MLB Player News

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Kranick may be shut down for "a little bit of time" with a right forearm/elbow injury, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Since being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis following his three-inning relief appearance with Pittsburgh on May 11, Kranick hasn't pitched for the Pirates' top affiliate. He was placed on Indianapolis' 7-day injured list Tuesday, with Cherington later revealing the nature of Kranick's injury. The 24-year-old will most likely miss several weeks while recovering from the arm issue.

Reyes is expected to require surgery on his right shoulder to repair a damaged labrum, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Reyes was shut down from throwing in mid-May after he experienced renewed shoulder soreness, and he'll meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Monday before a final decision is made on surgery. It's not yet clear whether a potential surgery would be a season-ending procedure, but it seems like a safe bet that he would at least be unavailable until late in the 2022 campaign. The shoulder issue is yet another big hit for a pitcher who had been a top-flight prospect back in 2016 before injuries derailed his long-term outlook and forced a full-time conversion to the bullpen.

The Pirates optioned Wilson to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that Wilson will continue starting as he heads to Indianapolis, after the 24-year-old right-hander had worked as both a traditional starter and primary pitcher out of the bullpen for Pittsburgh this season. Wilson found little success in either capacity, as he submitted a 7.53 ERA and 1.78 WHIP across 28.2 innings before getting demoted. The Pirates called up Roansy Contreras from Triple-A in a corresponding move and could insert him in the rotation as a replacement for Wilson.

Norris (Achilles) made back-to-back relief appearances Friday and Saturday in losses to the Diamondbacks, covering 1.2 innings between the outings while allowing one earned run on one hit and two walks.

Heading into the weekend, Norris was considered day-to-day with a right Achilles soreness, but the appearances on consecutive days imply that he's back to full strength as the Cubs prepare for a six-game week. The 29-year-old lefty has served mostly as a low-leverage reliever for Chicago this season, posting a 5.68 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB in 12.2 innings.

The Rockies placed Stephenson on the COVID-19-related injured list Monday.

He finds himself on the COVID-19 for the second time this season, after previously missing just under two weeks in April following a positive test for the virus. Since he was cleared to make his season debut April 20, Stephenson has posted a 4.35 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 10.1 innings out of the Colorado bullpen.

Lee was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

The reliever will join the big-league club for the second time this season after failing to enter a game during his first stint in April. Lee has pitched 14.1 innings with a 2.51 ERA and 1.13 WHIP while striking out 23 batters over 13 appearances with Triple-A Gwinnett this season. To make space on the active roster, Tyler Thornburg was designated for assignment Monday.

Kuhnel was reinstated from the restricted list Monday.

Kuhnel was prevented from travelling to Canada for the Reds' last series versus the Blue Jays since he is unvaccinated, but he'll return to the team ahead of their four-game series against the Cubs. The reliever has pitched three innings this season, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out four.

The Cardinals optioned Rondon to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Rondon's demotion comes one day after he was called up from Memphis to provide St. Louis with a multi-inning option out of the bullpen for Sunday's series finale with the Pirates. The 24-year-old right-hander ended up seeing more usage than expected in the Cardinals' 18-4 win, as he was needed in long relief after starter Steven Matz lasted just four pitches before checking out of the contest due to a shoulder injury. Rondon proceeded to strike out four while blanking the Pirates over five innings en route to collecting his first career MLB win. Matz is set to undergo an MRI on Monday and could wind up on the injured list, but at least for the short term, the Cardinals decided that Rondon's spot on the active roster was better used for another player. Even if Matz's shoulder issue results in an IL stint, the Cardinals won't need to replace him in the rotation until May 30, at which point Rondon or Matthew Liberatore could be called up from Triple-A if needed to fill in as St. Louis' fifth starter.

Lambert (forearm) threw two scoreless innings Sunday, allowing one hit and one walk in a rehab outing with Triple-A Albuquerque.

Lambert has made two appearances with Albuquerque, combining to throw three innings. He was sidelined while recovering from Tommy John surgery for much of 2021 but did return to throw 5.2 frames. However, Lambert has been on the injured list early in 2022 with forearm inflammation, and once activated he should either fill a bullpen role in Colorado or remain a starter at Albuquerque.

Rodriguez retired the only batter he faced on one pitch Sunday, recording his fifth hold of the season in a win over the Rockies.

With two outs and two on in the eighth inning and the Mets nursing a 2-0 lead, Rodriguez was brought in to face Ryan McMahon and got him to line out to third base. Three of the lefty's last five appearances have lasted less than one inning, but his 3.86 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB through 14 innings on the year give him some deep-league fantasy value in formats that score holds.