MLB Player News

Naughton (0-1) was tagged with the loss Tuesday after pitching 3.1 innings, giving up three runs on five hits while striking out two against the Orioles.

All of the damage against Naughton in this one came in the form of home runs. He gave up a two-run homer to Cedric Mullins in the top of the third inning and then a solo shot to Tyler Nevin in the fourth frame. The earned runs were his first surrendered this season, though he was put in a tough spot, starting on two days' rest. Overall, Naughton has a 4.26 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with four punchouts over 6.1 innings this season. With Adam Wainwright (illness) expected to return soon, the 25-year-old will likely return to his regular bullpen role without making another start.

Bautista notched a save after he pitched one-third of an inning, striking out the only batter he faced to end Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Cardinals.

After Dillon Tate allowed a solo home run and two more batters to reach base, Bautista was called upon to face Tyler O'Neill with two outs in the ninth inning. He proceeded to strike him out on five pitches, earning his first career save. With his ability to hit triple-digits with his fastball, the 26-year-old could be in line for more high-leverage appearances moving forward. Bautista has produced a 2.13 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 16 strikeouts over 12.2 innings this season.

Coulombe was removed from Tuesday's game against the Astros with left hip inflammation, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander allowed one unearned run over one inning before exiting Tuesday's contest with the injury. He was likely to be unavailable regardless Wednesday since he threw 29 pitches and should be considered day-to-day.

Garcia was ejected from Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The right-hander entered with two runners on and immediately surrendered a three-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton, and he was ejected after plunking the next batter, Josh Donaldson, in an 0-1 count. Garcia could face some additional discipline should MLB determine any intent from the hit by pitch.

The Pirates recalled Kranick from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Kranick was optioned to Indianapolis on Sunday after he was called up to serve as the Pirates' 27th man for the club's doubleheader Saturday with the Reds, but he'll be eligible to return to Pittsburgh just two days later due to outfielder Jake Marisnick (thumb) being placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. While he's with Pittsburgh, Kranick is expected to work out of the bullpen as a long-relief or multi-inning option.

Faucher was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Faucher received his first major-league call-up Monday but spent just one day with the team, allowing five runs in his lone inning of work. Vidal Brujan was recalled to take Faucher's place on the roster.

Cousins (elbow) has opted against undergoing Tommy John surgery and will begin a rehab program for 6-to-8 weeks before being re-evaluated, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old is dealing with a UCL injury in his right elbow and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, though he'll avoid surgery for the time being. Cousins will likely be out through the All-Star break even if the rehab program goes smoothly since he'll need some time to rebuild his arm strength.

Naughton will serve as the Cardinals' starting pitcher in Tuesday's game against the Orioles, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

St. Louis held out hope that Adam Wainwright would be ready to clear COVID-19-related protocols and make his scheduled turn through the rotation Tuesday, but he ultimately wasn't able to do so. As a result, Naughton will move from the bullpen to make the spot start, but don't expect him to work deep into the game. He'll be pitching on two days' rest after facing two hitters in Saturday's game against the Giants, and he hasn't topped three innings in any of his appearances in the majors or at Triple-A Memphis this season.

The Nationals transferred Thompson (biceps) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.

A month after landing on the IL with biceps tendinitis, Thompson hasn't taken any notable steps forward in his recovery from the injury. As a result, the Nationals decided to rule out a return for Thompson for at least one more month, with the transaction simultaneously clearing a spot on the 40-man roster for another right-handed reliever in Carl Edwards.

The Nationals optioned Machado to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.

Washington will swap Machado off the 26-man active roster for another right-handed reliever in Carl Edwards, who was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Since breaking camp as a member of the bullpen, Machado has worked mostly in the middle innings for Washington while delivering a 2.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB across 11 frames.