MLB Player News

The Pirates outrighted Heller to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Heller passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment and will remain in the organization. The reliever yielded 12 runs (11 earned) over just two innings during his brief time with the Pirates this season.

Scott (5-5) took the loss and blew a save against the Mets on Thursday, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter over one-third of an inning.

Scott was 8-for-9 in save chances coming into Thursday and hadn't blown a save since mid-April. In fact, he had rattled off 19 straight outings without allowing an earned run, racking up five wins and seven saves during that stretch. However, the southpaw couldn't protect a one-run, ninth-inning lead versus New York, issuing a leadoff walk to Francisco Lindor before serving up a walk-off two-run blast to J.D. Martinez two batters later. Despite the implosion Thursday, Scott has pitched well enough this season to not currently be in danger of losing his closing role, but that success could also make him a prime candidate to be dealt by the rebuilding Marlins.

Roycroft (1-0) allowed a hit but didn't given up a run over two-thirds of an inning Thursday, earning the win over the Pirates.

Roycroft gave up four runs over six innings during his first stint on the Cardinals' roster, but he's been much better the second time around. He's on a 5.1-inning scoreless streak over his last five appearances, allowing just three hits with a 6:0 K:BB in that span. The 26-year-old right-hander has posted a 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB through 11.1 innings overall while serving in a low-leverage role. Roycroft has been steady, but he's at risk of losing his place in the majors soon, as Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) and Riley O'Brien (forearm) are on rehab assignments while Nick Robertson (elbow) has resumed mound work within the last week.

Kittredge allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.

The Cardinals' bullpen delivered 4.2 scoreless innings, with Kittredge closing it out since Ryan Helsley had pitched each of the two previous days. The save was Kittredge's first of the year to go with 18 holds and three blown saves over 33 appearances. He's hit a rough patch since May 25, allowing eight runs (seven earned) over his last 9.2 innings, but he remains firmly in the high-leverage mix for the Cardinals. Kittredge has a 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 31:8 K:BB through 30 innings.

Leiter (2-4) allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while retiring just two batters to take the loss Thursday against the Rays. He struck out one.

Chicago starter Justin Steele tossed six scoreless innings, but his effort was quickly wasted by Leiter, who couldn't get out of the seventh. The righty reliever has allowed runs in each of his last two appearances, which has pushed his ERA up from 3.20 to 4.44. Leiter had a sub-4.00 ERA each of the last two seasons for the Cubs, so while he's struggled some lately, his track record suggests that better days will be ahead.

Brasier (calf) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Brasier strained his right calf April 29 and has resumed playing catch. He'll officially be out until the end of June with this move, though it's not clear when he'll be ready for game action.

Hernandez was traded from the Pirates to the Dodgers in exchange for cash Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The Pirates designated Hernandez for assignment Tuesday after he struggled for much of the season at Triple-A Indianapolis. He'll likely start his time with the Dodgers at Triple-A Oklahoma City, though he could contribute at the big-league level this summer.

Borucki (wrist) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

The session marked Borucki's first time throwing off a slope since he landed on the injured list in early April. He has additional bullpens set for Saturday and Tuesday, after which he may be ready to begin a rehab assignment.

Iglesias allowed one hit while tossing a scoreless ninth inning to collect the save Thursday against the Orioles.

Iglesias hit the first batter he faced, then allowed a one-out single but settled down to record the final two outs and pick up his 17th save in 19 attempts. Iglesias has only allowed one run over his last nine outings since May 17, with each appearance lasting exactly one inning. He's gone 7-for-7 in save opportunities over that span.

Stratton was removed from Thursday's appearance in St. Louis with an apparent right shoulder injury, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stratton was facing his second batter after entering in the bottom of the eighth inning and immediately grabbed at his shoulder after delivering a pitch to Brendan Donovan. The Pirates should have more on the reliever's condition after the game.