MLB Player News

The Pirates transferred Lawrence (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list Saturday.

Lawrence was placed on the 15-day IL due to right elbow inflammation April 24. With his move to the 60-day injured list, the righty reliever isn't eligible to be activated until late June. Lawrence's move to the 60-day IL created room for fellow reliever Tanner Rainey, who had his contract selected from Triple-A on Saturday, to join the 40-man roster.

The Pirates selected Rainey's contract from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.

Rainey had a strong spring training, posting a 1.13 ERA and 0.50 WHIP with 12 strikeouts over eight innings in eight appearances, but didn't break camp with Pittsburgh. The righty reliever has posted a 6.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB over nine innings with Indianapolis and will now get a shot with the big-league bullpen. Rainey will fill the 26-man roster spot that opened up when Isiah Kiner-Falefa (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day IL on Saturday, and to make room for Rainey on the 40-man roster, Justin Lawrence (elbow) was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day IL.

The Brewers optioned Yoho to Triple-A Nashville on Saturday.

Yoho was called up to the majors for his first major-league stint April 21 and got into five contests while with the big club. The right-hander struggled, however, posting a 9.53 ERA and 2.29 WHIP with a 4:6 K:BB over 5.2 innings. In a corresponding move Saturday, Milwaukee recalled pitcher Elvin Rodriguez from Nashville.

The Brewers recalled Rodriguez from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday.

Rodriguez struggled in a stint earlier this season with Milwaukee, posting a 7.53 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 14.1 innings, though his 13:2 K:BB was more promising. The righty's biggest problem was the long ball -- he served up six homers during that four-game span. Rodriguez worked twice as a starter and twice out of the bullpen while previously up with the the big club, with his final outing being a five-inning showing in relief. He figures to serve in a swingman role now that he's back with Milwaukee. Craig Yoho was optioned to Nashville on Saturday to make room for Rodriguez on the roster.

Martinez underwent an MRI on his right shoulder Saturday that showed no structural damage, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Martinez experienced a drop in velocity during his past two appearances and was subsequently placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to right shoulder inflammation. The righty received good news Saturday, however, and appears to have avoided a serious injury. Martinez is eligible to be activated from the IL on May 16, though it's not yet clear if he'll be ready to resume pitching in games at that point.

Hall (lat) began a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Saturday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Hall has spent all season working his way back from a left lat strain that he suffered early in spring camp. He's now due to begin pitching in a competitive environment, though he will require a healthy amount of reps in the minors before being ready to come off the IL.

The Cardinals optioned Munoz to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Munoz allowed one run in two innings after being recalled from the minors Friday, and he'll now head back to Memphis after a day with the Cards. Michael McGreevy was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Alvarado struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to pick up a save in Friday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Pitching on two days of rest, Alvarado needed just 11 pitches to finish off the Diamondbacks on Thursday. He struck out Geraldo Perdomo to record the final out of the night and pick up his sixth save of the season, lowering his ERA to a minuscule 1.72 through 15.2 innings.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that he plans for Matz to pitch out of the bullpen "at the moment," Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals went to a six-man rotation during a stretch of the schedule that was light on off days. However, they are idle for every Thursday in May, allowing them to shift back to a five-man setup for the time being. It sounds like Matz could re-enter the rotation at any point, though, with Marmol saying of Matz's usage that the club can "pick and choose based on how things are going." Matz has pitched well in both roles this season, posting a 1.00 ERA and 11:0 K:BB over nine innings in two starts and a 1.80 ERA and 9:3 K:BB over 15 frames covering seven relief outings.

Phillips picked up the save in Friday's 2-1 win over Atlanta after working around one walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two.

In a somewhat interesting development, left-handed closer Tanner Scott was called upon to retire the bottom part of Atlanta's lineup, which included two right-handed batters, in the eighth inning for a hold. Phillips then replaced him in the ninth after a rain delay with the daunting task of putting out Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson, with Olson drawing a walk to get the possible tying run aboard before Phillips got Sean Murphy to ground out. It was the first save opportunity of the season for Phillips, who is now up to 4.2 scoreless innings with a 6:2 K:BB in six appearances this year.