MLB Player News

Bird (elbow) will make another rehab appearance at Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

After beginning his rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League, Bird pitched a scoreless inning with Albuquerque on Thursday and will come out of the bullpen again Saturday. A return to the big-league roster seems imminent for Bird, who's eligible to return any time.

Lawrence (shoulder) will make his first rehab appearance Friday at Triple-A Albuquerque, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Lawrence was placed on the IL on May 27 due to a right shoulder strain. Though it's unclear how many rehab appearances he'll require, Lawrence seems poised to return in the next week or two.

The Pirates selected Fleming to the active roster Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Fleming will rejoin the Pirates' bullpen after being DFA'd on May 14. He'll take the place of Hunter Stratton (triceps), who was placed on the 15-day IL, while Niko Goodrum was designated for assignment to make room for Fleming on the 40-man roster. Fleming has pitched 19 innings with the Pirates this season and owns a 5.68 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP.

The Pirates placed Stratton on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right triceps strain, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Stratton had to make an early exit from his appearance Thursday, and he will now officially be sidelined until at least June 29. Josh Fleming will come up from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill Stratton's spot in the bullpen.

Kelly (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Friday's bullpen was Kelly's second this week, marking a significant advancement in his rehab from a right shoulder strain. He's been sidelined since May 6 due to the issue and will almost certainly require a rehab assignment, which could come soon. Prior to the injury, Kelly hadn't allowed a run in 11 of 12 appearances, but he owns a 4.73 ERA on the year.

Mlodzinksi will start Friday's game against Colorado as an opener, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Mlodzinski last pitched Wednesday, yielding one run in two innings against the Cardinals, and he hasn't gone deeper than two innings in an appearance this season. Luis Ortiz threw 4.1 innings in bulk relief after Mlodzinski opened a June 8 contest against Minnesota and hasn't pitched since, making him an ideal candidate for the same role Friday.

Junis (shoulder) will pitch another sim game in Arizona on Monday before potentially joining the Brewers roster, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers embark on a seven-game West Coast road trip Monday, playing three games in Los Angeles and four in San Diego. Already in Arizona, Junis could rejoin the team during that stretch, though it's unclear if he'd immediately return to the rotation or would be eased in with a bullpen role. The 31-year-old was moved to Arizona from Triple-A Nashville due to velocity concerns and most recently threw a four-inning simulated game Wednesday.

Wesneski (2-4) allowed a solo home run in an inning of relief to take the loss Friday against the Cardinals.

Wesneski allowed the first run of the game in the eighth inning, a solo shot by Pedro Pages, then got saddled with the loss as the Cubs got blanked 3-0. Despite the hiccup, the 26-year-old has been solid this season as he's settled into a relief role for Chicago, posting a 2.84 ERA and 34 strikeouts across 38 innings.

Helsley worked around a pair of walks in the ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Cubs. He struck out two.

After recording the first two outs in the ninth, Helsley issued consecutive walks to Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ before striking out Nico Hoerner to earn his MLB-leading 23rd save of the year. Helsley hasn't blown a save since March 30, in his first appearance of the season. His ERA on the year is down to 2.61 with a 1.13 WHIP and 35:10 K:BB across 31 innings.

Ferrer (shoulder) will throw live batting practice Monday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Ferrer will face batters for the first time since suffering a shoulder strain back in March, but it's not yet clear when he might begin a rehab assignment. The 24-year-old should be expected to return in late June or early July.