MLB Player News

The Cubs optioned Ferguson to Triple-A Iowa on Friday.

He's being sent out in order to make space on the roster for the return of Edward Cabrera (finger), who will start Friday's game against the Giants. Ferguson was promoted earlier this week and did not make an appearance during this stint with the big club.

The Reds outrighted Leibrandt to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Having been outrighted previously, Leibrandt has the ability to decline the assignment and become a free agent, but it's unclear what his plans are. The southpaw saved the Reds' bullpen earlier this week by eating six innings and allowing five runs in a relief appearance Monday versus the Royals.

Phillips (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, yielding one hit and one walk over two-thirds of a scoreless frame.

Phillips struck out one batter and averaged 95.7 mph with his four-seamer, which is up 0.3 mph from last season. The righty is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and will likely need a fairly lengthy rehab assignment before rejoining the Dodgers' active roster.

Manager Torey Lovullo revealed that Clarke is expected to return from the bereavement list Sunday versus the Nationals, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.

With the right-hander returning Sunday, he will have spent the minimum three games on the bereavement list. Kade Strowd or Philip Abner are likely candidates to be sent down to make room for Clarke since they both joined the big club Thursday.

X-rays on Anderson's right forearm came back negative following his removal from Thursday's game against the Giants, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Anderson was pulled from the game after taking an 89.6-mph line drive off his right forearm in the seventh inning. He managed to escape the incident with nothing more than a bruise and will travel with the team for its upcoming road series in Colorado, but he could still be held out of action for a game or two to give his forearm a chance to recover.

Manager Pat Murphy said after Thursday's game against the Giants that Hall was removed due to left pectoral discomfort, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Murphy added that Hall is slated to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of his injury, so more information on his status may be available ahead of the Brewers' series opener against Colorado on Friday. The 27-year-old southpaw has been enjoying one of the best seasons of his career so far, posting a 2.03 ERA and 1.23 WHIP through 31 innings.

Killian secured the save Thursday against the Brewers, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.

The Giants have yet to settle on a definitive closer since optioning Ryan Walker to the minor leagues, but Killian has found his way into the ninth-inning mix. Milwaukee scored three runs in the ninth Thursday to make it a 12-9 game and create a save opportunity, and the 29-year-old right-hander managed to extinguish the fire. Through 27.2 frames, Killian has a 3.58 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 30:14 K:BB with four saves in five chances.

Anderson was removed from Thursday's appearance versus the Giants in the seventh inning after being struck in the right forearm by a line drive, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Anderson had already thrown 30 pitches and allowed two runs over 1.1 innings before exiting, so his removal could have been precautionary. It's unclear whether the reliever will be sent for medical imaging, so he should be considered day-to-day until his status is updated.

Hall was removed from Thursday's game versus the Giants due to an undisclosed injury, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

It's unclear what was bothering Hall, but he was escorted to the clubhouse with the Brewers' trainer in the fifth inning. The lefty had struck out one over 2.1 scoreless frames before being pulled. The Brewers should have more on Hall's status soon.

The Diamondbacks recalled Abner from Triple-A Reno on Thursday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Abner will join Kade Strowd on the trip back to the majors to replace Brandon Pfaadt and Taylor Clarke (bereavement) in Arizona's bullpen. Abner gave up two earned runs in 2.1 innings during his lone appearance with the D-backs this season and has pitched to a 5.12 ERA in 19.1 frames during his time in Triple-A, so he shouldn't be expected to receive much more than low-leverage work.