MLB Player News

The Reds selected Richardson's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Richardson has been with Louisville all season, turning in a 4.75 ERA and 1.26 WHIP alongside a 34:14 K:BB through 30.1 innings. He'll head to the majors as a replacement for Pierce Johnson (elbow) and likely be limited to low-leverage work as long as he's with the Reds. Kyle Nicolas was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

The Reds placed Johnson on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Wednesday, with right elbow inflammation.

Johnson's injury helps to explain why he hasn't pitched in a game since Tuesday. He received a cortisone shot in his right elbow Saturday, and with the MRI results coming back negative, Johnson expressed optimism about a minimum-length stint on the IL, per Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati. Tony Santillan figures to handle a larger share of high-leverage opportunities while Johnson is out, and Lyon Richardson will come up from Triple-A Louisville to fill the void in Cincinnati's bullpen.

Kim isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Cincinnati.

Kim will grab a seat on the bench for a third consecutive game after going just 4-for-42 (.095) in 12 games since his return from the injured list. Jorge Mateo will start at shortstop for the third game in a row, and he could continue to get extra playing time while Atlanta waits for Kim to get on track after making his season debut a few weeks ago.

Riley isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Reds.

Riley will take a day to reset after going 0-for-11 with two runs scored and seven strikeouts across his last three games. His absence will allow Mauricio Dubon to start at the hot corner while batting sixth.

Manager Matt Quatraro said Saturday that Avila will start Monday's game against the Reds, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

With Cole Ragans (elbow) set to spend more time on the 15-day injured list than the Royals originally expected following a setback, Kansas City will turn to Avila to temporarily fill the fifth spot in the rotation. The 24-year-old righty struggled to find his footing in the majors early in the season but has settled in as of late, posting a 3.14 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 14.1 frames since the beginning of May. He likely won't be able to handle a full starter's workload Monday after throwing just 67 pitches over three frames during his last appearance Tuesday against the Yankees, and he'll also be tasked with taking on a Reds lineup that's posted a .742 OPS across its last 10 games.

The Marlins recalled Kempner from Triple-A Jacksonville on Saturday.

Since his demotion to Triple-A on May 6, Kempner has allowed just two earned runs over 10.1 innings while posting a 12:5 K:BB for Jacksonville. His strong performance will now be rewarded through another trial in the majors as the roster replacement for Andrew Nardi (ribs), who was placed on the injured list.

Adam allowed two hits and no runs over one-third of an inning against the Nationals on Friday.

Adam entered with one out and the Padres up 7-5 in the eighth inning and got into some trouble, giving up back-to-back singles. However, Adam got Jorbit Vivas to fly out for the first out in the frame, then Mason Miller finished off the inning without allowing any Nationals to cross the plate. While Adam's outing Friday was far from his best, the right-hander posted his 12th straight scoreless appearance. He's once again been very effective out of San Diego's bullpen, recording a 0.95 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB while picking up one save and a team-leading 12 holds through 19 innings spanning 21 appearances.

The Marlins placed Nardi on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Thursday, with a left ribcage stress reaction.

Nardi gave up one run in 1.1 innings and took the loss during his last appearance Wednesday, and he appears to have picked up a rib injury in the process. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough relayed to reporters that Nardi has been battling through the injury for a while, and the IL stint is expected to last "much longer" than the 15-day minimum, per Ely Sussman of Fish on First. The Marlins will bring William Kempner up from Triple-A Jacksonville to round out the bullpen.

France went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in a 7-5 win against Washington on Friday.

France's long ball was a big one, as he tied the game 5-5 with a solo shot in the sixth inning. The veteran infielder is holding down the strong side of a first-base platoon and has given San Diego an offensive boost with a .286/.314/.541 slash line, six homers, 17 RBI and one stolen base through 36 contests. France is again starting at first base while batting seventh Saturday in the second game of the series.

Cease (hamstring) is throwing a bullpen session of 25-to-30 pitches Saturday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Cease landed on the 15-day IL on Monday, so it's promising that he's already throwing a bullpen five days later. The hurler has been optimistic that he'll be able to return to the Blue Jays' rotation when first eligible, and a successful BP on Saturday would be a big step toward making that a reality. Depending on how the bullpen goes, Cease's next step could be either another BP or facing hitters, per Zwelling.