MLB Player News

Brogdon was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain Wednesday, retroactive to Sept. 13.

Brogdon pitched well recently, as he posted a 1.69 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 10.2 innings across his last 10 appearances while working mainly in lower-leverage situations. Right-hander Ramon Rosso was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his place in the bullpen, and it's not yet clear whether Brogdon will have enough time to return in 2021.

Bednar (oblique) resumed playing catch Wednesday and is feeling pain free, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Bednar's ability to start throwing again just one day after being placed on the injured list suggests his right oblique strain is a relatively minor one. That said, he'll still need to progress to throwing off a mound and facing hitters in live batting practice or simulated games, so Bednar is far from a safe bet to make it back from the 10-day injured list before the end of the season. In the meantime, Chris Stratton represents the top candidate to pick up saves for the Pirates.

Smith (shoulder) resumed playing catch earlier this month but is without a clear timeline for returning from the 10-day injured list, MLB.com reports.

Before he was placed on the injured list Aug. 14 with right shoulder inflammation, Smith had been productive for the Mets in a middle-relief role, posting a 2.40 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 31 appearances. The Mets haven't shut Smith down for the season, but since he has yet to resume facing hitters, he may have a tough time making it back in the next two and a half weeks.

Gallegos was charged with his eighth blown lead of the season after he gave up a run on one hit while striking out one over an inning of relief in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Mets in 11 innings.

Tasked with protecting a one-run advantage in the bottom of the ninth, Gallegos surrendered a leadoff home run to Javier Baez to send the game to extras. Alex Reyes entered the contest the following inning and was credited with the win, while Kwang Hyun Kim kept the Mets off the board in the bottom of the 11th to claim his first save. Since Reyes was transitioned out of the closer role earlier this month, Gallegos picked up four saves in dominant fashion before Tuesday's hiccup, so he still looks to be the Cardinals' top late-inning arm.

Fairbanks secured his 14th hold in a win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday, allowing a hit over a scoreless sixth inning.

Fairbanks' control could hardly have been sharper, as he got all nine offerings into the strike zone during a blink-and-you-missed-it frame. The right-hander's dominant performance was a nice bounce-back effort after he took the loss against Detroit his last time out by allowing three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Barnes is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday and is expected to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Barnes initially appeared on tap to return from the IL ahead of Wednesday's series finale in Seattle, but the Red Sox will instead have him pitch in a tune-up outing in the minors before he rejoins the big club. Assuming Barnes feels fine physically following the outing, he should be ready to take on a late-inning role with Boston over the weekend. Before testing positive for the virus Aug. 30, Barnes was already on the ropes as the Red Sox's closer after blowing his last two save chances and allowing 10 earned runs across his last 10 appearances. Adam Ottavino, Hansel Robles and Garrett Whitlock have all picked up saves while Barnes has been sidelined, though none of the three has truly run away with the closer's gig.

Hernandez is starting Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez was initially scheduled to start Thursday, but he'll be moved up a day since the Royals will shift their rotation plans. The right-hander has earned wins in three of his last four outings and has posted a 1.09 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 24.2 innings during that time.

The Nationals activated Nolin (suspension) ahead of Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Nolin is back in the fold for Washington after he completed his five-game suspension Tuesday. Before receiving the ban for intentionally throwing at Freddie Freeman in his Sept. 8 start, Nolin had compiled a 5.60 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 17.2 innings. Those poor numbers make it far from a safe bet that Nolin will take back a rotation spot from Josh Rogers, who gave up two runs on 6.2 innings in his previous start last weekend in Pittsburgh. Rogers will get another starting nod Wednesday, and Nolin will likely be available in bulk relief if needed.

Alexander will start in Thursday's game against the Rays in Tampa Bay, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

After a brief cameo out of the bullpen Sept. 7, Alexander rejoined the rotation last weekend versus Tampa Bay, stepping in for the injured Matthew Boyd (elbow) on late notice. With Boyd having since landed on the injured list and at risk of missing the rest of the season, Alexander should have some security in a starting role. Since the start of August, Alexander has posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 33 innings.

Kowar didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Oakland after allowing five runs on three hits and four walks across one inning, fanning one. He also tossed a wild pitch.

It's not a secret that Kowar has struggled mightily in his first big-league campaign, but this one could go down easily as his worst start to date. The fact that he hasn't been able to complete two full innings in three of his six appearances is concerning, but so is the fact that he has allowed at least four runs in four of those six starts. With those numbers, the fact that he owns an 11.50 ERA with a 2.17 WHIP and a 7.5 BB/9 through 18 big-league innings shouldn't be surprising.