MLB Player News

The Rockies selected Brebbia's contract from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday.

He'll be joining the big-league bullpen as a replacement for right-hander Blas Castano (pectoral), who was moved to the 15-day injured list. The 36-year-old Brebbia caught on with the Rockies on a minor-league deal in late May and was highly effective over his seven appearances for Albuquerque, striking out 10 over nine scoreless frames. Brebbia could quickly settle into a high-leverage role in a Colorado bullpen that's lacking dependable arms.

The Diamondbacks optioned Abner to Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

Since Abner was unlikely to be available out of the bullpen for at least a couple of days after tossing 2.2 scoreless innings and 44 pitches Saturday, the Diamondbacks opted to send him to Triple-A. Arizona recalled lefty Kohl Drake from Reno in a corresponding move, giving the bullpen a fresh arm capable of covering multiple innings.

Vargas will start at first base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Twins.

Vargas will crack the starting nine for the fourth time in five games, though Sunday marks the first time during that stretch that the'll be included in the lineup against a right-hander (Mike Paredes). Over Arizona's last four contests, Vargas has gone 3-for-12 with one double, two walks, five RBI and three runs, but he's still sitting on a lowly .368 OPS overall in June.

Gurriel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

Gurriel looks to be on the bench in a planned off day as the Diamondbacks continue to manage his workload following his recent return from the injured list. Since coming off the IL on Monday, Gurriel has started in four games and has gone 2-for-17 with one run and two RBI.

The Diamondbacks recalled Drake from Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

After being added to the 40-man roster during the offseason, Drake is now on the cusp of making his major-league debut. The left-hander has been working as a starter at Reno but has struggled to a 7.83 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and 48:26 K:BB across 54 innings this year.

Tovar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Tovar will be handed the afternoon off, ending a streak of six starts during which he went 5-for-22 (.227) with three runs and an RBI. With Tovar on the bench, Willi Castro will shift over to shortstop, opening up the keystone for Edouard Julien.

Thompson will start at designated hitter and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

The Rockies have been making a concerted effort of late to open up playing time for Thompson, who will crack the starting nine for the fourth game in a row. Thompson has produced three extra-base hits over his previous three starts, bringing his OPS up to .708 through his first 75 big-league plate appearances.

Johnston is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Johnston appears to be fading into a part-time role; he'll head to the bench for the third time in four games, with all those absences coming against right-handed pitchers. The downturn in playing time comes despite Johnston having turned in a productive June thus far with a .308/.397/.481 slash line over 15 games.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Griffin (forearm) to play in minor-league rehab games by the end of the week, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Griffin has been rehabbing in Florida since landing on the shelf May 31 due to a right forearm strain, but he's expected to head north to Pittsburgh for an evaluation early this week before linking up with a minor-league affiliate. Throwing at full strength and velocity seems to be the biggest concern for Griffin as he works his way back from the injury, and the rookie phenom appears to be making progress on that front. Per MLB.com, Pirates manager Don Kelly said Saturday that Griffin has extended his throwing distance to 150 feet and was clocked at 89 mph while throwing from third base to first.

France will start at first base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Rangers.

France will be awarded a sixth consecutive start after going 4-for-19 with three extra-base hits (two home runs, one double) and a walk over the previous five contests, but his path to regular playing time could become muddled during the upcoming week. Though he wasn't included in the lineup, Miguel Andujar (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Sunday and should settle back into an everyday role. Andujar's return would seem to leave France and Will Wagner most at risk of losing at-bats.