MLB Player News

Harvey (elbow) could be activated this upcoming week without needing a rehab assignment, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Harvey threw a bullpen session Sunday, which apparently went well enough that he could be activated early this upcoming week. While it's great news that Harvey is nearly ready to return, Kyle Finnegan has been excellent for the Nationals of late -- he has a 12-game scoreless streak going with seven saves since July 17. Harvey may return to a setup role or take on a share of the ninth-inning work.

Alvarado (elbow/hand) is expected to pitch Tuesday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

He faced live hitters Friday and is ready to get back into game action. Alvarado recently dealt with cramping in both hands in addition to the elbow inflammation that initially landed him on the shelf. Craig Kimbrel has three saves and two blown saves in his last 10 appearances, but he has generally been pretty excellent this season, so Alvarado may not get many save opportunities once he is activated.

Burdi (abdomen) has moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Iowa, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

He gave up two earned runs while striking out two batters in 1.1 innings across two rehab appearances in the Arizona Complex League. Given that Burdi has minor-league options remaining, he could be activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A once his rehab assignment is officially over.

Boxberger (forearm) will start a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Monday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

He has faced hitters in live batting practice and is ready to begin pitching in games. Boxberger has been on the shelf with a forearm strain since mid-May, so he could require a longer rehab stint than the typical reliever, but he will likely make it back before the end of the month if he avoids setbacks.

Duarte is up as the Reds' 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

He has a 4.08 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 17.2 innings in the majors this season. Duarte will likely return to Triple-A Louisville after Sunday's twin bill.

Marte was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Marte pitched 2.2 innings over the past three days, so the Phillies will send him down in favor of a fresh arm for the bullpen. He gave up three earned runs while striking out five in five innings over four August appearances. Luis Ortiz was recalled in a corresponding move.

Merryweather (4-0) tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn the win Saturday against the Blue Jays. He walked one and struck out two.

Through his first five appearances of the season, Merryweather had an unsightly 12.71 ERA. Since then, the righty has managed a 2.31 ERA across 46 appearances (46.2 innings). The strong, consistent play has made Merryweather a reliable relief option who typically pitches in front of closer Adbert Alzolay.

Ortiz was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley prior to Sunday's game against the Twins.

The 27-year-old reliever has a 3.94 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 16 innings in the big leagues this season. He has operated as a high-leverage reliever at Triple-A, but Ortiz should be limited to lower-leverage opportunities while up with the big club.

Alzolay picked up the save Saturday against the Blue Jays, striking out one over a perfect inning.

Alzolay entered the contest in the bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead and got Brandon Belt to go down on strikes in the opening at-bat. The right-handed reliever then made short work of the next two batters to complete a perfect inning and log his 16th save of the season. Alzolay has now converted each of his last 12 save attempts, with his only blown save coming back on July 4 against the Brewers. He's also issued just one walk over his last 11 appearances (spanning 11.2 innings).

Sewald earned a save over San Diego on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over one inning.

Sewald was acquired by Arizona at the trade deadline to take over as the closer, but he had garnered only one save opportunity prior to Saturday, as the Diamondbacks had stumbled to nine straight losses since he reported to the team. The right-hander got the chance to help end that slide against the Padres, and he came through with a scoreless frame to pick up the save. Sewald tossed 11 of 12 pitches for strikes in the outing and allowed just a harmless single to Juan Soto. He's locked into the ninth-inning role, but his save opportunities could be limited if the Diamondbacks aren't able to reverse their recent rough stretch.