MLB Player News

The Cubs optioned Roberts to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The move is to make room on the 26-man roster for Mark Leiter (forearm), who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list. Roberts made three appearances out of the Cubs' bullpen since being called up from Iowa on June 28, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out three over four scoreless innings. Roberts hasn't allowed an earned run over 13.1 innings in Triple-A this season, and the 27-year-old right-hander should be in line for another call-up this season should the Cubs need help out of their bullpen.

The Reds optioned Zulueta to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.

Zulueta was called up by Cincinnati on Monday and will return to the minors after he delivered a scoreless inning against the Rockies. The 26-year-old has pitched well in his first two big-league appearances this season with one earned run allowed and a 4:2 K:BB over four innings.

Merryweather (ribs) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

It will be his first game action in three months, as Merryweather has been shelved with a rib stress fracture. Given his lengthy absence, the reliever will need a handful of rehab appearances before the Cubs are ready to activate him.

Bednar (oblique) has been sent to Double-A Altoona to begin a rehab assignment.

Bednar has missed the last two-plus weeks with a left oblique strain but was cleared for rehab games after getting through a bullpen session over the weekend with no issues. It's possible he requires just the one rehab appearance before being activated, although with the All-Star break looming, the Pirates also have the option of taking things a little slower with their closer.

Pallante and the Cardinals won't face the Royals on Tuesday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather.

The contest will be made up as part of a split doubleheader Wednesday. Pallante will be pushed back a day to start one of the two games of the twin bill and is no longer in line for a two-start week.

Kinley allowed four earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two across two-thirds of an inning Monday against the Reds.

Kinley has worked as a setup man in recent appearances but was called upon in the eighth inning with the Rockies down 2-0 on Monday. He allowed a leadoff home run and then two of the next three batters he faced to reach base to account for the majority of the damage against him. The Rockies appear to be using a committee approach in the closer role, but Kinley's last save came on June 11.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that Fleming will start Tuesday's game versus the Brewers, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He'll be filling the rotation spot that opened up when Jared Jones (lat) was placed on the injured list. Fleming will be pitching on two days' rest and hasn't gone more than two innings or exceeded 27 pitches across his last five appearances, so he's unlikely to work deep enough into Tuesday's start to qualify for a win.

Gilbreath (elbow/shoulder) threw his third bullpen session Saturday and will begin facing hitters at the Rockies' facility in Arizona this week, MLB.com reports. "[His side session] went great, he threw all his pitches," manager Bud Black said. "He'll be in some games within a week in Arizona, and then probably we'll jump him up a level."

Gilbreath is working his way back from his March 14, 2023 Tommy John surgery, and though he was initially projected to return from the injured list in May, his 2024 debut was pushed back after he strained his shoulder earlier in the spring. According to the report, Gilbreath is considered fully recovered from the shoulder issue, so he's now in the process of building back up from elbow surgery. If he responds well to facing hitters, Gilbreath could begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League before eventually moving up to a higher-level affiliate later this month.

Honeywell allowed one hit across a scoreless inning Monday against the Mets.

Mitch Keller covered eight innings for the Pirates and Honeywell entered the game for the ninth inning with a six-run lead. The outing marked his big-league debut for 2024, and he'll likely serve in a low-leverage role out of the bullpen for the time being.

Jameson (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Jameson will be throwing his second bullpen session since undergoing Tommy John surgery last September. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo reiterated earlier comments and ruled out any possibility the right-hander would pitch in 2024. Jameson will continue to build arm strength and prepare himself for a normal offseason.