MLB Player News

Heuer (elbow) will make another rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A Iowa, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

This could be one of the final tests for Heuer, who struggled in the early part of his minor-league rehab stint but tallied two strikeouts over 1.1 hitless innings this past Saturday versus the Triple-A affiliate of the Brewers. He worked 1.2 scoreless frames for Iowa last Wednesday. The 26-year-old reliever is on the long road back from Tommy John surgery.

Bender (elbow) increased his flat-ground throwing Tuesday to 120 feet, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Bender needed Tommy John surgery in late August of last year and probably won't be ready to return to a major-league mound until the beginning of the 2024 season, but all of the reports from the early stages of his recovery have been encouraging.

Green (elbow) will throw live batting practice at the Blue Jays' spring training complex in Florida on Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

It would appear to be his first time facing hitters since he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2022. Green is aiming to be an option for the Blue Jays' bullpen during the second half of the season.

Puk (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Pensacola, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Puk could reclaim a majority share of the Marlins' closer role by the weekend, assuming all goes well on the farm. He had posted a sharp 3.07 ERA and 19:3 K:BB through 14.2 innings this season with Miami before landing on the injured list May 14 due to left elbow nerve irritation.

Howard (lat) has been sent to Triple-A Round Rock to begin a rehab assignment.

Howard has been out all season with a right lat strain but has been throwing the ball well of late at the Rangers' spring training complex, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. It's not clear whether the Rangers plan to use him as a starter or reliever once he's activated.

Yacabonis (quad) was designated for assignment by the Mets on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Yacabonis had been on the injured list since May 9 while recovering from a left quad strain. Now he has lost his 40-man roster spot and heads into DFA limbo with an ugly 9.00 ERA in nine major-league innings for the year.

Barlow was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to May 29, with kidney stones, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Barlow will be out for at least the next two weeks. He has allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk in 3.1 innings of relief this season at the MLB level.

Bristo was recalled from Triple-A Toledo by the Tigers on Tuesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Bristo was a waiver claim from the Rays in early May. He went three scoreless innings in his major-league debut in April and will represent bullpen depth for the Tigers.

Los Angeles recalled Vesia from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Vesia posted an ugly 7.84 ERA and 2.81 WHIP across 10.1 innings of relief earlier this season with the Dodgers, but he hadn't allowed an earned run over his last nine appearances at the Triple-A level. The 27-year-old left-hander will try to climb back into a prominent setup role as he returns to the big-league bullpen mix.

Erceg (1-0) got the win over Atlanta on Monday, firing three perfect innings during which he recorded four strikeouts.

The rookie got his nine outs on a relatively efficient 47 pitches and extended his scoreless streak to four appearances in the process. Monday's outing was Erceg's longest by far during his brief big-league career, one in which Martin Gallegos of MLB.com notes the right-hander flashed a fastball averaging 97.6 mph that he complemented with a biting slider and power sinker. Erceg's body of work thus far -- especially against a talented Atlanta lineup -- has undoubtedly helped him quickly earn manager Mark Kotsay's trust, with the Athletics skipper deviating from his plan to use Erceg for only one inning Monday after seeing how effective he was in that initial frame.