mid-June with a left oblique strain.

Arizona recalled Mantiply from Triple-A Reno on Wednesday.

Mantiply was optioned to Reno at the end of June and had allowed eight runs -- seven earned -- in 6.2 innings of relief since that demotion. The 32-year-old left-hander figures to operate in a low-leverage bullpen role in his return to the major-league level.

The Pirates are expected to activate Crowe (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list in the coming days and then designate him for assignment, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Since the Pirates already played Wednesday and are off Thursday, the transaction may not be made official until shortly before Friday's series opener with the Angels. Crowe has been on the shelf since late April with right shoulder discomfort, but he's looked healthy thus far during his extended rehab assignment between Single-A Bradenton and Triple-A Indianapolis. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Crowe's fastball has hovered around 94-to-95 miles per hour during the rehab assignment -- right in line with his pre-injury velocity -- so another team desperate for bullpen help could be willing to acquire the right-hander via trade or waivers.

Helsley (forearm) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Helsley continues to ramp up his throwing program as he works his way back from a right forearm strain. He could be ready to face hitters soon. Jordan Hicks has been excellent in the closer role for the Cardinals lately, but he's likely to be traded, which would allow Helsley to slide back into his old job.

Suter (oblique) was activated from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Suter wound up missing nearly a month of action with a strained oblique but is ready to go after making one rehab appearance. The veteran southpaw has been excellent out of the Rockies' bullpen this season with a 2.81 ERA in 31 appearances.

Alexander (6-0) allowed a hit and struck out three over one inning to earn the win Tuesday over the Reds.

Alexander has allowed one unearned run in 3.2 innings since returning from a hamstring injury. The southpaw worked the sixth inning of a tie game Tuesday, and ended up with the win when the Giants pulled ahead in the seventh. Alexander continues to function well as a middle reliever with a 3.04 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB over 26.2 innings this season. He's picked up a save, seven holds and two blown saves, but he's usually only an emergency option for late-inning work.

The Dodgers recalled Bruihl from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

He'll be joining the Los Angeles bullpen as a replacement for right-hander Nick Robertson, who was optioned to Triple-A after covering 1.2 innings in Tuesday's 10-3 win over Baltimore. Bruihl has previously made 16 relief appearances for the Dodgers this season, posting a 3.72 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 19.1 innings.