MLB Player News

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Sunday that he doesn't expect Hicks (elbow) to return from the 60-day injured list before the end of the season, but the right-hander could be cleared to pick up innings during winter ball, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Hicks took an important step forward last week in his recovery from the right elbow injury that has kept him on the shelf since the beginning of May, as he was cleared to throw off a mound for the first time in more than four and a half months. Though Hicks finally looks to be progressing after his rehab program stalled out for much of the summer, the Cardinals aren't counting him on providing a late-season boost to the bullpen. If Hicks is able to test out his arm over the winter and avoids any further setbacks, he should head into spring training with few restrictions, if any.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Sunday that he expects Hudson (elbow) to begin a minor-league rehab assignment within the next week or so, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Hudson looked to have little chance of making an appearance at any level in 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery Sept. 28 of last year, but not only is he nearing a return to minor-league action, but the organization is also leaving the door open for him to join the Cardinals next month. Before a rehab assignment is mapped out, Hudson will likely continue to build up the intensity of his live batting-practice sessions over the next few days at the Cardinals' training facility in Florida. The 26-year-old doesn't realistically have enough time to get his arm conditioned for a starting role at this stage of the season, so he'll almost certainly be deployed out of the bullpen if the Cardinals bring him back from the 60-day injured list at any point.

Weathers (4-6) allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out two across two innings, taking the loss to the Phillies on Sunday.

Working as a primary pitcher out of the bullpen behind Craig Stammen rather than in a starting role as he had in his most recent outings, Weathers didn't notice dramatically better results. He served up a solo home run to Rhys Hoskins in the fourth inning and surrendered three more hits on the day, resulting in an additional two runs allowed.The 22-year-old has been horrendous lately, allowing 28 runs over his last 17.2 innings. On the season, he has a 5.27 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 61 strikeouts in 80.1 innings.

Hader recorded one out and earned a save over Washington on Sunday.

Hader entered a 7-3 game with two outs and two runners on base and managed to escape the jam, forcing Juan Soto to ground into a fielder's choice. The 27-year-old southpaw has converted six straight save opportunities, making him 26-for-27 on the year. He's sporting a 1.61 ERA and a77:16 K:BB through 44.2 innings.

Antone (forearm) remains in line to return from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener in Milwaukee, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Antone made what's expected to be his seventh and final rehab appearance at Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, striking out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning. The right-hander should immediately reclaim a high-leverage role in the Cincinnati bullpen, though Mychal Givens appears to be manager David Bell's preferred option in save situations at the moment.

Peters didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals after limiting St. Louis to one run over five innings. He scattered three hits and one walk and struck out three.

Making his second start with the Pirates, Peters wasn't overpowering -- he generated only four swings and misses among his 54 strikes -- but he managed the zone well and was mostly able to mitigate the damage of balls in play. With Pirates manager Derek Shelton recently moving Chad Kuhl to the bullpen, Peters looks like he'll have a decent amount of leash as a member of the Pittsburgh rotation. He lines up to make his next start next weekend in a rematch with the Cardinals in Pittsburgh.

Smith allowed a hit and no walks while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Sunday's win over the Orioles.

Smith had allowed a run in each of his last two outings, but he held the Orioles scoreless to preserve the two-run lead Sunday. The southpaw has converted saves in five of his last six appearances, and he's posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 5.1 innings during that time.

The Mets optioned Hartlieb to Triple-A Syracuse ahead of Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Hartlieb's demotion cleared a spot on the 26-man active roster for infielder Javier Baez (back), who was reinstated from the injured list. The 27-year-old right-hander was up with the Mets for just two days and didn't make an appearance out of the bullpen.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he expects Kelly (COVID-19 injured list) to be activated ahead of Tuesday's series opener in San Diego, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Roberts said he felt Kelly looked "rusty" during his first rehab outing at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday, when he recorded one out and issued two walks. As a result, the Dodgers will have him make one more tune-up appearance Sunday for the affiliate before rejoining the big club ahead of the big three-game series with the Padres. Once reinstated, Kelly should be a key part of the late-inning bridge to closer Kenley Jansen.

The Giants recalled Jackson from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.

Jackson was eligible to return to the Giants less than a week after being demoted since Evan Longoria (hand) was placed on the COVID-19-related injured list in a corresponding move. Over his 15 appearances out of the big-league bullpen this season, Jackson has posted a 3.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB in 14.2 innings.