MLB Player News

The Cubs recalled Dean from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

An offseason waiver claim, Dean has slashed .238/.369/.354 with three home runs, 14 stolen bases and a 36:58 BB:K over 56 contests with Iowa this season. The 29-year-old can handle all three outfield spots and should operate mainly in a reserve role.

Greene (elbow) struck out six over four scoreless frames Thursday in his first rehab start with the Reds' Arizona Complex League affiliate.

Greene yielded two hits, walked one and topped out at 101.1 mph on the radar gun, per Lance McAlister of 700 WLW Sports Talk. He got his pitch count up to 54, throwing 39 pitches for strikes. It's an encouraging first rehab outing for Greene, who is coming back from mid-March surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. It's unclear when or where Greene's next rehab start will take place, but the Reds expect the right-hander to rejoin the rotation before the All-Star break.

Liberatore (3-4) allowed seven runs (five earned) on seven hits and no walks while striking out two batters over 1.2 innings to take the loss against Kansas City on Thursday.

Liberatore got an early lead when St. Louis scored twice in the top of the first inning, but he gave one run back in the bottom of the frame on a Bobby Witt (knee) solo homer. Things got much worse for Liberatore in the second, as the Royals swarmed him for six hits -- five of which were doubles -- en route to six runs. The left-hander ultimately gave way to a reliever after retiring only two batters in that disastrous frame. It was the shortest outing of the season for Liberatore, and he hasn't been providing much depth of late, completing fewer than five frames in three straight outings. He's had a few promising starts this season, but it's mostly been a struggle for the veteran pitcher, who now has an ugly 5.23 ERA and 1.56 WHIP along with a 67:27 K:BB through 72.1 innings spanning 15 appearances.

Atlanta designated Leon for assignment on Thursday.

With Atlanta acquiring Joey Bart (foot) from the Pirates, Leon loses his spot on the 40-man roster after going 4-for-44 at the plate with zero extra-base hits and a 0:18 BB:K across 21 games.

Atlanta acquired Bart (foot) from the Pirates on Thursday in exchange for Hunter Stratton.

Bart has spent the last month-plus on the injured list due to a foot infection, but he began a rehab assignment last week and appears ready to make his return to the big leagues with Atlanta, where he'll serve as the backup to Drake Baldwin while Sean Murphy recovers from a broken finger that is expected to sideline him until after the All-Star break. In just 62 trips to the plate this season with the Pirates, Bart slashed .259/.290/.379 with two homers, six RBI, nine runs scored and a 2:21 BB:K.

Soto went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs and a walk in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Phillies.

Soto opened the scoring with a solo homer off Aaron Nola in the first inning before taking the veteran right-hander deep again in his next plate appearance to record his second multi-homer performance of the year. Soto has looked locked in at the plate over his last eight games, batting 14-for-29 (.483) with three homers. The 27-year-old is now slashing .300/.398/.582 with 17 home runs, seven doubles, one triple, 38 RBI, 36 runs scored and six stolen bases across 249 plate appearances this season.

Williams earned the save Thursday against the Phillies, allowing a run on two hits and a walk while striking out one over one inning.

Williams was called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning and ultimately got the job done despite some late traffic. He allowed a run on a Justin Crawford RBI single and put additional runners on base, but the right-hander avoided a bigger rally and secured his 11th save of the season. While the overall numbers remain underwhelming, Williams has pitched much better of late, posting scoreless outings in 16 of his last 18 appearances. He owns a 5.18 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 38:15 K:BB across 24.1 innings with just one blown save on the year.

Nola did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Mets, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings.

The veteran right-hander generated 10 whiffs on 97 pitches, with most of the damage against him coming via a pair of solo homers from Juan Soto. Despite the solid strikeout total, Nola continues to search for consistency in what has been a difficult campaign. He's failed to cover more than five frames in any of his past five starts and has a 5.68 ERA during that span. Nola will carry a 5.71 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 77:25 K:BB into his next scheduled start on the road against Washington.

Manaea did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Phillies, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out five over 5.1 innings.

Making just his second start of the season, the veteran left-hander threw 63 of his 95 pitches for strikes and generated an impressive 16 whiffs. Philadelphia plated runs in the first, third and fourth innings, with the final run coming home following a throwing error by A.J. Ewing. In four games working as a bulk reliever or starter, Manaea has pitched to a 3.10 ERA and 18:3 K:BB across 20.1 innings. It appears likely that Manaea will remain in the rotation moving forward, with his next scheduled start set to come at home against the Cubs.

Ballesteros was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Elias Schuster of SI.com reports.

Ballesteros will head to Iowa after struggling to a .128 average with one home run, seven RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base over 94 at-bats in his last 34 contests. The 22-year-old will look to hit the reset button at the Triple-A level and then get another shot with the major-league roster down the road this year.