MLB Player News

Antone (forearm) has been traveling with the Reds on their current road trip and throwing before games, but probably won't be ready to return from the injured list when first eligible on Friday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Reds manager David Bell suggested that the delay in Antone's return would be measured in terms of days. "I'm still hopeful that he comes back while we're in San Diego," Bell said. "The way his days lined up for bullpens and everything, I don't think it's going to be Friday."

McHugh (undisclosed) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

McHugh landed on the injured list Wednesday for an unspecified reason, and he apparently didn't test positive for COVID-19 since he'll return to the team just one day later. The right-hander should be available going forward following the brief absence. He's been one of the most productive relievers for the Rays of late, as he's posted a 0.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 31:6 K:BB in 18 innings across his last 11 appearances.

Neris earned the save Wednesday against the Dodgers after tossing a scoreless inning, although he hit two batters.

Neris got the save opportunity after blowing two straight chances. While he got the job done here, it wasn't a quiet outing by any means -- he hit two batters and at one point had the game-winning run at the plate. Despite those command issues, Neris only needed 10 pitches to get the job done and now has 10 saves on the season. The veteran reliever owns a 3.04 ERA and has gone 10-for-14 in save chances thus far.

Thielbar (1-0) earned the win in relief Wednesday against the Mariners after allowing one run on two hits and four strikeouts across two innings.

Thielbar allowed Seattle's first run of the game on an RBI single from Shed Long, but he was solid the rest of the way and earned the win in his return from a nearly two-week stint on the injured list. The southpaw now owns a 4.30 ERA across 23 innings in 21 appearances this season.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona said Morgan will start Thursday's game against the Orioles, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Morgan wasn't needed in long relief the past two days after being called up from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, so he'll slot into a Cleveland rotation that's without two of its top starters in Shane Bieber (shoulder) and Zach Plesac (thumb). The 25-year-old right-hander was roughed up in his MLB debut back on May 28, serving up six runs on eight hits and two walks over 2.2 innings in a loss to Toronto.

Taylor allowed one walk while striking out two over a scoreless eighth inning in Wednesday's 10-8 win over Atlanta.

With Matt Barnes unavailable to close out the game, manager Alex Cora went with Adam Ottavino and bumped up Taylor to be the eighth-inning bridge, a role Ottavino typically fills for Barnes. It was a clear indication of Cora's confidence in Taylor, who earned his ninth hold and has not allowed a run since April 24.

Chapman gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 14th save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Vladimir Guerrero and Teoscar Hernandez led off the ninth with back-to-back hits, but Chapman buckled down and escaped the jam with a little help from the umpires. The veteran closer sports his typically dominant numbers with a 1.78 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 45:11 K:BB through 25.1 innings on the year.

Ottavino picked up the save against Atlanta on Wednesday, tossing one inning and giving up one run on two hits while striking out one.

Usual closer Matt Barnes was unavailable Wednesday after pitching each of the previous two days, so Ottavino was called upon to close with Boston holding a three-run ninth-inning lead. It was hardly a smooth performance by the veteran reliever -- he allowed a run on a single and a double -- but Ottavino struck out Freddie Freeman to end the game. The right-hander has converted four saves and 13 holds on the season and is the clear top choice for ninth-inning duties when Barnes is unavailable.

Shaw gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and struck out three in one inning to earn a hold in Wednesday's 8-7 win over Baltimore.

Shaw allowed just three runs over 20.2 innings in the first two months of the season. He's already given up five runs (four earned) across 7.1 innings in June. The right-hander nearly gave up the lead in the seventh inning Wednesday, but he was able to strike out Pedro Severino and Anthony Santander (ankle) for the final two outs with two runners aboard. For the year, Shaw has a 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 35:21 K:BB across 28 innings, but his performance is trending in the wrong direction. He'll need to work on trimming down his walk rate of 6.8 BB/9 to have more effective performances.

Akin (0-2) allowed eight earned runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out seven across 5.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against Cleveland.

Akin suffered through a five-run third inning, when he allowed six baserunners -- five of which reached on hits. He managed to minimize the damage from there, though Matt Harvey allowed two inherited runners to score, further bloating Akin's line. More positively, Akin did strike out seven, a performance backed by 16 swinging strikes on 96 total pitches. After beginning the season in the bullpen, Akin has now taken four consecutive turns through the rotation and allowed 12 earned runs across 19.1 innings while also racking up 17 strikeouts.