MLB Player News

The Cardinals reinstated VerHagen (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

St. Louis optioned left-handed starter Matthew Liberatore to Triple-A Memphis to clear a spot on the active roster for VerHagen, who will be available in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen as he makes his way back from the IL. Before being sidelined with the right shoulder injury, VerHagen hadn't been particularly effective for St. Louis, pitching to a 6.30 ERA and 1.80 WHIP over his 17 appearances out of the bullpen.

The Nationals placed Rainey on the 60-day injured list Wednesday due to a UCL sprain of his right elbow.

Washington hadn't disclosed that Rainey was dealing with any injury before the closer landed on the IL prior to the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with Seattle. Given the nature of his injury along with the fact that he was shuttled to the 60-day IL rather than the 15-day IL, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com speculates that Rainey will require season-ending surgery. Whether it's Tommy John surgery or a different type of elbow procedure will determine Rainey's recovery timeline, but fantasy managers in redraft leagues can feel comfortable moving on from the 29-year-old right-hander. He recorded 12 saves and turned in a 3.30 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 30 innings out of the bullpen this season.

The Guardians optioned Pilkington to Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.

As anticipated, Pilkington was moved back to the minors one day after the Guardians designated him as the 27th man for their doubleheader with the White Sox. He started the second game of the twin bill and took the loss after surrendering four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out three over five innings.

The Phillies optioned Kelly to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

In a corresponding move, the Phillies selected the contract of infielder Will Toffey from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Since Kelly worked an inning out of the bullpen in both of the past two days, he was unlikely to be available for Wednesday's series finale in Toronto.

Swanson will serve as the opener for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Nationals, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Swanson hasn't pitched since being activated from the paternity list Monday, but he'll begin Wednesday's nightcap on the mound ahead of primary pitcher Tommy Milone. Over his last 10 appearances, Swanson has posted an 11:4 K:BB and 1.04 WHIP in 8.2 scoreless innings.

Iglesias (2-6) took the loss against Houston on Tuesday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out one over one inning. His velocity has been down recently, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

The veteran closer was brought in with the score tied in the top of the ninth inning. He immediately found himself in trouble, allowing a walk and a single to the first two batters he faced. Kyle Tucker followed with a run-scoring double, and though the Astros were unable to tally any more runs in the frame, the damage was enough to send Iglesias to his sixth loss of the campaign. This was the third straight outing in which Iglesias has given up at least one run, and he is 0-2 with a blown save and a 2:3 K:BB across 2.2 innings over that span. Manager Phil Nevin acknowledged that Iglesias' recent velocity drop is "a little bit of a concern," though Nevin also noted that Iglesias will remain the closer, per Blum.

Reed was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers on Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Reed was designated for assignment by the Mets on Sunday, but he quickly found a new home with the Dodgers just a few days later. The reliever has struggled to a 11.37 ERA and 1.58 WHIP with six strikeouts over 6.1 frames in five appearances this year with the Mets. He'll likely start with Triple-A Oklahoma City before potentially earning a call-up later this season.

Diaz claimed a save in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday in the Reds' 4-3 win over the Yankees. He issued a walk and recorded a strikeout in the 13-pitch appearance.

Though Hunter Strickland was available after he hadn't worked since Saturday, he was bypassed for the save chance after squandering his most recent chance June 6. Manager David Bell instead turned to Diaz, who retired three of the four batters he faced to close out the come-from-behind win after the Reds plated four of their runs in the top of the ninth. While Diaz possesses the best skills of any pitcher in the Cincinnati bullpen, Bell's reluctance to commit to a full-time closer since Raisel Iglesias was traded to the Angels following the 2020 season suggests that Diaz and Strickland may continue to share the ninth-inning role.

Tarnok struck out four over six innings and allowed one run on two hits and a walk in his Triple-A Gwinnett debut Wednesday after he was promoted from Double-A Mississippi last Friday.

Tarnok earned the bump up to Triple-A after he overcame a brief rough patch in late May and early June to deliver a 1.90 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 37:9 K:BB across 23.2 innings in his final six outings with Mississippi. The 23-year-old right-hander is one of Atlanta's top high-level pitching prospects, but a 2022 MLB debut likely won't be in the forecast unless he pushes the door down at Gwinnett and if the big club's starting pitching depth is tested by injuries.

Morris (shoulder) began a rehab assignment Tuesday with the Guardians' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate, working a scoreless inning and striking out two.

Morris has been sidelined since late in spring training with a strained right shoulder, which resulted in him being placed on the Guardians' 60-day injured list since he was added to the 40-man roster over the winter. As a result of the lengthy layoff, Morris will likely build up slowly in the lower levels of the minors before advancing to Triple-A Columbus at the end of his 30-day rehab window. Though Morris is regarding as one of the Guardians' top pitching prospects, the big club isn't expected to have a rotation spot available for him once he's back to full health, so he'll presumably be optioned to Columbus upon being activated from the IL.