MLB Player News

The Pirates recalled Brannigan from Double-A Altoona on Thursday.

He'll grab the roster spot vacated by the injured Spencer Horwitz (hamstring). Brannigan got a late start to the season after fracturing his nose during spring training, and he's hit .235/.333/.522 with eight homers in 31 contests at Altoona since returning. The 25-year-old is likely set for a reserve role, and he'll be making his major-league debut when/if he gets into a game.

The Pirates placed Horwitz on the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a left hamstring strain.

Horwitz suffered the injury during Wednesday's win over the Mariners. The Pirates haven't provided word on the severity of the strain, making it difficult to forecast a timeline for Horwitz's return. Horwitz will be eligible for activation in early July, but with the All-Star break looming, the Pirates could proceed cautiously with the first baseman and keep him on the shelf until the start of the second half, even if his strain is mild.

Alvarez went 3-for-7 with a walk and two solo home runs across both ends of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Cubs.

After taking Javier Assad deep in the matinee, Alvarez crushed a Shota Imanaga fastball over the fence in left-center field during the nightcap. The 24-year-old catcher has homered in three straight games, giving him eight on the year. Over 50 plate appearances since returning to the lineup in early June from knee surgery, he's delivered a .319/.360/.574 slash line with four homers and eight RBI.

King (5-1) was credited with the win Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing one hit and striking out one in a scoreless inning of relief.

Eury Perez worked 4.2 innings in his return from the IL, and King got the final out in the fifth inning with the game tied 1-1 before the Marlins took the lead for good in the bottom of the frame. King has made nine appearances in June and come away with a win in four of them while producing a stellar 0.93 WHIP, 0.83 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB in 9.2 innings. The 31-year-old southpaw will be hard-pressed to maintain that pace, but King's hardly alone this season in racking up reliever wins at an impressive rate -- Milwaukee's Aaron Ashby leads all MLB pitchers with 10 victories, and Colorado's Antonio Senzatela has eight wins in just 23 relief outings.

Knack (chest) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, yielding two runs on five hits and one walk over 1.1 innings.

Knack struck out a pair in the outing and got his pitch count up to 33. The right-hander has been out all season with an intercostal strain, and he will be built up as a starting pitcher before likely remaining in the OKC rotation once he's activated from the 60-day injured list.

Rodriguez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Mariners.

Rodriguez started each of the previous three games at catcher, so he's earned a breather during Thursday's matinee. Henry Davis is doing the catching and batting ninth for the Pirates.

The Pirates are expected to place Horwitz (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Horwitz was lifted from Wednesday's game against the Mariners because of left hamstring discomfort. It's unclear at this point how severe the strain is, but even a mild one could knock Horwitz out through the All-Star break. While Horwitz is sidelined, the Pirates will likely use Ryan O'Hearn at first base and Marcell Ozuna at designated hitter most days.

The Cubs outrighted Peralta to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday.

Over the weekend, the Cubs became the third organization to designate Peralta for assignment in 2026. The 25-year-old lefty was scooped up off waivers on the previous two occasions, but after going unclaimed this time around, he'll stick around in the Cubs organization but will no longer be part of the 40-man roster. Peralta has posted a 4.70 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and 21:16 K:BB over 15.1 innings at Iowa since the Cubs claimed him May 3.

Hill went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Nationals.

Hill represented the Phillies final out when he entered the game as a pinch hitter for Justin Crawford in the ninth. He'd proceed to launch a go-ahead, two-run blast off Richard Lovelady, his fifth homer of the year and first since joining Philadelphia. In 10 games since he was traded from the White Sox, Hill has gone 7-for-21 (.333) with an .857 OPS while filling the short side of a center-field platoon with Crawford.

Garcia went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Phillies.

Garcia opened the scoring in the first inning with a 412-foot shot off Aaron Nola, his 13th homer of the year and third in his last three games. In his last 15 games, Garcia's gone 14-for-48 (.292) with six homers and a 1.042 OPS. Overall, he's slashing .263/.293/.494 through 259 plate appearances this season with 49 RBI, 34 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.