MLB Player News

Gurriel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers.

After going 1-for-5 with a grand slam and five total RBI in Friday's loss, Gurriel will step out of the starting nine Saturday. Tim Tawa will pick up a start in left field as a result and bat eighth.

McNeil isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cubs.

McNeil will get a breather Saturday after making four consecutive starts, during which he went 2-for-12 with a homer and two RBI. Luisangel Acuna will get the nod at second base and bat sixth.

Hays isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Astros.

Hays went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts Friday during his return from the injured list. He'll step aside Saturday while Connor Joe makes his Reds debut in left field and bats ninth.

Snell (shoulder) is expected to play catch Sunday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Snell was previously expected to resume throwing Friday, but manager Dave Roberts indicated that the hurler came down with an illness that "set him back a couple days." Snell hasn't thrown at all since late April and received a cortisone injection in the hope that it would help with the inflammation in his left shoulder. The left-handed pitcher is likely at least several weeks away from returning to the Dodgers' rotation.

The Cubs transferred Morgan (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

A right elbow impingement sent Morgan to the injured list April 15, and his move to the 60-day IL will ensure he remains out until at least mid-June. The 28-year-old southpaw will be replaced by Cade Horton on the 40-man roster.

The Cubs optioned Cosgrove to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Cosgrove was brought up from the minors Friday to replace Caleb Thielbar (paternity) but will now head back to Iowa to clear space on the active roster for Cade Horton. Cosgrove has given up just one run in four innings with the Cubs this season and is a candidate to return to Chicago later in the year whenever the big club needs a fresh bullpen arm.

The Cubs selected Horton's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Although Brad Keller is listed as the starter for Saturday's contest against the Mets, Horton is still expected to make his MLB debut during the game -- likely as a bulk reliever. The 23-year-old righty has dazzled to the tune of a 1.24 ERA and a 33:13 K:BB across 29 innings in Triple-A this year, and he could make a case to remain on the big-league roster even once Shota Imanaga (hamstring) returns with a few strong performances. To clear roster space for Horton, Tom Cosgrove was optioned to Iowa, and Eli Morgan (elbow) was moved to the 60-day IL.

Darvish (elbow) threw three innings in a simulated game Thursday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Darvish threw 48 pitches during the session at the Padres' spring complex in Arizona. It was the first time the veteran hurler has thrown to hitters since his second start of spring training, after which he was diagnosed with right elbow inflammation. Padres manager Mike Shildt declined to give a timeline for Darvish's return but stated that the right-handed starter is "definitely getting closer" and suggested that he could be activated off the IL without significant buildup, stating, "I think we're going to trust a guy that's got 200 professional wins and 3,000 strikeouts." It's possible that Darvish could return to San Diego's rotation before the end of May, but if he does get the go-ahead that soon, he'd likely be on a somewhat limited pitch count in his initial outings.

The Diamondbacks optioned Mena to Triple-A Reno on Saturday.

Mena made his season debut Friday, striking out five batters across 3.2 shutout innings. He'll now be sent back to Triple-A in favor of Joe Mantiply, but Mena's strong outing could keep him in consideration for another promotion later in the season.

The Diamondbacks recalled Mantiply from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.

Mantiply has given up 13 runs in only 7.1 innings with the D-backs this season, but he's only allowed two runs in six frames since being sent down to Triple-A. He'll get another look in the majors as a replacement for Cristian Mena, though it's unlikely Arizona uses Mantiply outside of low-leverage situations.