MLB Player News

The Reds optioned Johnson to Triple-A Louisville on Friday.

The 27-year-old was called up by Cincinnati in late August and will return to Louisville after going 0-for-4 with a strikeout and a walk in four contests. Johnson has gone 1-for-16 in his first taste of the big leagues this year but has an .802 OPS in 71 games for Louisville.

Suarez (personal) will start at designated hitter and bat fifth in Friday's game versus the Brewers.

Suarez was away from the Reds for the past two games in order to take the U.S. naturalization test. The 35-year-old is coming off his best month of the season, having collected an .852 OPS with six home runs and 20 RBI in August.

Wilkinson will start Friday's game against the Mets at Citi Field.

The southpaw took a tough-luck loss against Arizona in the first game of last Saturday's doubleheader as the 27th man for the twin bill, but he ended up sticking around with the big club after reliever Sam Hentges (forearm) was placed on the injured list a day later. Wilkinson will be awarded another turn through the rotation and couldmake regular starts for the Giants over the final month of the season if he performs adequately.

The Giants claimed Kuhnel off waivers from the Brewers on Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Kuhnel hasn't pitched in the big leagues since early July due to right rotator cuff tendinopathy, but he's healthy now after completing a rehab assignment. The 31-year-old has posted a 4.84 ERA and 22:12 K:BB over 35.1 innings in the majors this season and will give the Giants some experienced bullpen help.

Cavalli (calf) is listed as the Nationals' probable pitcher for Saturday's game against the Dodgers.

Cavalli was removed from his last start Saturday versus the Marlins after four innings when he was hit in the calf by a comebacker. However, he checked out fine after the contest and handled his normal between-starts throwing routine with no concerns. Cavalli will enter Saturday's start having gone 7-1 with a 1.83 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 67:14 K:BB over 54 innings covering nine outings in the second half.

Scott, who is slated to make his next start Sunday versus the Giants at Citi Field, will have his workload reduced over the final weeks of the season, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Mets interim manager Andy Green indicated earlier this week that Scott wouldn't pitch again on four days' rest for the remainder of the season. The 27-year-old right-hander has already tossed a career-high 108.1 innings between Triple-A and the majors in his first season back from hybrid Tommy John surgery, and with the Mets out of playoff contention, they have no reason to push him. It's not yet clear if New York will shift to a six-man rotation to provide all its young starters with extra rest, if Scott will have his turn skipped at some point in September, or if the team has another solution in mind. Scott has given up at least three runs in six of his last seven starts, stumbling to a 5.40 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 41:18 K:BB in 35 innings over that stretch. He'll be returning to the hill Sunday on eight days' rest after making his previous start last Friday against the Astros.

Edwards (thumb) has begun doing rotational work in the batting cage and throwing a ball, but he's still unable to play catch or fully squeeze his hand due to inflammation, MLB.com reports.

The infielder injured his thumb while applying a tag at second base Aug. 30, but Edwards avoided any structural damage and is dealing with a sprain. The Marlins remain optimistic he'll be back in the lineup in mid-September, and he could progress quickly once the inflammation in his thumb subsides.

Caissie hasn't been in the lineup the last two days due to neck spasms, MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old likely would have sat Wednesday anyway against southpaw Noah Cameron, but Caissie's absence Thursday against right-hander Michael Wacha was a hint that something was amiss. He was apparently available off the bench for the series finale in Kansas City, although he went unused. Caissie will likely sit again Friday against lefty Shota Imanaga, but if he continues to improve he could slot back in as the right fielder Saturday with Clay Holmes on the bump for the Cubs.

Odle notched a career-high 12 strikeouts while yielding two runs over 4.2 innings Thursday in his final start of the season with High-A Peoria.

It's a fitting end to a season that saw Odle rack up 143 strikeouts over 96 innings between Single-A Palm Beach and Peoria. He also walked 65 batters, so Odle has some work to do from a control perspective, but the 22-year-old right-hander has big-time stuff and has established himself as a legitimate pitching prospect in the Cardinals' revamped system.

The Cardinals expect to activate Winn (thumb) from the 10-day injured list sometime during this weekend's series in Colorado, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Winn's return was considered for a series this week versus the Dodgers, but the Cardinals opted to have him go through another round of workouts instead. The shortstop could be activated as soon as Friday. Winn is working his way back from a small fracture in his left thumb.