MLB Player News

Holmes will start Friday's series opener versus the Mets in Atlanta, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Atlanta will plug Holmes back into the rotation after he made his first appearance of the season as a reliever his last time out Saturday, striking out four batters over four shutout innings against the Giants. Per Bowman, Atlanta believes Holmes could prove to be a more valuable asset in the bullpen, where he would be able to work at a higher velocity and lean more heavily on his slider, a pitch that has generated a 41.3 percent whiff rate on the season. A decision on Holmes' role beyond this weekend could hinge on the performance of Hurston Waldrep, who will draw a start Thursday against the Cardinals after Atlanta opted to skip Bryce Elder's turn in the rotation. Elder is expected to rejoin the rotation next week, and if Waldrep fares well against the Cardinals and earns himself an extended leash as a starter, Holmes would likely head back to the bullpen on a more permanent basis.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss confirmed that Waldrep will start Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Waldrep made his 2026 debut with Atlanta last Friday, pitching two innings of relief behind starter Reynaldo Lopez. Both pitchers will be in the rotation this week, as Bryce Elder will have his turn skipped. Though Elder is expected to return to the rotation next week, Waldrep could end up sticking around in a starting role, as Atlanta is contemplating moving Grant Holmes to the bullpen. Waldrep's performance Thursday will likely influence that decision, though the right-hander shouldn't be expected to work more than five or six innings, regardless of how well he's pitching. Since completing his recovery from a Feb. 23 elbow procedure and beginning a rehab stint at the beginning of June, Waldrep hasn't tossed more than 71 pitches or covered more than 4.2 innings in any outing.

Realmuto is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Pirates.

Realmuto started behind the dish in each of the first three games of the series, earning a breather during Thursday's matinee. Rafael Marchan will do the catching and bat ninth for the Phillies.

Atlanta recalled Jarvis from Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

Jarvis has had a breakout season this year at Gwinnett, slashing .313/.406/.461 with six home runs, 32 stolen bases and a 46:55 BB:K over 76 games. He was up briefly with Atlanta in May, going 1-for-5 at the plate. Shortstop is Jarvis' main position, and he's expected to start there Thursday versus the Cardinals, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Jarvis would have some fantasy potential -- particularly in the stolen-base department -- if he receives regular playing time, but there's no guarantee that will happen.

Atlanta designated Tellez for assignment Thursday.

Tellez was with the big club for three weeks but received only one start and 11 plate appearances, going 2-for-10 with a home run. He's likely to pass through waivers and would have the ability to elect free agency at that point.

Marsh went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 10-6 win over the Pirates.

Marsh extended the Phillies' lead to 6-2 in the third inning with a solo shot off Paul Skenes. It's the 15th homer of the season for Marsh, leaving him one shy of his career high. The outfielder has been red hot at the plate, going 16-for-43 (.372) with six home runs and a 1.237 OPS over his last 10 games. It's been a breakout campaign overall for the 28-year-old Marsh, who's now slashing .319/.352/.530 with 46 RBI, 50 runs scored and eight stolen bases across 324 plate appearances.

Albies went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an RBI double and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Cardinals.

Albies tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI double before putting Atlanta up 2-1 in the third with his two-out blast off Michael McGreevy, his 13th homer this season. The long ball was the first in nine games for Albies, who'd gone 5-for-29 with just one extra-base hit in his previous eight contests. The second baseman is now slashing .276/.325/.444 with 48 RBI, 53 runs scored and one steal across 360 plate appearances this season.

McLain started in center field and went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Milwaukee.

Though the hitless effort dropped his season average to .196, McLain had no issues defensively while making his first career start in the outfield. He could continue to see time at the position against left-handed pitching while Blake Dunn (elbow) and Dane Myers (shoulder) are on the injured list.

Smith went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Giants.

Smith's run-scoring single was the first salvo in Arizona's attempted comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning, when the club scored its four runs. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo continues to show patience with the slumping first baseman, who entered the game on a 1-for-23 (.043) skid, by running him out there when the team faces right-handers. Smith is slashing .152/.260/.212 with one home run and six RBI since coming off a lengthy stay on the injured list in late May.

McCann (quadriceps) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday, MLB.com reports.

McCann, who's been out since May 19 with a strained right quad, will open his rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno. The reports estimates the catcher's return for some time next week.