MLB Player News

The Cardinals transferred Middleton (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Saturday.

Middleton underwent season-ending surgery June 11 to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm, so his move to the 60-day IL comes as little surprise. He will give up his 40-man roster spot for Nick Raposo, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Bender (2-2) picked up the win Friday over the Mariners, working a perfect 10th inning without a walk or a strikeout.

The right-hander sat down the bottom of Seattle's order on 14 pitches (eight strikes), then got rewarded when Tim Anderson walked it off with an RBI single in the bottom of the frame. Over his last 12 appearances, Bender has delivered a 2.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and three holds in addition to Friday's win, and he remains part of the high-leverage mix for Miami.

The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

After being recalled from the minors May 15, Little logged a 2.31 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while striking out 12 batters and walking 10 across 11.2 innings. Despite the southpaw's overall success, he'll be sent back to Iowa in order to clear room for Keegan Thompson, who returned from the paternity list Saturday.

The Cubs reinstated Thompson from the paternity list Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Thompson has been away from the team since Wednesday due to the birth of his son, and he'll now rejoin the Cubs' bullpen ahead of Saturday's game versus the Mets. In order to make room on the roster, Luke Little was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

The Mets recalled Young from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday.

With Sean Reid-Foley (shoulder) headed for the injured list, Young will return to New York in order to make up for the loss in New York's bullpen. The 30-year-old lefty has given up one run in nine innings over his previous stints in the majors this season and will likely operate in middle relief while with the Mets.

The Mets placed Reid-Foley on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right shoulder impingement, retroactive to Thursday.

Reid-Foley began the season on the injured list due to a similar injury, and the issue seems to have resurfaced following his latest appearance Wednesday. He'll be sidelined until at least July 5. Meanwhile Danny Young will come up from Triple-A Syracuse to fill the open spot in New York's bullpen.

Hodge tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in Friday's 11-1 loss to the Mets. He allowed one hit and two walks while striking out five.

In a game that featured 14 hits and 11 runs for New York, Hodge was a bright spot out of the Chicago bullpen. The rookie set a new career best in strikeouts, and he now has 12 of them across 7.1 innings this season to go along with a strong 2.45 ERA. If Hodge can keep pitching like this, he may see his role expand as the year goes on.

Minter (hip) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Rome on Saturday.

Minter has been on the injured list since the end of May due to left hip inflammation, but he has now been given the green light to return to a competitive setting. It's unclear how long the 30-year-old southpaw will remain in the minors, but it shouldn't take long for him to build back up as a reliever. He currently owns a 2.95 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 21.1 innings on the year, and he will likely reprise his role as Atlanta's main setup man upon returning to the big-league bullpen.

Diaz gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 17th save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Red Sox.

The right-hander has mostly put his rough start to the season behind him. Diaz has converted 10 straight save chances over his last 12 appearances, posting a 2.31 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB through 11.2 innings during that stretch. Despite his 5.08 ERA and 1.48 WHIP on the season, he has a firm grip on Cincinnati's closer job.

Ortiz didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Rays, coughing up six runs on 10 hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out three.

While Carmen Mlodzinski wound up taking the loss as the opener, Ortiz made things a whole lot worse for the Pirates after he entered the game in the second inning, with a pair of homers by Josh Lowe accounting for most of the damage off the right-hander. Ortiz saw his ERA jump by nearly a full run after this performance, and he'll take a 3.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 36:18 K:BB through 47 innings into his next outing. If the Bucs keep him in his current bulk relief role and on schedule, he'll take the mound on the road next week in Cincinnati.