MLB Player News

Lamet (forearm) hurled one inning for Low-A Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, allowing one run on one hit and a walk while striking out two.

The right-hander served up a solo home run and a four-pitch walk while throwing nine of 16 pitches for strikes. He has not pitched in the majors since June 26, and it's unclear how long his minor-league rehab stint will last. When he returns to the Padres, Lamet is expected to work out of the bullpen.

Bard did not allow a baserunner and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Cubs.

Bard was tasked with protecting a one-run lead, and he retired Sergio Alcantara, Matt Duffy and Rafael Ortega in order to record his 17th save. Bard appears to be returning to form after allowing five earned runs across three innings in three appearances between July 23 and July 31, as he now has two consecutive scoreless outings. For the season, Bard has a 4.23 ERA with 57 strikeouts across 44.2 innings.

Sims (elbow) is scheduled to pitch the second of back-to-back days on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, and if all goes well he could be officially back with the big league club over the weekend, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "If it goes well tonight and he recovers well the next couple of days, it'll probably be a tough decision of whether to have him pitch one more time in Triple-A or be active later this weekend," manager David Bell said.

The Reds are starting to get reinforcements back from the injured list. Michael Lorenzen just return from his hamstring injury last weekend and converted a save Wednesday, and Sims could be a part of that closing picture again when he returns.

Bender earned the save Thursday after holding the Mets to one run (unearned) on one hit and a walk while striking out one batter over one inning.

Bender was called upon to protect a three-run game in the ninth and worked around an error, a walk and pair of infield singles to hold onto the win for Miami. The 26-year-old has put together a solid season thus far with a 2.06 ERA and 0.92 WHIP across 39.1 innings and is expected to earn more save opportunities following Yimi Garcia's trade to the Astros.

Clarke (shoulder) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Clarke spent a month and a half on the injured list, but he made three rehab appearances prior to his return. Across his two outings at Triple-A Reno, the righty allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three in two scoreless frames. The right-hander should serve as a middle reliever now that he's fully healthy.

The Diamondbacks optioned Bukauskas to Triple-A Reno following Wednesday's game against the Giants.

The righty has appeared in three games since being recalled July 30, most recently throwing a scoreless inning in Wednesday's contest. Bukauskas' overall numbers this season are not good, though, as he has a 7.79 ERA and 1.79 WHIP in 17.1 big-league relief innings.

Almonte (undisclosed) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.

Almonte landed on the COVID-19 IL on July 16, but he threw a bullpen session in late July and recently made two rehab appearances at Triple-A Albuquerque. During his rehab outings, he allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one in two scoreless innings. The right-hander will serve as a late reliever once again, but he's unlikely to see many high-leverage chances since he's posted a 10.67 ERA and 1.93 WHIP in 27 innings across 31 relief appearances this year.

Rolison broke a bone in his throwing hand while fielding balls and is questionable to return before the end of the season, Joe Healy of Baseball America reports.

It's been a rough go for Rolison, as he was on his way back from appendicitis when he suffered this latest injury. He was supposed to resume throwing by the end of July, but it is unclear if that happened. Prior to getting his appendix removed, Rolison quickly forced a promotion from Double-A Hartford after logging a 3.07 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 14.2 innings (three starts). He has a 4.38 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 12.1 innings through three starts with Triple-A Albuquerque.

Pruitt was designated for assignment Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The righty has appeared in one game for Miami since being acquired at the trade deadline, pitching a scoreless inning Friday against the the Yankees. It's unclear whether Pruitt's demotion is a long-term move, or if he's just temporarily off the 26-man and 40-man rosters to make room for Thursday's starter Braxton Garrett.

Smith earned the save over the Cardinals on Wednesday by pitching a perfect inning during which he struck out two.

It was a relatively stress-free save for the southpaw, who entered the contest in the ninth inning with Atlanta up by three runs. He made quick work of the Cards, sandwiching a groundout between a pair or punchouts. Since blowing a save against the Mets on July 1, Smith has converted six straight save opportunities while posting a 1.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB across nine one-inning outings.