MLB Player News

Triple-A Indianapolis reinstated Burrows (elbow) from its 60-day injured list Tuesday and assigned him to the rookie-level Florida Complex League.

Burrows had been on the shelf all season while he completed his recovery from April 2023 Tommy John surgery. He began a rehab assignment in the FCL on June 17 and later moved on to Single-A Bradenton, posting a 7.36 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB in 11 innings across his five rehab starts. Though Burrows appears to be fully healthy again, the Pirates will have him stick around in Florida a little longer to iron out the kinks before he's deemed ready to reclaim a spot in the Triple-A rotation.

Cavalli (elbow/illness) had been scheduled to report this week to the Nationals' spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. to continue his rehab program, MLB.com repoorts.

On the mend from Tommy John surgery, Cavalli began his second rehab assignment June 21 with High-A Wilmington, but he hasn't pitched since then after coming down with the flu. Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reported July 3 that Cavalli's rehab assignment had been shut down, but the Nationals haven't provided any word that the right-hander is dealing with a setback with his elbow. Since it has been almost four weeks since Cavalli last pitched, he will need to time to get stretched back out whenever he's cleared to resume his rehab assignment, so a return from the 60-day injured list doesn't seem imminent. He turned in a 2.16 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 8.1 innings across his first three rehab appearances.

The Dodgers optioned Petersen to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

The Dodgers will add a player to the 26-man active roster as a replacement for Petersen prior to their first game out of the All-Star break Friday versus the Red Sox. During his latest stint in the big leagues, Petersen made three relief appearances and gave up one earned run on two hits and two walks over 2.1 innings.

Small (oblique) began a rehab assignment Tuesday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, striking out one while allowing one run on one hit and no walks over one inning.

Small has been sidelined all season with a Grade 2 right oblique strain but has finally been cleared to pitch in games. Given the lengthy layoff, the left-handed reliever will likely require an extended rehab assignment before he's activated from the Giants' 60-day injured list. He has a minor-league option remaining and could be sent to Triple-A Sacramento once his rehab assignment concludes.

The Cubs acquired Tinoco from the Royals on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Tinoco has a 4.58 ERA in 57 career MLB games, nine of which came with the Rangers earlier this season before he was pushed off the 40-man roster and elected free agency. The 29-year-old has a 3.81 ERA and 34:10 K:BB in 20 appearances at the Triple-A level this season, and he'll start his tenure with the Cubs organization at Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs optioned Palencia to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Palencia was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday for the second game of a doubleheader versus the Cardinals. However, the 24-year-old didn't make an appearance in his brief stint with the big club and will now head back to Triple-A.

The Reds signed Weigel to a minor-league contract on Saturday.

Weigel, 30, was assigned to Double-A Chattanooga and tossed a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in his debut Sunday. The reliever had been pitching in the Mexican League prior to joining the Reds and hasn't seen any action at the major-league level since 2021.

Rainey has posted a 6.58 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and 22:18 K:BB through 26 innings with zero wins, saves or holds in 25 appearances.

A brutal start to the season is still tainting his ratios, but Rainey has actually been an effective relief arm for the last couple months. Over his last 12 appearances dating back to May 21, the 31-year-old right-hander has been scored upon only once, and he's compiled a 2.77 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB through 13 innings over that stretch. Despite that improvement, Rainey is still a shell of the pitcher he was prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2022. His 93.7 mph fastball average is a far cry from the 97.0 mph he was dialing up in 2022 before his elbow gave out, and his days as a viable high-leverage bullpen option appear to be over.

Weems has posted a 5.68 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 32:19 K:BB through 38 innings with one win and four holds in 37 appearances.

The converted catcher was a fairly reliable bullpen option for the Nationals in 2023, but Weems has regressed nearly across the board this season, with his 18.7 percent strikeout rate and 9.2 percent whiff rate being career lows. The 31-year-old righty hasn't picked up a hold since late April, and that seems unlikely to change in the second half.

Garcia has posted a 4.68 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 47:11 K:BB through 32.2 innings with one win and 11 holds in 41 appearances.

The 28-year-old southpaw's ratios on the season aren't impressive, but they disguise the improvements he's made of late. Garcia has been scored upon only once in his last 12 trips to the mound, delivering a 0.97 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB through 10.1 innings during that stretch. He's the only left-hander in the Nationals' bullpen at the moment, but Garcia is emerging as a reliable high-leverage option for manager Dave Martinez, which should lead to more holds in the second half.