MLB Player News

Imanaga is no longer listed as the Cubs' starting pitcher for Thursday's game in St. Louis and will instead take the hill Friday versus the Yankees at Wrigley Field, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Imanaga isn't dealing with any known injury, so the Cubs' decision to push him back a day simply appears to be a measure to give him and the other members of the Cubs rotation some extra rest. Javier Assad will move from the bullpen to make a start Thursday, sliding into the rotation spot that previously belonged to Jameson Taillon.

The Reds optioned Franco (elbow) to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

Franco will report back to Triple-A after he served as the Reds' 27th man for Wednesady's doubleheader with the Guardians. He was active for Game 2 of the twin bill and worked in bulk relief in the Reds' 2-0 victory, earning his first big-league win while striking out two and allowing one hit and two walks over 3.2 scoreless frames before exiting in the seventh inning due to right elbow discomfort. He'll likely undergo further testing before the Reds have a better idea regarding the extent of his injury, but Franco could be at risk of landing on the injured list if he isn't ready to go for his next turn through the rotation.

Assad will start Thursday's game in St. Louis, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Shota Imanaga had been listed as the starter for Thursday's series finale, but he and the other Cubs starters will be pushed back in order to bake in some extra rest. Assad went three shutout innings out of the bullpen in his last appearance Saturday in Pittsburgh, so he'll be taking the ball on four days' rest. The righty hasn't made a start in nearly three weeks, so he won't have a full workload at his disposal.

Julien is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Julien was included in the lineup for the first two games of the series and went 1-for-6 with a double and a run scored, but he'll take a seat to begin Wednesday's contest while southpaw Kyle Hart opens the game for the Padres. The Rockies could summon the left-handed-hitting Julien from the bench at some point during the contest once Hart exits and right-hander Griffin Canning takes over in bulk relief.

Garcia worked around a walk and struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to secure his second save of the season in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Pirates.

While facing off against Pittsburgh's Nos. 2 through 5 hitters, Garcia navigated a fairly stress-free 17-pitch frame to sew up the win. He could be in the mix for more closing opportunities in the short term, as manager Torey Lovullo told Jack Sommers of SI.com after the game that Paul Sewald -- who leads the team with 24 saves but blew two of his last three chances -- will be moved into a lower-leverage role for the time being. Rather than settling on a designated closer, Lovullo indicated he plans to play the matchups in the ninth inning, so the left-handed Garcia may be deployed primarily against left-handed-heavy portions of the lineup late in games. Lovullo mentioned Jonathan Loaisiga as another pitcher who might factor into the late-inning picture, and Juan Morillo and Kevin Ginkel could also be part of the mix.

The Padres designated Waldron for assignment Wednesday.

The Padres needed to clear room for Jeremiah Estrada's (knee) return from the injured list, and because he doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, Waldron was dropped from the 40-man roster to facilitate the transaction. Waldron was a serviceable back-end starter for the Padres in 2024 but has seen his effectiveness wane in the two seasons since while also missing considerable time due to injuries. In 10 appearances (three starts) for San Diego this season, Waldron turned in a 7.16 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 32.2 innings.

Johnston is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game in San Diego.

The Padres are going with a lefty opener (Kyle Hart) before turning to a right-handed bulk reliever (Griffin Canning). While the left-handed-hitting Johnston will begin the contest on the bench, he's a candidate to enter mid-game when Canning or another righty takes over. Colorado has Jake McCarthy in right field and Hunter Goodman at designated hitter.

Karros (biceps) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest in San Diego.

Karros had to be scratched from Tuesday's lineup with left biceps inflammation and will now miss a second straight start. The Rockies are idle Thursday, so Karros will aim to return to action Friday when the Rockies return home to host the Royals. Willi Castro will fill in again at the hot corner Wednesday in Karros' stead.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said after Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Pirates that Sewald has been removed from the closer's role for the time being and will be used in lower-leverage situations, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

After recording just one out and yielding three earned runs en route to blowing his second save in his last three chances during Tuesday's 8-7 win in 12 innings, Sewald was passed over for the save chance Wednesday. Brandyn Garcia got the call in the ninth inning and retired three of the four batters he faced to earn his second save of the season, though Lovullo declined to name him the team's closer moving forward. Instead, Lovullo indicated that he plans to play matchups for any save chances that emerge in the short term with Garcia, Juan Morillo, Jonathan Loaisiga and Kevin Ginkel all potentially factoring into the late-inning picture. Sewald could eventually join that group, but he'll first have to pitch effectively in less pressure-packed situations after he had yielded at least one run in seven of his last 13 appearances.

The Padres reinstated Estrada (knee) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Estrada will be available out of the bullpen for the Padres' series finale versus the Rockies after San Diego cleared a spot for him by designating right-hander Matt Waldron for assignment. Prior to landing on the IL on June 5 due to right knee inflammation, Estrada handled a key setup role in front of closer Mason Miller. In 21 appearances, Estrada has notched two wins, seven holds and one save while pitching to a 3.48 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB across 20.2 innings.