MLB Player News

Milner was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.

Milner's latest stint in the majors lasted just a single day. He tossed a scoreless inning against the Cubs on Wednesday but will now make way for Josh Hader (illness), who returns from the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.

Hader (illness) was activated off the COVID-19 injured list as expected Thursday.

Hader tested positive for the virus back in early August, but he was able to keep throwing while on the injured list, per Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin. That suggests he should be at full strength right away and should immediately return to his normal closer role. Devin Williams will return to his usual setup role.

Coonrod (forearm) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.

The move clears space on the 40-man roster for the Phillies to select David Paulino's contract. It likely has little impact on Coonrod's return timeline, as he's already missed close to 60 days with forearm tendinitis and doesn't appear to be anywhere near a return after suffering a setback in a rehab game in late July. The Phillies have yet to indicate when he's expected to be back in action.

Diaz struck out a batter over a 1-2-3 ninth inning en route to collecting his 24th save of the season in Tuesday's 8-7 win over the Nationals, a game New York and Washington resumed Wednesday.

After blowing three consecutive saves from July 11 through 19 to put his job security into question, Diaz has righted the ship ever since. He's converted five consecutive saves with little stress, with the only runs he's allowed over the past three weeks coming in a game the Mets were already trailing 2-1 when he entered. Diaz needed only eight pitches to retire the side Wednesday.

Los Angeles recalled White from Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of his scheduled start Thursday in Philadelphia, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

White will be the first pitcher on the mound rather than follow an opener, which was previously reported as a possibility. White hasn't tossed more than four innings in the majors this season but has the capacity to pitch deeper into games, as he matched his season high with five innings in his most recent outing for Triple-A one week ago. Exactly how deep the Dodgers expect him to go in this outing is not yet clear.

Machado won't serve as an opener for first game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Mets, as Sean Nolin has been announced as Washington's starting pitcher.

Washington intended to have Machado open the second half of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Mets, but those plans were scrapped after the nightcap was postponed due to inclement weather. The two teams will conclude their series with a twin bill Thursday, but Machado looks like he'll work exclusively in a relief role. Nolin will get the starting nod for Game 1, and Erick Fedde is expected to start Game 2.

Nolin is listed as the Nationals' starting pitcher for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Mets.

Called up from Triple-A Rochester a day earlier to give Washington an extra arm out of the bullpen for the resumption of Tuesday's suspended contest, Nolin wasn't needed after Joe Ross (five innings) handled bulk-relief duties. Due to Thursday's twin bill, the Nationals will need to add a sixth starter to the mix temporarily, so Nolin will get the nod for what will mark his first MLB start since 2015. The 31-year-old lefty compiled a 3.80 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 52:15 K:BB across 47.1 innings at Rochester this season.

Smith suffered a blown save against the Reds on Wednesday, pitching one inning and allowing two runs on one hit while striking out two.

The lefty hurler entered the game in the ninth inning with Atlanta staked to a two-run lead. He hit Nick Castellanos with a pitch with one out, and Joey Votto made him pay by subsequently launching a two-run, game-tying home run. The blown save was Smith's second in his past three outings, and over that span he has given up five earned runs over three frames while serving up a pair of long balls.

Sims (4-2) was charged with a loss and a blown save Wednesday against Atlanta.

In the top of the 11th inning, Cincinnati put up a run to take the lead. The team then turned the ball over to Sims in hope that the 27-year-old could close things out, but he instead served up a walkoff three-run homer to Ozzie Albies. The unsuccessful outing will likely hurt Sims' chances of leaping to the front of a closer committee that also includes Heath Hembree and Amir Garrett, and his 5.34 ERA and 1.38 WHIP on the season don't scream the numbers of a typical closer.

Crowe (3-7) allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out four across 4.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Crowe allowed three home runs in his last start, and he managed to correct that issue by allowing no long balls in Wednesday's outing. However, he labored later in the game, throwing 23 pitches in the fourth inning and requiring 26 pitches to record two outs in the fifth frame. Crowe has been decent at preventing runs over his last five outings, as he's recorded a 3.55 ERA. However, he's struggled to work deep into games and has failed to complete five innings in each of his last two starts. For the season, he has a 5.27 ERA with a 75:40 K:BB across 80.1 frames.