MLB Player News

The Cardinals selected Velazquez's contract from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Velazquez nearly won an Opening Day roster spot with a big spring but then got off to a slow start at Memphis. However, the 27-year-old earned a promotion after slashing .308/.418/.600 with five home runs for Memphis in May. The right-handed slugger is starting at designated hitter and batting cleanup against Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga on Friday.

The Cardinals optioned Prieto to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Prieto was promoted in early May and didn't play much, going hitless in 17 plate appearances. He'll see more regular reps at Memphis, where he's slashed .311/.357/.566 this season.

The Cardinals recalled Crooks from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

The 24-year-old will join the big-league roster after posting a .262/.412/.567 slash line with 13 homers in 39 games for Memphis. Yohel Pozo was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. It's not clear how much playing time Crooks will get, as Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages have split most of the starts at catcher this season, but Pages' .622 OPS in 125 plate appearances could make him the odd man out.

The Cardinals optioned Pozo to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Pozo has played sparingly this season as the team's third catcher, going 8-for-33 at the plate. His spot on the roster is being filled by Jimmy Crooks.

Wicks is slated to start Sunday's game against the Cardinals in St. Louis, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Wicks will be making a second turn through the rotation, but he'll receive the start mainly due to the Cubs' dwindling pitching depth rather than merit. The southpaw made his 2026 debut for the Cubs on Tuesday, taking a loss in Pittsburgh after yielding eight earned runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out five over 4.1 innings. Wicks hadn't pitched especially well at Iowa prior to his promotion either, logging a 4.44 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 20:12 K:BB in 26.1 innings across seven starts.

Melton is slated to start in Friday's game against the White Sox in Chicago, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

As expected, Melton will remain in the rotation for at least one more turn after a serviceable showing in his 2026 MLB debut. The right-hander picked up a win Sunday while striking out three batters and limiting Baltimore to one earned run on two hits and three walks over 5.2 innings. Detroit will eventually get some pitching reinforcements with Justin Verlander (hip) and Tarik Skubal (elbow) due back from the IL within the next few weeks, so Melton could be battling Keider Montero for the final spot in the rotation.

The Pirates activated Jones (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Friday.

Jones is set to make his season debut for the Pirates on Friday just over one year after undergoing UCL surgery on his right elbow. The 24-year-old pitched well in five rehab starts, logging a 2.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB across 18.2 innings. Jones threw 76 pitches in his last outing, so he should be capable of a workload of 85-90 pitches versus Minnesota.

Okert secured his sixth hold Thursday after pitching a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in a 5-1 win over Texas. He hit a batter but did not allow any hits or walks.

Okert entered in the seventh inning and recorded the final out of the frame before returning for the eighth, when he induced a popout and plunked a batter before being pulled. It was the 34-year-old's third straight scoreless appearance out of the bullpen. The left-hander holds a 3.75 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 21:8 K:BB through 24 innings on the campaign.

The Rays designated Heasley for assignment Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Tampa Bay is bringing up a fresh arm in Andrew Wantz, who had his contract selected from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Heasley threw 64 pitches across four innings of relief in Wednesday's 11-2 loss to the Orioles, allowing five runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.

The Rays optioned Williams to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With Ben Williamson (back) returning from the injured list, Williams will head back to the minors. The 22-year-old has really struggled at the plate across his first 139 big-league trips to the dish, slashing a paltry .155/.204/.302 with five homers, 15 RBI, 17 runs scored, two stolen bases and an 8:55 BB:K. He's hit .100 with a .290 OPS across 33 plate appearances this season.