MLB Player News

The Cardinals reinstated VerHagen (personal) from the bereavement list Monday.

He'll be available out of the bullpen for Monday's series opener versus the Padres after he was away from the team for the past three days while tending to a personal matter. The Cardinals optioned James Naile to Triple-A Memphis to open up a spot on the 26-man active roster for VerHagen.

Diaz (knee) threw a bullpen session Sunday and sported a fastball that sat around 93-to-95 miles per hour, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

Diaz averaged 99 mph with his heater during the 2022 season, but Ragazzo notes that the right-hander didn't appear to be throwing at 100 percent effort. In any case, Diaz has reached a major milestone in his recovery from patellar tendon surgery by completing a bullpen session for the first time since suffering the knee injury in mid-March while playing for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. As has been the case since he underwent surgery, Diaz remained adamant Monday that his goal is to pitch again for the Mets in 2023. Even though the club isn't in playoff contention, Diaz could still get the green light to pitch for the big club in the closing weeks of the season if he navigates his throwing progression without any complications.

The Nationals transferred Edwards (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

Edwards had been on the 15-day IL since June 21, so his move to the 60-day IL won't affect his timeline for a return but will open up a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Drew Millas, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Rochester. Though Edwards began a rehab assignment two weeks ago, he made three appearances before suffering a setback with his right shoulder. He's since been diagnosed with a stress fracture, and it's unclear if he'll be able to pitch again at any point in 2023.

Wilson (1-2) took the loss and was tagged with a blown save Sunday against Milwaukee, giving up four runs on one hit and three walks over one-third of an inning.

Wilson couldn't find the plate against the Brewers, throwing just seven of 20 pitches for a strike and walking a trio of batters. One of the free passes was intentional, but that doesn't do much to soften the extent of the reliever's struggles. Wilson came into the contest with the Padres up 4-2, and he left having given up the lead, though there were already two runners on base upon his entrance. Despite the poor outing, Wilson figures to continue to hold a prominent place in the San Diego's bullpen. He's posted a 3.91 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 57:27 K:BB over 53 innings on the campaign while notching a team-leading 22 holds.

Mejia (shoulder) reported to the Brewers' spring training facility in Arizona on Sunday to continue workouts, MLB.com reports.

Mejia had been shut down for about two weeks after landing on the 15-day injured list Aug. 15 with right shoulder inflammation, but he looks set to begin a throwing program this week. He'll likely need to complete a rehab assignment before being activated from the IL, so Mejia presumably won't be a realistic option for the Milwaukee bullpen for at least a couple more weeks.

Alexander (7-2) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk over 1.1 innings, earning the win Sunday over Atlanta.

The left-hander entered after Tristan Beck was pulled in the fifth inning. Alexander allowed an inherited runner to score in that frame and gave up a two-run home run to Marcell Ozuna in the sixth, but the Giants were able to hold the lead the rest of the way. Through 47 appearances, including seven as an opener, Alexander has a 4.46 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB over 40.1 innings. He's been particularly shaky in August with a 9.35 ERA and 2.65 WHIP over 8.2 innings this month, so it's unlikely he sees much late-inning work over the final month-plus of the campaign.

Wilson (6-0) tossed four scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 10-6 victory over the Padres. He allowed two hits and posted a 4:1 K:BB in the outing.

Wilson was summoned after starter Adrian Houser (forearm) left the game after two frames, and he was exceptional, keeping the opponent off the scoreboard and allowing the Brewers to turn a three-run deficit into a comfortable lead. Wilson is seemingly not be a candidate to replace Houser, and that's mainly because he has been so good in his multi-inning relief role, posting a 2.95 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 64 innings out of the bullpen.

Megill threw two scoreless innings in Sunday's 10-6 victory over the Padres. He allowed three hits, struck out five batters and walked none.

Megill was tasked with getting the final six outs with the Brewers holding a four-run lead heading into the eighth inning, and he delivered despite giving up a trio of hits. He does not occupy a key role in Milwaukee's bullpen, but he has been as stingy as they come since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville in mid-August, tossing 7.1 scoreless innings while posting a 0.68 WHIP and 13:0 K:BB over six appearances.

Ottavino (1-4) picked up the win in Sunday's victory over the Angels, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

After dispatching the Halos' 5-6-7 hitters on 15 pitches (nine strikes) in the top of the ninth to preserve a 2-2 tie, Ottavino was rewarded when Rafael Ortega delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the frame. Ottavino has only one save in August following the trade of David Robertson, but that's more due to a lack of opportunity rather than poor performance -- the veteran righty has a 2.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through nine innings on the month, albeit with a lackluster 7:5 K:BB.

Puk walked one and struck out two in a scoreless seventh inning Sunday to record his first hold of the season in a win over the Nationals.

The Marlins removed David Robertson from the closer role this weekend, just as they did with Puk about a month ago, but rather than turn back to the southpaw in the ninth, Tanner Scott got the save chance Sunday and converted it. Puk has regained his form, however -- over 10 appearances since his last blown save July 30, he's posted a 0.93 ERA, 0.52 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 9.2 innings. Should Scott falter down the stretch, Puk could get another chance to close for Miami before the season is done.