MLB Player News

Pomeranz (forearm) was reinstated from the injured list Saturday.

Pomeranz has been limited to just 17 innings this season while battling both lat and forearm injuries. He's been quite effective when available, however, striking out 31.4 percent of opposing batters en route to a 1.59 ERA. He should fill a high-leverage role upon his return, but closer Mark Melancon has done nothing to suggest he's about to relinquish his hold on the ninth inning.

Curtiss (neck) was activated from the 10-day injured list Saturday, Fish Stripes reports.

He struck out two in one inning during his lone rehab appearance and will take the place of Pablo Lopez (rotator cuff strain). Curtiss should work in mid-leverage situations.

Brogdon was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Saturday.

Brogdon hit the injured list on the final day before the All-Star break but was merely there due to contact tracing and evidently didn't test positive for the virus himself. He's been a passable relief option for the Phillies this season, but his 4.19 ERA is nothing special and comes with just a 21.0 percent strikeout rate, a number which comes nowhere near his 38.6 percent strikeout rate from his 11.1-inning debut last season. Mauricio Llovera was optioned in a corresponding move.

The Phillies optioned Llovera to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

The righty pitched Friday in his only big-league appearance thus far in 2021, recording one strikeout in a scoreless inning while allowing a hit and hitting a batter. He was optioned to clear a roster spot for Connor Brogdon (COVID-19) to be activated Saturday.

Hoffman (shoulder) confirmed Saturday that he's set to return from the injured list to start Wednesday against the Mets, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Reds manager David Bell hinted earlier in the day that the team was looking at temporarily going to a six-man rotation, and it appears that will indeed be the case. It's not clear whether Hoffman will be in line for multiple starts or if he'll make just one before retreating to the bullpen. It's also possible he sticks around as a starter while Vladimir Gutierrez loses his place, though Gutierrez's 4.29 ERA in nine starts this season beats Hoffman's 4.61 mark in 10 trips to the mound.

The Reds will consider going with a temporary six-man rotation when Hoffman (shoulder) comes off the IL next week, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Manager David Bell wants to give Tyler Mahle and Luis Castillo a couple of extra days given that they didn't get much more than their usual rest after last weekend's series in Milwaukee. "There is a chance we would add (Hoffman) in for a couple of reasons," Bell said. "Some of our starters with (Tyler) Mahle pitching tonight, Luis (Castillo) pitching tomorrow, they're getting an extra day or two, but not an extra four days. There was only so many guys we could do that with, where we could give them a larger break."

Chaves (0-2) allowed an unearned run on one hit and a walk while striking out two over an inning as he took the loss against the Rays on Friday.

Chavez entered to begin extra innings and ended up allowing an RBI single to Austin Meadows to give the Rays a 7-6 lead. Atlanta was unable to extend or end the game in the bottom half of the frame, leaving Chavez in line for his second loss of the year. Since debuting with Atlanta on June 24, the 37-year-old has posted a 2.08 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB over 8.2 innings.

Bednar collected his seventh hold in Friday's 4-1 win over the Mets, walking one batter in a scoreless eighth inning. He struck out one batter.

Bednar, who threw 14 of 21 pitches for strikes, appeared in a spot typically reserved for Kyle Crick (who did not pitch). The right-hander figures to get an opportunity to close games out if and when the team trades Richard Rodriguez by the deadline.

Kimbrel pitched a clean ninth inning with two strikeouts in Friday's 5-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

It wasn't a save situation, but Kimbrel picked up right where he left off in the first half of the season. The veteran reliever now has a miniscule 0.55 ERA and has struck out 56 batters in just 32.2 innings. He's also saved 20 games in 22 opportunities. Kimbrel should remain a strong fantasy option the rest of the way.

Moore gave up two runs on six hits and zero walks while striking out nine through 4.1 innings in the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Marlins. He did not factor in the decision.

Moore's prior season high in strikeouts was five, set April 11 in Atlanta, so this seems like quite an outlier for the journeyman lefty. He has failed to log more than 4.1 innings in any of his last three appearances and tentatively lines up to face the Yankees on the road Wednesday.