MLB Player News

Graterol (shoulder) reached 100 mph in a bullpen session Wednesday and is close to facing live hitters, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Graterol is on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, but he appears to be moving past the issue. The flame-throwing reliever has been out for three weeks, so he may need a minor-league rehab stint prior to being activated. Graterol should remain a high-leverage reliever for the Dodgers upon his return.

Williams dropped to 2-1 after he allowed a walkoff solo home run to Bryan Reynolds in the Brewers' 8-7 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday.

Pitching for the first time since the Brewers traded four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader to the Padres on Monday, Williams entered a tie game and would have been in position for a win if he had retired the side and if Milwaukee scored in the bottom of the inning. Unfortunately for Williams, he threw only three pitches before Reynolds took him deep to right center field, ending the right-hander's streak of 30 consecutive scoreless appearances that dated back to May 10. Given his sheer dominance over the past three months, Williams' blemish can be easily forgiven, but it remains unclear how the Brewers plan to deploy him during the post-Hader era. In the Hader deal, Milwaukee received an established closer in Taylor Rogers, who saved 28 games and posted strong underlying numbers before losing the job in San Diego. Williams' sterling ratios will still make him a valuable asset in the majority of fantasy leagues even if the Brewers choose to keep him in a setup role or as part of a closer committee with Rogers, but Williams would have the upside of being the top fantasy closer if Milwaukee hands him the overwhelming majority of its save opportunities.

Moreta was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Moreta returned from the COVID-19 injured list in late July and tossed 3.2 scoreless innings over three appearances since returning to action. However, he'll head to the minors as the corresponding move for Austin Romine being activated by the Reds.

The Pirates placed Peters on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to left elbow inflammation, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Pittsburgh brought up left-hander Eric Stout from Triple-A Indianapolis to replace Peters on the 26-man active roster and in the bullpen. Peters previously missed time with a back muscle spasms before being activated July 12, but he made only five appearances before the Pirates deactivated him again.

Alzolay (lat) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Thursday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Facing hitters in a controlled setting marks the final step in Alzolay's prolonged recovery program from a right lat strain before he's ready to head out on what's expected to be an extended minor-league rehab assignment. Since he's been on the shelf since spring training with the injury, Alzolay may not have sufficient time to build up to a starter's workload in 2022, but if he avoids any further setbacks, he'll at least be able to return from the 60-day injured list as a multi-inning relief option before season's end.

VerHagen will undergo season-ending hip surgery, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

VerHagen dealt with a hip injury for most of the season, and he'll ultimately require a procedure to address the issue. The right-hander made just 19 appearances during his injury-plagued season and posted a 6.65 ERA and 1.89 WHIP in 21.2 innings. According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, VerHagen is expected to make a full recovery from hip surgery in advance of spring training.

The Nationals reinstated Garrett (biceps) from the 15-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Garrett is fully recovered from right biceps inflammation after he recently wrapped up a four-appearance rehab stint without any renewed discomfort, but the Nationals don't have a spot available for him in the bullpen at the moment. Prior to landing on the shelf, the right-hander surrendered eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits and seven walks over 7.2 innings with Washington.

The Cardinals recalled Naile from Triple-A Memphis and designated him as their 27th man for Thursday's doubleheader with the Cubs.

Naile is up with St. Louis for the third time this season after striking out four over 5.1 scoreless innings between his previous two stints. Despite his excellent results in the majors thus far, Naile will likely be headed back to Memphis immediately after the doubleheader.

May gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning during Wednesday's win over the Nationals.

Seeing his first big-league action since May 2, May topped out at 95.4 mph with his fastball and seemed fully recovered from his triceps injury. The 32-year-old right-hander had a rough first month of the season, perhaps due to the arm issue, but May should slot back into a high-leverage role for the Mets now that he's healthy.

Abbott will stay in Washington's rotation and start Sunday's game in Philadelphia.

Given the lack of existing talent in the Washington rotation, it comes as little surprise that Abbott will draw another start, especially after he looked sharp in his first turn against the Mets on Tuesday. Though the right-hander took a no-decision in the Nationals' 5-1 win, he tossed five scoreless frames while allowing four baserunners and striking out three. He was capped at 76 pitches after having only recently moved into a starting role at Triple-A Rochester prior to his call-up to Washington, but Abbott should be able to push his count up to 90 in his upcoming outing in Philadelphia.