MLB Player News

Bachman (illness) appeared in relief in two of the Angels' three games against the Dodgers over the weekend, retiring four of the five batters he faced while notching three strikeouts.

Bachman hit Alex Freeland with a pitch in Friday's 1-0 loss but otherwise had a clean weekend. The pair of appearances were Bachman's first since May 30, as he had went unused out of the bullpen over a stretch of four games while he recovered from an illness.

Smith (shoulder) started a throwing program Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Shortly after landing on the 15-day injured list May 22 due to right shoulder inflammation, Smith received a cortisone shot to address the injury. After responding well to the injection, Smith is beginning to ramp up again and could re-emerge as an option in the Detroit bullpen later this month. He'll likely require a brief rehab assignment prior to being activated from the IL.

Lopez (3-1) picked up the win in Sunday's victory over the Pirates, allowing a hit and a walk over 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. He struck out two.

The right-hander was in the right place at the right time as the pitcher of record when Atlanta erased a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning. Lopez remains erratic out of the bullpen, getting scored upon in four of nine appearances since the beginning of May while stumbling to a 5.14 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB over 14 innings.

Stanek boasts a 1.38 ERA and 14:6 K:BB over 13 innings since the beginning of May.

Stanek finished April with an 8.31 ERA and 18:12 K:BB across 13 frames in his first 15 outings of the season, but he's found a groove since then, having yielded an earned run in just one of his last 14 appearances. His poor control still gets him into trouble at times, but Stanek has re-established himself as one of Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol's go-to right-handed setup men. He could net the occasional save on days Riley O'Brien is unavailable.

Slaten (0-3) was the losing pitcher Sunday, when he allowed four runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over two-thirds of an inning in a 6-1 loss to the Yankees.

It all looked good for Slaten, who struck out the first two batters faced, including slugger Ben Rice, before the lefty-swinging Cody Bellinger took him deep to break a 1-1 tie. To that point in the season, the right-handed Slaten had allowed just one hit and one walk to left-handed hitters over 23 plate appearances. From there, the inning spiraled out of control and the normally trustworthy Slaten gave up four runs for the second time in four outings.

Whitlock (knee) is likely to be activated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Whitlock struck out a batter and allowed one hit and two walks over a scoreless inning during a rehab appearance with Triple-A Worcester on Saturday, and that will apparently be the only outing the right-hander will require in the minors prior to being activated. He'll rejoin the Red Sox in Tampa ahead of the second contest of their three-game set at Tropicana Field.

Moll (1-5) allowed two unearned runs on two hits and one walk without retiring a batter to pick up the loss to the Cardinals on Sunday.

Moll had a rough weekend in St. Louis, losing two consecutive games by giving up eighth-inning runs. His own throwing error led to one run while shortstop Matt McLain's fielding error plated the second. The Reds bullpen has been a mess since the beginning of May and currently sits 29th with a 5.12 ERA and last with 158 walks allowed (5.74 BB/9).

Pagan (hamstring) will be re-assessed for strength deficit on Monday, MLB.com reports.

Pending the results of that testing, Pagan could begin throwing from a mound immediately after. From there, he'll move on to facing batters and then a rehab assignment. Originally given a four-to-eight week timeline for a return, Pagan just passed the four-week mark.

Hill (3-2) earned the win over the Red Sox on Sunday with a perfect inning of work.

Hill entered in the eighth inning with the game tied 1-1. He retired the side in order on 11 pitches, then watched New York's offense put up five runs in the bottom of the frame to move him into position for the victory. Hill had been struggling badly coming into Sunday, allowing six runs over 2.2 innings across his past three appearances. He'll look to use Sunday's clean frame as a catalyst for a turnaround.

Smith picked up the save Sunday against the Cubs. He struck out one over a perfect inning.

Smith shut the door in Sunday's low-scoring affair, retiring the side in order in the 10th inning to secure his first career save and a Giants victory. The right-hander's save opportunity came about with Caleb Kilian, Erik Miller and Keaton Winn already having been deployed in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively. Smith likely won't see save chances regularly, though the 26-year-old could work his way into more high-leverage opportunities if he continues to pitch well.