MLB Player News

Ortiz (ankle/shoulder) restarted his throwing program May 11 after being pulled off his minor-league rehab assignment with Single-A Clearwater, MLB.com reports.

Ortiz earned a spot in the Phillies' Opening Day bullpen but made just one relief appearance before being placed on the 15-day injured list with a left ankle sprain. He started up a rehab assignment April 23, but he made just two appearances after he experienced inflammation in his right shoulder. The shoulder is likely the greater concern than his ankle at this point, but the fact that he was able to resume throwing just over two weeks after being shut down is an encouraging sign. Ortiz had been gradually increasing his distance while playing catch as of mid-May, but it's unclear if he's since advanced to throwing bullpen sessions or if he's still limited to throwing off flat ground.

The Phillies transferred Rucker (hand) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Rucker has already missed more than 60 days with right hand arterial vasospasm, so the move is merely to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. The reliever is without a clear timeline to begin a minor-league rehab assignment or return from the IL.

Wilson is expected to be deployed as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Jared Koenig in Monday's game in Philadelphia, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Wilson started in his last turn through the rotation Wednesday against the Cubs, but he'll work behind Koenig for the second time in three outings after he previously followed the left-hander May 24 in Boston. In that game, Wilson struck out seven while giving up two runs across 5.1 innings en route to picking up the win, so he could still offer some value to fantasy managers Monday despite not operating as a traditional starter. Wilson tentatively lines up for two outings this week, with his second turn through the rotation set to come Sunday in Detroit.

Koenig will serve as the Brewers' opening pitcher for Monday's game in Philadelphia, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Koenig will work as an opener for Milwaukee for the third time this season, with both of his previous two "starts" coming in back-to-back games May 24 and 25 versus the Red Sox. He'll likely cover one or two innings before turning the game over to Bryse Wilson, who is expected to operate as a bulk reliever.

The Brewers outrighted White to Triple-A Nashville on Monday after he cleared waivers, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

White doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, so Milwaukee had to designate him for assignment and expose him to waivers last Thursday, when the team needed to clear room in the bullpen for Nashville call-up Kevin Herget. After being acquired from the Giants on May 10, White made six relief appearances for Milwaukee and gave up eight runs (six earned) over 8.1 innings. The right-hander has functioned as a starter for most of his professional career, so he could get stretched back out as a member of the rotation at Nashville.

Howard is expected to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Erik Miller in Monday's game against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Giants will go back to the well with Howard as their de facto No. 5 starter for another turn through the rotation while the team awaits Keaton Winn's (forearm) return from the injured list. After being called up from Triple-A Sacramento last Tuesday, Howard worked behind Miller and struck out four over four scoreless innings while taking a no-decision against the Phillies. Though he was effective in his Giants debut, Howard was less impressive in a larger body of work at Sacramento prior to his promotion (5.90 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 57:17 K:BB in 39.2 innings). Winn could be tracking toward a return from the IL later this week, but with Blake Snell (groin) at risk of landing on the IL after exiting his last start, the Giants might still have a rotation spot available for Howard beyond Monday.

Miller will be the Giants' opening pitcher in Monday's game in Arizona, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

It's the fourth such assignment for Miller, who has yielded one run with a 6:3 K:BB over 3.2 innings covering his first three appearances as an opener this season. Spencer Howard is expected to follow Miller in bulk relief.

The Cubs reinstated Palencia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Palencia will stick around with Iowa after he made six rehab appearances with the affiliate while he was on the shelf with a right shoulder strain. Though Palencia struck out eight over 4.2 scoreless innings across the last four appearances, the Cubs didn't have room for the right-hander in the bullpen. Palencia should rank high on the list for a call-up the next time the Cubs require an extra relief arm.

Ottavino struck out two in a perfect eighth inning Sunday to record his 10th hold of the season in a loss to the Diamondbacks.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza deployed Reed Garrett in the seventh inning and Ottavino in the eighth to protect a 4-3 lead to great effect, but Jake Diekman then blew the save in the ninth. The pecking order for saves in the absence of Edwin Diaz (shoulder) remains murky, but all three pitchers could see chances depending on the matchups. Ottavino hasn't made much of a case to claim the full-time closer gig -- since the beginning of May, he's stumbled to an 8.49 ERA, 1.97 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB through 11.2 innings.

Garrett struck out the side in a perfect seventh inning Sunday to record his sixth hold of the season in a loss to the Diamondbacks.

With the Mets holding a 4-3 lead, the right-hander was called in to the face the heart of Arizona's order and fanned Lourdes Gurriel, Christian Walker and Jake McCarthy on 11 pitches (nine strikes). Garrett has had some stumbles of late, getting tagged for earned runs in four of his last nine appearances with a 9.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP over that stretch, but he's still part of the high-leverage mix and a candidate for saves in the absence of Edwin Diaz (shoulder).