MLB Player News

Kranick (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on Sunday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Kranick has been working his way back from a Tommy John procedure that he underwent in June 2022, and he is now set to begin the final stage of his rehab process. Kranick will likely require multiple starts in the minors before returning to Pittsburgh, but he could be back by early September if all goes well during his assignment. The 26-year-old righty holds a 5.56 ERA and 1.65 WHIP through 43.2 innings across his big-league career.

Munoz (2-5) took the extra-inning loss against the Orioles on Saturday, allowing an unearned run on one hit over one inning. He struck out one.

Munoz got the call following nine masterful innings from starter George Kirby, but matters got challenging immediately when inning-opening runner Cedric Mullins swiped third and Ryan Mountcastle subsequently singled him home to lead off the 10th frame. Munoz retired Baltimore in order after that point, but the Mariners went down 1-2-3 on swinging strikes in the home half of the inning against the dominant Felix Bautista. The end result was Munoz's fourth straight losing decision dating back to July 8, but his first stumble in a month of August during which he's already compiled four saves while pitching to a 1.80 ERA and 9:2 K:BB across five innings over five appearances.

Erceg (2-3) took the loss against the Nationals on Saturday, allowing a walk-off solo home run to the only batter he faced.

Although Trevor May was available after last having pitched Wednesday, manager Mark Kotsay decided to entrust Erceg with preserving a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the ninth. That decision quickly became regrettable, as Keibert Ruiz took the first pitch he saw from Erceg to lead off the inning and sent it 391 feet into the right-field stands for a game-winning home run. It was the second straight night the Nationals had gotten to Erceg, as he'd yielded a pair of earned runs over two-thirds of an inning Friday. It's been a rough August for the right-hander overall, as he's now given up nine runs (eight earned) over four innings across six appearances while posting a 3:4 K:BB.

Bolton will serve as the 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader against the Reds, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bolton had a May 29 appearance against the Giants in which he gave up eight earned runs while recording just one out, so that has really bloated his numbers (9.90 ERA, 2.80 WHIP) on the season. He will likely head back to Triple-A Indianapolis after the twin bill.

Jarvis' contract was purchased from Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

Jarvis hasn't worked as a starter at Triple-A since July 23, so he has presumably been preparing for a multi-inning relief role in the big leagues. Since exiting the Triple-A rotation, Jarvis has a 10:8 K:BB in 8.2 innings, so he probably won't be trusted in high-leverage situations.

Maton said Sunday that extra tests revealed no structural damage in his right elbow, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Maton landed on the injured list Saturday after taking a comebacker off his elbow during Friday's game against the Angels. The plan is for him to resume throwing during Houston's upcoming series in Miami and potentially return to the bullpen after a minimum 15-day stay on the IL, putting his return date at Aug. 27.

Rainey (elbow) is heading out on a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg this upcoming week, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

He threw a bullpen session Sunday after facing live hitters Friday. Rainey is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, so his rehab assignment could be lengthier than that of the typical injured relief pitcher. Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey (elbow) should be handling the save opportunities over the rest of the season, so Rainey will likely be activated into a setup role, assuming he makes it back this year.

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.

The Angels optioned Rosenberg to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Rosenberg made his first MLB appearance of the season Friday, surrendering four runs over five innings while walking five and striking out four. He'll head back to Salt Lake to make room for Griffin Canning's (calf) activation from the injured list. The 28-year-old southpaw holds a 4.93 ERA and 1.49 WHIP through 95 innings across 19 starts in the minors.

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.