MLB Player News

Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced Monday that Cruz will be moved to center field, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Shelton suggested that the move will be permanent, with the skipper noting that Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Gonzales will be the team's everyday options at shortstop and second base, respectively, for the remainder of the season. Cruz played one inning in left field for the Pirates in 2022 and started nine games at the position for Triple-A Indianapolis in the same season. However, he has never seen action in center field, so the 25-year-old will be learning on the fly. According to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates plan to ease Cruz into his transition to the outfield by deploying him mostly as a designated hitter initially.

Jones (lat) will be activated from the 15-day injured list and start Tuesday against the Cubs.

Jones has been sidelined since early July with a Grade 2 right lat strain but is ready to rejoin the Pirates after making three rehab starts with Triple-A Indianapolis. The rookie right-hander's last rehab outing was dominant, as he struck out 10 while yielding just one hit and one walk over five shutout frames. Jones threw 73 pitches in the start, so he could be limited a bit from a workload perspective versus the Cubs.

The Pirates designated Woodford for assignment Monday.

After being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on July 30, Woodford made six appearances (four starts) for the Pirates and went 0-4 with a 6.95 ERA across 22 innings. Though Pittsburgh could keep a six-man rotation in place over the final month of the season to help keep the workloads of young hurlers Paul Skenes and Jared Jones (lat) in check, the team won't have a starting role available for Woodford. Domingo German appears to have usurped Woodford for a spot in the rotation after German tossed six scoreless innings in his first start for the Pirates this past Wednesday against the Rangers.

Spiers threw four scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Pirates, allowing three hits without a walk. He struck out one batter.

Nick Martinez started the game but only went three innings before handing the ball off to Spiers, who bounced back with a scoreless outing after a brutal stretch in which he gave up 19 earned runs in 12 innings. The Martinez-Spiers tandem was effective, but both pitchers may be needed for starts this week with the Reds playing seven games in six days, including a doubleheader Friday against the Brewers. Cincinnati will have to make do with a patchwork rotation with Andrew Abbott (shoulder) now on the injured list alongside Hunter Greene (elbow) and others.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Williams was unavailable to pitch Sunday against the Athletics due to left shoulder soreness, Bally Sports Wisconsin reports.

Murphy said that Williams felt a "pinch" in his non-throwing shoulder when he woke up Sunday morning, likely a result of sleeping on it wrong. Williams attempted to play catch prior to Sunday's game, but he was sore and "just didn't look right," per Murphy, who declared his closer off limits for the day. It sounds like a day-to-day type injury, but it's not yet clear whether Williams will be available for Tuesday's series opener versus the Giants. Trevor Megill would likely fill in as closer if Williams is not ready.

The Phillies recalled Kennedy from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

After the Phillies acquired him from the Tigers on June 7, Kennedy was optioned to Lehigh Valley, with whom he produced a .961 OPS over 254 plate appearances before getting a call-up Monday. He'll provide the Phillies with an extra right-handed bat off the bench while Weston Wilson (personal) is away from the team while on paternity leave.

The Phillies recalled Lazar from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Philadelphia optioned Lazar to Triple-A on Saturday, but he'll be eligible to rejoin the big club two days later since outfielder Weston Wilson (personal) was placed on the paternity list in the a corresponding move. Lazar will likely serve as a low-leverage reliever while he's up with the Phillies.

The Phillies placed Wilson on the paternity list Monday.

Wilson will be away from the Phillies for between one and three games while he welcomes a new addition to his family. The 29-year-old has been with the Phillies since being called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on July 12 and has produced a 1.017 OPS over 54 plate appearances at the big-league level this season while primarily operating as a short-side platoon player.

The Phillies optioned Allard to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Infielder Buddy Kennedy will join the Phillies' active roster as a replacement for Allard, who was summoned from Lehigh Valley to make a spot start Sunday. Allard scooped up a win while limiting the Royals to two runs over five innings, and he now owns a 3.50 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB over 18 innings. Though he'll head back to the minors, Allard's solid performance at the big-league level this season likely puts him ahead of Tyler Phillips and Kyle Tyler for a promotion if a rotation spot with the Phillies opens up again at some point.

General manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he is optimistic Hayes (back) will return at some point during the 2024 season, MLB.com reports.

Hayes has been sidelined since Aug. 19 with back inflammation and has not resumed much activity. Despite the lack of progress, he should be back to man the hot corner at some point in the coming weeks.