MLB Player News

Hill earned a hold against Pittsburgh on Sunday with a perfect eighth inning.

The Padres held a 3-1 lead when Hill came on in the eighth, but the Pirates had loaded the bases with no outs against Robert Suarez. Hill yielded a sacrifice fly to the first batter he faced but kept the damage to a minimum by subsequently inducing a double play. The lefty reliever has posted an unappealing 7.20 ERA on the season due to a pair of rough outings, but he has held opponents scoreless in six of his eight appearances overall.

The Pirates optioned Howard to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Howard made three appearances out of the bullpen during his latest stint with the big club, covering two innings while giving up two earned runs on two hits and four walks. He was sent to the minors along with reliever Miguel Yajure on Monday with Pittsburgh needing to reduce its active roster from 28 to 26 players.

Kahnle pitched in his first game Sunday since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020, and he threw a perfect frame during which he struck out two batters.

It's been a long road back to health for Kahnle, who suffered a UCL injury in his right arm during his first and only appearance in 2020 and subsequently opted for Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers signed him in December of that year with the knowledge that they likely wouldn't have his services until 2022, and their patience paid off as the right-hander was able to make his debut with the team Sunday. Kahnle looked great in the appearance, fanning two of the three batters he faced and retiring the side on only nine pitches. Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, the veteran reliever touched 98 mph with his fastball and got a whiff on each of the three changeups he hurled. Harris also reports that manager Dave Roberts stated Kahnle will be a "leverage guy" going forward, and he could immediately see some work in situations that would have previously been handled by Blake Treinen, who is on the injured list with a shoulder injury. Kahnle has plenty of career success to back up Roberts' trust in him, as he's registered a 3.81 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 while notching nine wins, 68 holds and four saves over 286 career relief apperances.

Fulmer was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Monday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Fulmer was called up on Saturday but didn't get into a game during his two days on the roster. He'll now be available for any team to claim off waivers, but his 6.41 ERA across parts of six major-league seasons suggests that he has a good chance of passing through unclaimed.

Hildenberger (undisclosed) is listed on the 60-day injured list at Double-A Richmond.

Hildenberger finished 2021 with Triple-A Sacramento, but he's struggled over much of the last three seasons. There's no specific details on his current injury, which has kept him unavailable for all of the minor-league season so far.

The Marlins designated Armstrong for assignment Monday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Zach Pop was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville while Armstrong was removed from the 40-man roster entirely as the Marlins reduced their active roster from 28 to 26 men ahead of Monday's deadline. After winning a spot in the Marlins' Opening Day bullpen, Armstrong made seven appearances and was touched up for 10 runs (eight earned) on 10 hits and three walks across 6.2 innings.

The Marlins optioned Pop to Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Pop was sent down to the minors and Shawn Armstrong was designated for assignment as the Marlins reduced their active roster from 28 to 26 players ahead of Monday's deadline. The right-hander's demotion comes just one day after he made his 2022 debut for the big club, as Pop gave up two earned runs on three hits in an inning of relief in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Mariners.

Floro (shoulder) gave up a hit and struck out one in one-third of an inning for Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday.

After tossing a scoreless inning for the Jumbo Shrimp on Saturday, being able to pitch on back-to-back days was likely the final hurdle for Floro to clear on his rehab assignment. Expect the right-hander to rejoin the Marlins' bullpen in the next day or two ahead of his season debut, although in his absence, Anthony Bender may have tightened his hold on the closer job by reeling off four straight saves over the last week.

VerHagen (hip) has been sent to Triple-A Memphis to begin a rehab assignment, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

VerHagen is expected to make a two-inning appearance for Memphis on Tuesday, putting him one step closer to returning from the 10-day injured list. The 31-year-old was placed on the IL on April 22 with a right hip impingement, but his time away from the team should be relatively minimal. He has posted a 5.79 ERA and 1.93 WHIP with four strikeouts over 4.2 innings this season.

Naughton was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Naughton was an odd man out with roster sizes dropping from 28 to 26 on Monday, leading to his return to Triple-A Memphis. After being called up April 22, the left-hander appeared in one contest, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings and only surrendering one hit. It's likely he will return to the Cardinals at some point this season.