MLB Player News

Quezada (COVID-19 protocols) began a rehab assignment with the Cardinals' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Aug. 31. He's appeared in three FCL games, working three innings while giving up two earned runs on two hits and a walk.

Since Quezada was placed on the 60-day injured list Aug. 11 due to COVID-19 protocols, he won't be eligible to rejoin Double-A Springfield before its season ends, but he looks like he'll head into the offseason healthy. Expect him to make regular appearances in the FCL or with one of the Cardinals' other lower-level affiliates before the minor-league season ends.

Nolin was ejected during the first inning of Wednesday's game against Atlanta for intentionally hitting Freddie Freeman with a pitch, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Nationals star Juan Soto was plunked during the ninth inning of Tuesday's contest, and this appeared to be a direct retaliation by the left-hander. Nolin threw behind Freeman on the first pitch before hitting him with the second offering, after which he was ejected. Washington's bullpen will need to record all but one out Wednesday, while Nolin is likely to face additional discipline from the league. According to Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com, the 31-year-old could be utilized out of the bullpen Thursday after manager Dave Martinez was forced to rely heavily on his relievers due to the ejection.

Woods Richardson debuted for Double-A Wichita on Saturday, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings in his start against Arkansas. He gave up no hits and struck out two but issued three walks.

After acquiring Woods Richardson in the July 30 deal that sent Jose Berrios to Toronto, the Twins have slow played the right-hander's integration into the organization. The 20-year-old's organizational debut was delayed in part due to his commitment to pitching for Team USA in the Olympic Games, and he wasn't immediately activated upon returning from Tokyo. Though he was finally cleared to pitch for Wichita over the weekend, Woods Richardson showed spotty control in the start, tossing only 19 of his 40 pitches for strikes. Consistently finding the strike zone had proved to be an issue for Woods Richardson prior to the trade; he submitted a bloated 12.9 percent walk rate in his 11 starts with the Blue Jays' Double-A affiliate in New Hampshire.

Alexander won't make a star during the Tigers' weekend series with the Rays and isn't expected to rejoin the rotation until next week, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Detroit is listing Matthew Boyd, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal as its starters for the series with Tampa Bay, with all three pitchers returning to the mound on five days' rest. The Tigers' decision to skip Alexander's turn in the rotation was foreshadowed by his appearance out of the bullpen in Tuesday's loss to the Pirates, when he tossed a scoreless inning. Alexander should be available in relief for the rest of the week before likely slotting back into the rotation when a fifth starter is next needed Sept. 18 in Tampa Bay.

King (finger) struck out six over three innings in his rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He gave up one earned run on two hits and no walks in the 41-pitch outing.

King's appearance was his third in the minors since the Yankees shut him down shortly before the All-Star break with a right middle finger contusion. Before landing on the IL, King had been splitting time between starting and relief duty. With the Yankees having since added reinforcements to the rotation in the form of Corey Kluber, Nestor Cortes and Luis Gil since the right-hander has been on the shelf, King is likely to return in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen. According to Max Goodman of SI.com, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said King could be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as the end of the week.

Vesia (3-1) earned the win over the Cardinals on Tuesday, retiring the only batter he faced via strikeout.

The Dodgers deployed nine different relievers as part of a planned bullpen game, with Vesia -- the only one among the group to not toss at least a full inning -- landing in the fortunate position to pick up the win. The left-hander couldn't have done much better in his brief opportunity, striking out Matt Carpenter on three pitches to end a two-on, two-out threat. Vesia has been outstanding over his past 25 appearances, posting a 1.09 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 31:6 K:BB across 24.2 frames.

Norris (hand) appeared out of the bullpen in Monday's 12-0 loss to the Phillies, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits over one inning.

Norris sustained a cut on his throwing hand during his appearance last weekend against St. Louis, but the Brewers only stayed away for him for a couple days before he mopped up in the blowout loss to Philadelphia. Since being acquired from the Tigers on July 30, Norris has submitted a 6.91 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 14:13 K:BB in 14.1 innings.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Baumann will remain a bulk role out of the bullpen for his next appearance, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The right-hander made his MLB debut Tuesday and piggybacked off starter Alexander Wells, allowing one unearned run on two hits with one walk and one strikeout to pick up the win. It's uncertain when exactly Baumann will retake the mound, but if he sticks on a five-day pitching schedule, he lines up to work Sunday versus the Blue Jays, potentially following Wells again.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he's maintaining hope that Pivetta (illness) may be cleared to return from the COVID-19 injured list to start Saturday's game against the White Sox, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Pivetta was placed on the COVID-19 lL on Sunday and was revealed Tuesday to have tested positive for the virus, despite being fully vaccinated. Because Pivetta is vaccinated, Cora indicated there's a chance the right-hander could return earlier than anticipated, but Pivetta's availability will likely hinge on him exhibiting no symptoms while testing negative for the virus on consecutive occasions. The Red Sox would likely treat Saturday's game as a bullpen day if Pivetta isn't cleared to make the start.

Puk was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Puk was charged with two losses since the beginning of September, and he gave up five runs in 1.1 innings across three appearances since then. He'll attempt to get back on track with the minor-league club, while right-hander Miguel Romero was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.