MLB Player News

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Hodge (hip) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa either on Friday or Saturday, Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune reports.

The skipper added that Hodge will require multiple rehab appearances before rejoining the Cubs' bullpen. Hodge initially went on the 15-day injured list last month with an oblique strain, but he's more recently been battling a hip impingement. If all goes well, Hodge should be activated before the end of June.

Thompson (lat) has resumed a throwing program at the Cardinals' spring training facility in Florida, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Thompson was shut down for a while after suffering a setback with his left lat strain last month. The southpaw will be built back up slowly and likely will not be an option for the Cardinals until sometime in the second half. Thompson has been sidelined all season.

Lauer will start Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, though Spencer Turnbull is expected to work behind him as a bulk reliever, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manager John Schneider said Monday that Turnbull is set to handle a multi-inning role out of the bullpen for Toronto after being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, and Wednesday's contest represents a good opportunity for the Blue Jays to break him in for some extended work. Lauer has been the Blue Jays' nominal No. 5 starter since late April, making two starts and five bulk-relief appearances among his eight outings. The southpaw hasn't covered more than 4.2 innings in any of those appearances, and the Blue Jays are likely to continue to keep his workload in check to optimize his performance. Since Lauer is unlikely to reach five innings Wednesday, Turnbull is the more likely of the two pitchers to factor into the decision.

Cantillo is slated to rejoin the Triple-A Columbus rotation this weekend after being slowed by left elbow soreness, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Cantillo didn't throw for a few days after feeling discomfort during a bullpen session, but he's been cleared for mound work and will make a start this weekend, barring a setback. The left-hander made 21 relief appearances for the Guardians earlier this season but was sent down in late May to get stretched back out as a starter.

Clarke allowed four runs on five hits and one walk with no strikeouts over one-third of an inning in Tuesday's 10-2 loss against the Yankees.

The right-hander entered in relief of Noah Cameron with two outs and a runner on in the sixth inning, but he quickly unraveled, surrendering a flurry of hits that allowed the inherited runner to score along with four more runs of his own. Clarke entered Tuesday with a stellar 1.29 ERA and 0.43 WHIP, but those marks ballooned to 3.77 and 0.84, respectively, after the rough outing.

Henry (0-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Mets, giving up an unearned run on one hit without retiring a batter.

Taking the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning with the score tied 4-4, Henry's first pitch was laced into right field by Jeff McNeil to bring home the phantom runner from second base. Henry has emerged as a reliable relief option for the Nationals this season, posting a 2.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 25:13 K:BB through his first 23.1 big-league innings, but he remains on the fringes of the team's high-leverage crew -- he has zero wins or saves and only two holds in 22 appearances.

The Pirates optioned Nicolas to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.

He'll cede his spot in the bullpen to right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, who was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move and will provide the Pirates with a multi-inning option in relief. Nicolas made three appearances after his June 3 promotion, giving up one earned run on three hits and one walk over 4.1 innings.

Casparius will serve as the Dodgers' opening pitcher in Wednesday's game against the Padres, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.

Casparius is stretched out enough to provide multiple innings if that's the route manager Dave Roberts wants to take, but Justin Wrobleski is expected to absorb the bulk of the innings Wednesday once he enters the game out of the bullpen. The right-handed Casparius has been excellent for Los Angeles this season, collecting a 2.93 ERA and 44:7 K:BB over 40 innings.

Bender worked a scoreless seventh inning without a walk or a strikeout to record his eighth hold of the season in Tuesday's win over the Pirates.

The right-hander entered the game to protect a 3-0 lead and needed only nine pitches (seven strikes) to dispatch Pittsburgh's 5-6-7 hitters. Bender has a career-low 20.0 percent strikeout rate through 27.1 innings this season and a 10.0 percent walk rate that's just a tick below the career-worst 10.3 percent mark he posted in 2022, but he's generating enough weak contact to make it work, posting a 1.98 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He hasn't recorded a save since April 1, however, and seems stuck in a setup role ahead of current top closing option Calvin Faucher.

The Phillies designated Hernandez for assignment Wednesday.

Hernandez doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, so the Phillies had to remove him from their 40-man roster to clear a spot for right-hander Michael Mercado, who was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move. After being claimed off waivers from the Royals in the spring, Hernandez had operated as a low-leverage reliever for Philadelphia this season, logging a 5.26 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 23:13 K:BB in 25.2 innings. Any team willing to trade for or put in a waiver claim for the right-hander will have to assume the money remaining on his $1.16 million contract for 2025.