MLB Player News

Hicks was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right forearm flexor injury.

Hicks apparently suffered the injury during Tuesday's start against Toronto, when he was charged with the loss after he surrendered four runs on five walks over three innings. According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, the 25-year-old doesn't believe it's a serious injury, though the medical imaging he recently underwent has yet to be analyzed. The Cardinals are also considering shifting Hicks back to the bullpen once healthy, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.

Hader (personal) was reinstated from the family medical emergency list Thursday.

Hader has been away from the team since Monday due to the familial emergency but will rejoin the Brewers on Thursday. The left-hander will reclaim the closer role from Devin Williams, who picked up two saves during Hader's absence.

Stephenson (illness) rejoined the Rockies on Thursday, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

Stephenson was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Monday, but he's feeling better Thursday and has cleared the league's health and safety protocols. The right-hander is expected to be activated at some point during the team's weekend series against Washington.

Jameson has struggled to the tune of an 11.05 ERA, 2.25 WHIP and 11:14 K:BB through four starts since being promoted to Triple-A Reno.

That's certainly a far cry from the 2.41 ERA and 0.93 WHIP he put up across four Double-A outings before getting promoted. It's hard to find positives in any of his outings for Reno thus far; in the best one, May 19 against Las Vegas, he at least managed to last into the sixth inning, though he still gave up four runs and struck out just four with three walks. This will certainly slow his progression to the big leagues, but it's worth noting that Jameson has great stuff and adjusted brilliantly after being blown up in his first Double-A start of the season. He's likely to get right as he adapts to the higher level of competition in Triple-A.

Llovera was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

After being called up May 16, Llovera appeared in five games, pitching 3.2 innings while giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He will now return to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday and wait for another shot to prove himself in the big-leagues.

De Los Santos allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two across a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday against the Rockies.

De Los Santos made his big-league debut and worked the ninth inning in a non-save situation. Though he allowed two baserunners, De Los Santos also induced two swinging strikeouts. David Bednar is locked in as the closer for the Pirates, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see De Los Santos inserted into high-leverage situations in the near future.

Williams recorded his fourth save of the season in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Padres, working a perfect ninth inning without a walk or a strikeout.

With Josh Hader (bereavement list) still away from the team, Williams pitched for a third straight day and picked up his second straight save, although his fatigue showed in the fact that he failed to strike out a batter for the first time all year. The right-hander will likely be unavailable Thursday to begin a weekend series in St. Louis, but Williams should be back in his high-leverage role soon enough. He has two wins, four saves and 11 holds in 20 appearances to go along with his 3.50 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 33:11 K:BB through 18 innings.

Rainey gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his fourth save of the season in a 1-0 win over the Dodgers.

It wasn't the sharpest outing, as Rainey needed 19 pitches (10 strikes) to work his way through the bottom of the Los Angeles order, but he was able to get the job done and pick up his first save since April 19 after blowing his first two chances in May. The right-hander will carry a 2.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB through 12.2 innings into his next appearance.

Littell pitched a perfect inning in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Mets.

Littell has struggled for much of May. He's allowed 11 runs on 18 hits and two walks across 10.2 innings in his nine appearances this month after keeping runs off the board in all six of his April outings. The right-hander's struggles have left him with a 5.94 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB across 16.2 innings. He's added two holds and an 0-1 record, but he's seen mostly low-leverage work lately.

Szapucki (0-1) allowed nine earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two across 1.1 innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Giants.

Szapucki was called up to make his first big-league start to fill an opening in the rotation after the Mets had a doubleheader over the weekend. However, he was crushed for four home runs prior to being yanked after recording just four outs. Szapucki will likely find himself back at Triple-A Syracuse in the coming days, where he has maintained a 2.86 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 30:9 K:BB across 22 innings.