MLB Player News

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Thursday that he expects Acuna (hamstring) to be activated from the 10-day injured list before the end of this weekend, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Acuna will play his eighth and likely final rehab game Thursday with Triple-A Gwinnett. A return to the active roster Friday is possible, though the club could elect to give Acuna a day to rest before activating him later in the weekend. The star outfielder has been sidelined since early June due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain.

Murphy (finger) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, Harrison Smajovits of SI.com reports.

Murphy has been limited to only four games for Atlanta this season, first due to offseason hip surgery and more recently because of a fractured left middle finger that's kept him shelved since mid-May. The veteran catcher should be ready to rejoin the active roster in early August if all goes well on his rehab assignment.

Iglesias earned the save in Thursday's 6-5 win over San Diego, working around two hits while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.

Iglesias found himself in some trouble in the ninth after the Padres logged back-to-back singles. However, the right-hander struck out Luis Rengifo to end the game, stranding the tying and go-ahead runs on base. It's a nice bounce-back outing from Iglesias, who gave up a home run in each of his previous two appearances. He's up to 21 saves this season while posting a 2.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 42:7 K:BB across 36 innings.

The Orioles designated Rodriguez for assignment Thursday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for waiver claim Yohel Pozo. Rodriguez, 26, has slashed only .177/.288/.301 in parts of three big-league seasons.

Sale (11-6) earned the win Thursday over the Padres, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk across six innings. He struck out 11.

All of the damage against Sale came with two outs in the second inning -- he issued a bases-loaded walk to Fernando Tatis before giving up a two-run single to Luis Rengifo. However, the veteran southpaw managed to settle in and turn in a quality start while striking out 11, matching a season high. Sale's ERA now sits at 2.19, the second-best mark in the majors, through 19 starts (111 innings), complementing that figure with a 1.05 WHIP and 134:26 K:BB. He's tentatively lined up to face the Mets on the road his next time out.

The Orioles claimed Pozo off waivers from the Cardinals on Thursday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Pozo will supplement Baltimore's catching depth as it navigates the losses of Adley Rutschman (wrist) and Samuel Basallo (shoulder). The 29-year-old catcher has slashed .247/.273/.363 across parts of three big-league seasons and has a 641 OPS in the minors this season. Pozo will report to Triple-A Norfolk for the time being.

The Blue Jays transferred Barger (back/elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Thursday.

Barger initially landed on the IL back in May due to elbow inflammation, but he was shut down in late June due to a stress reaction in his back and hasn't yet resumed baseball activities. Since he's already been on the shelf for more than two months and is without a timeline for a return, his move to the 60-day IL is merely procedural. The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Rudy Martin, whom the Blue Jays claimed off waivers from the Orioles on Thursday.

Muncy went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run against the Phillies in Wednesday's 9-5 victory.

Muncy's sixth-inning, two-run long ball traveled an estimated 415 feet and snapped a 3-3 tie. The veteran slugger has gone deep in back-to-back contests and has been red hot to begin the second half, slashing .300/.391/.850 with three home runs, seven RBI and four runs through six games. He is up to 20 homers on the campaign, fifth most among MLB third basemen.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider indicated Thursday that Scherzer's (back/thumb) next start could be in the majors, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer struck out seven over five perfect innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. He had been slated for one more rehab outing, but the righty's performance Wednesday -- along with the Blue Jays losing long reliever Patrick Corbin (teres major) to injury -- could push up Scherzer's timeline. Scherzer threw only 56 pitches Wednesday, so if he does start Monday against the Nationals, he would be facing a restricted workload. The 41-year-old has missed more than a month with back and thumb problems.

Edman went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run and three RBI in Wednesday's 9-5 win over Philadelphia.

Edman's biggest hit was a bases-loaded triple in the eighth inning that doubled what had been a three-run Dodgers lead. The utility man has continued to hit well since returning from the All-Star break, slashing .421/.500/.737 with one home run, six RBI and five runs over six games. Overall, Edman has an impressive .974 OPS with two long balls, five doubles, two triples, 16 runs, 17 RBI and two stolen bases through 100 plate appearances.