MLB Player News

Polanco (Achilles/wrist) will remain on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse through the weekend, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

The Mets previously hadn't ruled out a return for Polanco as soon as Friday in San Diego. However, the club has elected to wait to bring back the veteran infielder, likely targeting Tuesday versus the Cardinals at the start of a homestand. Polanco has been sidelined since mid-April with a right wrist contusion and left Achilles bursitis.

The Cubs optioned Ferguson to Triple-A Iowa on Friday.

He's being sent out in order to make space on the roster for the return of Edward Cabrera (finger), who will start Friday's game against the Giants. Ferguson was promoted earlier this week and did not make an appearance during this stint with the big club.

The Cubs activated Cabrera (finger) from the 15-day injured list Friday.

Cabrera will start Friday's game against the Giants after missing the past two weeks with a blister on his middle finger. The right-hander did not make a rehab start, so he could be relatively limited from a pitch count perspective. Cabrera holds a 4.00 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 47:20 K:BB across 54 innings in his first season with the Cubs.

Woodruff (shoulder) is headed to the Brewers' spring training facility and could pitch in Arizona Complex League games, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Woodruff lowered his arm slot during a 42-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday, as he believes it had risen since right shoulder surgery. (For the record, Baseball Savant disagrees, listing Woodruff's 2026 arm angle at 43 degrees, which is right in line with his career norm). The right-hander is looking for an arm slot that he feels comfortable with, and he could remain in Arizona for a bit while he works on his mechanics. Woodruff believes he will be back to make multiple starts before the All-Star break, but the Brewers have not offered a target date for his return yet.

Haase went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and a walk in Thursday's 12-9 win over the Brewers.

The veteran catcher drew a walk in the first inning and cracked a grand slam off Jake Woodford in the seventh to give the Giants a 10-3 lead. Haase has recorded at least one hit in four of his last five appearances, batting .357 with five RBI and two home runs across 16 plate appearances over that stretch. Overall, he's slashing .282/.333/.667 with nine RBI, seven runs scored and four long balls in 42 plate appearances on the campaign.

Schmitt went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's 12-9 win over the Brewers.

The 27-year-old launched a leadoff homer to left-center field off Coleman Crow in the first inning, and Schmitt also drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the third. Additionally, he singled in the seventh, marking his fifth multi-hit performance over his last 12 outings. Schmitt is slashing .282/.316/.528 with 35 RBI, 28 runs scored, 13 home runs and five stolen bases across 231 plate appearances this season.

The Reds outrighted Leibrandt to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Having been outrighted previously, Leibrandt has the ability to decline the assignment and become a free agent, but it's unclear what his plans are. The southpaw saved the Reds' bullpen earlier this week by eating six innings and allowing five runs in a relief appearance Monday versus the Royals.

The Giants outrighted Porter to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday.

Porter passed through waivers after being designated for assignment. He has the ability to decline an outright assignment and elect free agency, but at this point it appears Porter will stick around as organizational catching depth.

Williams (elbow) threw a simulated game at Nationals Park ahead of Tuesday's loss to the Marlins, MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander still lacks a concrete timeline for his return from last July's internal brace procedure on his elbow, but Williams is making progress in his recovery. He'll need a lengthy rehab assignment, but he could be a month or so away from providing the Nationals' beleaguered staff with an additional rotation option.

Phillips (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, yielding one hit and one walk over two-thirds of a scoreless frame.

Phillips struck out one batter and averaged 95.7 mph with his four-seamer, which is up 0.3 mph from last season. The righty is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and will likely need a fairly lengthy rehab assignment before rejoining the Dodgers' active roster.