MLB Player News

Alvarado's (elbow/hand) live batting practice got rained out Thursday, so he will face hitters Friday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Alvarado has been dealing the cramping in both of his hands but had already delayed his rehab start earlier in the week. That was for precautionary concerns while Thursday's delay comes due to weather. According to manager Rob Thomson, Alvarado could begin his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Alexander will serve as the Giants' opening pitcher Friday versus the Rangers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Ross Stripling had been projected to start, but he'll instead likely operate in bulk relief. This is the sixth opener assignment of the year for Alexander, who has posted an overall 4.01 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB across 33.2 innings (40 appearances) this season with San Francisco.

Assad is scheduled to start Friday's game in Toronto, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

After making what was expected to be a spot start in place of the injured Marcus Stroman (hip) last weekend versus Atlanta, Assad will end up sticking around in the rotation for at least one more turn as a replacement for Drew Smyly, who has been moved to the bullpen. Assad has worked exactly 3.2 frames in both of his last two outings, so the right-hander should be stretched out enough to reach five innings Friday and qualify for the win. The Cubs have a pair of off days next week, so Assad would seem likely to have his next turn in the rotation skipped following Friday's start.

Ferguson (6-3) earned the win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday with a perfect inning in relief.

The game was scoreless through six frames, but Dodgers starter Bobby Miller opened the seventh by allowing the first two batters he faced to reach base. Ferguson took over and quickly stamped out the threat, making a nifty diving catch on an attempted sacrifice bunt and doubling the runner off second. He then retired Corbin Carroll to end the inning, and Ferguson took the win as a result of Los Angeles scoring two runs in the bottom of the frame. The southpaw has been a key piece of the team's bullpen this season, collecting six wins, 14 holds and two saves while posting a 2.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 52:20 K:BB over 43.1 innings.

Kranick (elbow) is on track to begin a rehab assignment early next week with Low-A Bradenton, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Kranick is over 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery and should be an option for Pittsburgh's pitching staff around the beginning of September if all goes well on the farm. It's not yet clear whether the Pirates plan to bring him back as a starter or reliever. They could use help in either area of the depth chart.

Treinen (shoulder) threw a one-inning simulated game Wednesday at the Dodgers' spring training complex in Arizona, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Treinen had touched only 86-87 mph during recent bullpen session, but he hit 94 mph during Wednesday's session after making some delivery tweaks. "Blake was 100th percentile," manager Dave Roberts said. "It was a lot more than we anticipated." Treinen has multiple hoops he still needs to jump through as he works his way back from last November's shoulder surgery, but he and the club are hopeful that he can rejoin the bullpen sometime in September.

Iglesias gave up two hits and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 22nd save of the season in a 6-5 win over the Pirates.

The right-hander converted his 13th straight save chance as he continues to provide Atlanta with plenty of stability at the back of the bullpen. Iglesias has pitched three straight days, and A.J. Minter threw 15 pitches Wednesday in the eighth, so look for Kirby Yates or Joe Jimenez to handle the ninth in the series finale Thursday if there's a late lead to protect.

Nelson (5-3) was charged with the loss against the Dodgers on Wednesday. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks and did not retire a batter.

A tense pitching duel was decided when Nelson entered a scoreless game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. He's typically been good when finishing off innings, but the left-hander allowed a double, an intentional walk, a walk and then a two-run single to former Diamondback David Peralta. Nelson has been a trusted bullpen piece for much of the season, but he's posted a 6.43 ERA over seven innings since returning from the All-Star break.

Robertson picked up the save Wednesday against the Reds, allowing one hit while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

Robertson entered the contest with a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and needed just four pitches to get through the first two batters. He then allowed a single to Stuart Fairchild before getting rookie phenom Elly De La Cruz to go down swinging to end the game and secure his 17th save of the season. It marked Robertson's third save in four attempts since joining the Marlins, and he's now recorded at least one strikeout in five straight appearances.

Bickford earned a save against the Cubs on Wednesday, issuing one walk and striking out two batters over a scoreless inning.

Adam Ottavino got the call from the bullpen with the Mets up 4-2 heading into the ninth inning, but he allowed a solo home run followed by a single and a walk before being pulled without retiring any batters. Bickford came to the rescue, striking out a pair and preventing the tying run from crossing the plate. As a result, he earned the second save of his career and first since joining New York in a deadline deal. The Mets' closer role is unsettled with David Robertson recently being dealt to Miami, so it's not out of the question that Bickford could get additional ninth-inning opportunities down the line.