MLB Player News

Blackburn (hand) will rejoin the Mets' rotation early next week in Toronto, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The exact date of his return is uncertain, but Blackburn has been cleared to make his next start in the majors after tossing 6.2 innings of one-run ball in a rehab outing with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday. He's been out since late August with a right hand contusion.

Senga (calf) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Wednesday with increased intensity, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Senga implied recently that he's past his left calf strain at this point and is now focused on getting his arm back in shape. It could be too late in the season to build him back up as a starter, but Senga has expressed a willingness to pitch in relief, if that's where the Mets would like to use him. It's unclear when he might be ready for a rehab assignment.

Rodriguez (lat) threw a bullpen session at Camden Yards on Wednesday, Baltimore Banner Sports reports.

The right-hander got back on the mound for the first time since he was diagnosed with a strained lat nearly a month ago. Rodriguez will need to face hitters at least once before being cleared for a rehab start, but that should come soon. The 24-year-old is probably still at least a couple weeks away from a return from the 15-day injured list, however.

Yamamoto (triceps) tossed two innings in his rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out three batters.

Yamamoto was slated to go three innings in the outing, but his pitch count got up to 53 after two frames, so he didn't return for the third. The elevated pitch count was largely due to a 17-pitch at-bat that ended in a walk against MLB veteran Omar Narvaez. While Yamamoto's final stat line was far from impressive, he did throw 36 of his 53 pitches for strikes and sat at 95-to-96 miles per hour on his fastball, so the overall takeaway was mostly positive. It's not yet clear if the right-hander will be asked to make an additional rehab start or if his next game action will be with the big-league club, though the former is probably more likely given the Dodgers' general preference to be cautious with injuries to their starting pitchers.

Robberse (elbow) was activated from Triple-A Memphis' 7-day injured list Wednesday.

Robberse made three rehab starts at Single-A Palm Beach, allowing two runs (one earned) on nine hits and a walk while striking out four over six innings. The Cardinals will likely stay cautious with the right-hander to close out the campaign, but he should be able to get at least two or three more appearances with Memphis before the end of the season.

The Twins recalled Varland from Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.

Ronny Henriquez will draw the starting assignment for the Twins in Wednesday's game at Tampa Bay, but he's expected to work an inning or two before giving way to Varland, who will likely be deployed in bulk relief, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A decent showing Wednesday could be enough for Varland to stick around with the Twins as part of a six-man rotation. The Twins have just two days off over the final 26 days of the regular season, so the addition of Varland would help provide extra rest for the team's other starters heading into the playoffs.

Garrett (forearm) is scheduled to make a rehab start with Single-A Jupiter on Thursday, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

The left-hander progressed to throwing live batting practice over the weekend and has been deemed ready for game action after a bullpen session Tuesday. Garrett is expected to throw about three innings and/or 50 pitches Thursday in the first of what's likely to be a couple rehab starts. He's been on the shelf since mid-June due to a forearm strain.

Harris (3-3) got the win against the Mariners on Tuesday, firing three scoreless innings during which he allowed two walks and recorded three strikeouts.

Harris took over following a quality start from rookie J.T. Ginn and put together a highly efficient long-relief effort, requiring only 37 pitches to record nine outs. The left-hander helped keep the Mariners at bay and then reaped the rewards when Seth Brown hit a walk-off single, affording Harris the first victory of his current big-league stint. Harris is likely to continue being used in a relief role down the stretch, although multi-inning outings will likely be the norm given he's capable of tolerating the elevated workloads.

The Phillies optioned Phillips to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Phillips' return to the Phillies' rotation will come to an end after just one start, with the right-hander heading back to the minors after he recorded just two outs while allowing six earned runs on eight hits in Tuesday's 10-9 win over the Blue Jays. The Phillies called up right-hander Nick Nelson from Triple-A to replace Phillips on the active roster and provide the bullpen with a fresh arm in the short term. The team will need to settle on a new fifth starter Sunday in Miami, with Taijuan Walker and Kolby Allard perhaps representing the top candidates to fill the spot vacated by Phillips.

German is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

At least temporarily, the Pirates will expand the rotation to a six men, with the addition of German building in an additional day of rest between starts for rookies Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. German tossed six scoreless innings against the Rangers in his lone other start for the Pirates on Aug. 21, but he worked in long relief in his last two appearances, covering 5.2 innings while yielding 10 runs on 11 hits and five walks.