MLB Player News

Ortiz underwent Tommy John surgery Thursday to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow, MLB.com reports.

After spraining his left ankle in his 2024 debut March 30, Ortiz was placed on the injured list a day later. He began a rehab assignment at Single-A Clearwater in late April, only to be shut down again after experiencing right shoulder inflammation following his second rehab outing. Ortiz shook off the shoulder injury and resumed his rehab assignment June 11 before being shut down just over a week later with forearm discomfort. The reliever was recommended for surgery after undergoing further testing and will now miss the rest of the season and the majority of the 2025 campaign.

Rucker (hand) resumed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, working one inning while striking out a batter and giving up one run on three hits and one walk.

Rucker had been pulled off his rehab assignment last Sunday due to turf toe in his right big toe, but he evidently made a swift recovery from that injury. The 30-year-old is still in the process of building back up while he's been on the injured list all season due to a right hand arterial vasospasm. He'll likely work in middle relief for the Phillies once he's activated from the 60-day IL.

Turnbull (lat) was cleared to resume playing catch Saturday at the Phillies' facility in Clearwater, Fla., MLB.com reports.

Turnbull looks to be trending positively in his recovery from the strained right lat he sustained June 26, but he still has several checkpoints to hit in the rehab process before making his return from the 15-day injured list. Phillies manager Rob Thomson previously said that Turnbull was likely facing a 6-to-8-week recovery timeline, so the right-hander shouldn't be expected back from the IL until middle or late August.

Pagan (lat) began a throwing program July 2, MLB.com reports.

Pagan's throwing progression is expected to last most of the month before he reports to a minor-league affiliate for a rehab assignment. The right-hander is on the 60-day injured list with a right lat strain and won't be eligible for activation until Aug. 7.

Walker (6-3) retired both batters he faced and earned the win Sunday over the Twins.

Walker was called on for damage control after Camilo Doval blew a save chance. Walker got Willi Castro to ground out and Brooks Lee to fly out, keeping the game tied at 2-2 before Mike Yastrzemski tripled and scored on an error to win it for the Giants. Aside from a three-run stumble versus the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Walker continues to be quite steady in a high-leverage role. He's at a 2.32 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 62:10 K:BB through 50.1 innings while adding 17 holds and two blown saves this season. While reliever wins can be tricky to project, Walker's steady ratios, high strikeout rate and setup duties make him a reliable option for fantasy managers.

Doval allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning, taking a blown save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Twins.

Doval's poor performance didn't stop the Giants from winning, but it made things a bit hairy in the ninth inning. The closer had gone five scoreless innings since his last blown save June 28, though he continues to put too many batters on base. For the season, Doval has a 4.38 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 49:24 K:BB over 37 innings while going 17-for-21 in save chances. If manager Bob Melvin changes his approach to the closer job, Doval could lose some of his save share to Ryan Walker or Tyler Rogers.

Smyly tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn a hold in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals.

Smyly picked things up after Chicago starter Jameson Taillon covered 5.2 innings, and the former was effective across his 16 pitches, earning his third hold of the season in the process. Smyly had a solid first half of the season, posting a 3.09 ERA across 35 innings of relief. While the veteran lefty has plenty of starting experience in his career, he's worked exclusively out of the bullpen so far in 2024, and he'll likely stick in that role after the All-Star break.

Lopez tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two.

Despite getting released by the Mets in unceremonious fashion earlier this season, Lopez had a solid first half, as he finished with a 3.18 ERA across 34 innings. He's been even better since joining the Cubs at the end of June, posting a 1.17 ERA across 7.2 innings. Lopez may be able to seize a higher-leverage role after the All-Star break if he continues to pitch well out of the Chicago bullpen.

Walston (elbow) isn't expected to return from the 15-day injured list until sometime in August, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

After turning in a 2.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 11:9 K:BB in 12.2 innings through his first three big-league outings (two starts), Walston was placed on the 15-day injured list June 6. His injury was initially classified as left elbow inflammation, but the Diamondbacks have since listed him with a left elbow strain, according to MLB.com. While Walston has resumed throwing off flat ground from 60 to 100 feet, the Diamondbacks haven't yet indicated that he's been cleared for bullpen sessions, so he still looks to be several weeks away from being stretched back out for a starter's workload. All of Jordan Montgomery (knee), Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) and Merrill Kelly (shoulder) are further along in their throwing progressions and appear poised to beat Walston back from the injured list, so the 22-year-old southpaw will most likely be optioned to Triple-A Reno once he's activated.

Hudson wasn't available out of the bullpen for Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers due to back stiffness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Hudson has been dealing with the injury for the last couple of days, which likely explains why he also went unused in the 11-9 extra-inning loss to Detroit on Saturday, when manager Dave Roberts turned to less-trusted bullpen arms in Ricky Vanasco and Yohan Ramirez late in the game in high-leverage spots. The Dodgers seem to be viewing Hudson as day-to-day with the hope that he'll be ready to pitch coming out of the All-Star break.