MLB Player News

Tiedemann (elbow) will be given injections for his injured neck, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Nagging neck problems have prevented Tiedemann from making any rehab starts over the past two weeks. He had previously made a pair of one-inning rehab appearances with the Blue Jays' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate. Tiedemann initially landed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Buffalo as he continues to work his way back from left elbow surgery. It's unclear when he might be ready to pitch again.

McCullers (shoulder) struck out three and allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk across four innings Wednesday in a rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land.

McCullers has been stellar through his first two rehab outings at Sugar Land, allowing just one earned run while posting a 7:1 K:BB over seven innings. The right-hander tossed 60 pitches in Wednesday's appearance, so he'll likely need to make at least one more start in the minors before Houston brings him back from the 15-day injured list. McCullers had posted a lowly 6.86 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in eight starts for Houston before being shelved May 19 due to a rotator cuff impingement, and despite the strong form he's showed in the minors, he could face an uphill battle to reclaim a spot in a crowded big-league rotation once activated. Though the Astros have already decided that Cristian Javier (shoulder) will go to the bullpen when he returns from the 60-day IL on Friday, Ronel Blanco (elbow) has also built up to the 60-pitch mark during his rehab assignment and could be prioritized ahead of McCullers for a starting role upon his activation from the IL.

Blanco (elbow) struck out four and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk across 4.1 innings Wednesday in a rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi.

Blanco pushed his pitch count up to 60 (45 strikes) in his third rehab start as he works his way back from the Tommy John surgery with an internal brace that he underwent last June. The right-hander will likely need to get stretched out to around 70-to-80 pitches before becoming a viable option for the Houston rotation, likely at some point shortly after the All-Star break. Before going under the knife last summer, Blanco turned in a 4.10 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 48:20 K:BB in 48.1 innings over nine starts with Houston.

The Yankees activated Bednar from the paternity leave list Thursday.

Bednar missed all three games of the series against the Tigers as he welcomed a new baby to the family. The Yankees are idle Thursday, but they will have their closer available for this weekend's series versus the Twins.

Tovar is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Marlins.

It's a routine day off for Tovar, who has been one of the worst-hitting regulars in baseball this season with an ugly .205/.249/.325 batting line. Willi Castro will cover shortstop and bat cleanup for Colorado.

Milias went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.

The 28-year-old remains firmly behind Keibert Ruiz on the catcher depth chart for the Nats, but Milias has been making a contribution of late while starting a couple times a week. Over his last five games dating back to June 16, the 28-year-old has gone 5-for-18 (.278) with a double, an RBI, three runs and a .381 OBP.

Goodman is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Marlins.

It's a well-earned day off for Goodman, who had started each of the previous nine games. Brett Sullivan will do the catching and bat eighth for the Rockies.

Nunez went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's rout of the Red Sox.

The light-hitting infielder lofted a Payton Tolle fastball over the Green Monster in the fourth inning for his first homer of the season, and the fifth of his career in his 172nd MLB game. Nunez is still looking to escape the slump he got mired in late in June, and over his last nine contests he's batting just .160 (4-for-25) with 14 strikeouts.

Young went 2-for-3 with two walks, two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.

The center fielder produced his first multi-hit performance since June 14, snapping a 4-for-36 (.111) slump over his prior 12 games. Young remains inconsistent at the plate, but he's flashing more power than ever before, slashing .225/.275/.376 in 277 plate appearances this season with a career-high eight homers along with eight steals, 31 RBI and 33 runs.

Marquez (forearm) recorded two outs and allowed three earned runs on three hits and one walk during his rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A El Paso.

Marquez kicked off his rehab assignment June 2 and started in each of his first four appearances for El Paso, maxing out at five innings and 73 pitches. While his usage seemed to indicate that the Padres were considering Marquez for a spot in the rotation upon his return from the 15-day injured list, the veteran righty now appears to be preparing for a bullpen role. He's worked in relief in his last two outings for El Paso, striking out three while allowing four runs on six hits and three walks in 2.1 innings between those contests. Marquez's 30-day rehab window officially came to a close Wednesday, so the Padres could look to activate him at some point during their upcoming four-game series with the Dodgers.