MLB Player News

Kranick was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Kranick tossed five perfect innings in his major-league debut against the Cardinals on Sunday, and general manager Ben Cherington revealed Sunday that the team plans to proceed with a six-man rotation through at least the All-Star break. While the right-hander is a strong candidate to make another start in the near future, he'll head back to the minors after right-hander Cody Ponce was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Reds manager David Bell said Monday that Hoffman (shoulder) will make a third rehab start for Triple-A Louisville later this week, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Hoffman's second rehab outing came Sunday, when he struck out six over four scoreless frames. He was capped at 49 pitches in that outing, so the Reds may want to see him increase his count to the 60-to-75 range before activating him from the 10-day injured list prior to the All-Star break. The Reds have yet to determine Hoffman's role upon returning from the IL, but he would have to settle for bullpen duties if the club opts to keep Vladimir Gutierrez in the rotation.

Gallegos has put together seven straight scoreless appearances during which he's allowed just two hits and forged an 8:0 K:BB across eight innings.

The hard-throwing right-hander also picked up his 12th hold in his most recent appearance Saturday, adding to his status as a key fantasy asset in formats that factor in that metric. Gallegos' 1.98 ERA and 0.66 WHIP are also elite, as is his 5.8 K/BB % across 41 innings.

Melancon earned the save against Arizona on Sunday with a perfect inning during which he struck out one batter.

The right-hander came on in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. He struggled with his control a bit, working a three-ball count to each of the first two batters he faced, but he was able to get through the frame without allowing any baserunners. Melancon has successfully converted each of his past five save opportunities and leads MLB with 24 saves on the season.

Bickford struck out two in a perfect inning against the Cubs on Sunday and has held opponents without an earned run in 14 of his 15 appearances since joining Los Angeles.

The right-hander's 2.70 ERA and 1.14 WHIP on the season look solid enough, but those numbers improve to 1.72 and 1.02, respectively, since Bickford debuted with the Dodgers on May 23. Aside from a rough outing against Texas on June 13 during which he was charged with three earned runs without getting an out, he has appeared nearly impossible to score upon. Since the blowup against the Rangers, Bickford has hurled 8.2 scoreless innings, registering a 12:3 K:BB and giving up only four hits.

The Rockies placed Stephenson on the 10-day injured list Monday with upper-back tightness.

Lefty Ben Bowden was summoned from Triple-A Albuquerque to fill Stephenson's spot in the Colorado bullpen. Over 27 relief appearances in his first season with the Rockies, Stephenson has posted a 4.56 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 23.2 innings.

Kranick is slated to remain part of the Pittsburgh rotation after general manager Ben Cherington revealed Sunday that the Pirates would proceed with a six-man starting staff through at least the All-Star break, Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic reports.

Only a mid-game rain delay could stop Kranick in his MLB debut in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Cardinals. The 23-year-old became the first pitcher since 1893 to toss at least five perfect innings in a debut outing, with the right-hander needing just 50 pitches (36 strikes) to record his 15 outs. He'll now get the chance to build on that excellent start, with his next turn most likely coming Saturday in Pittsburgh versus the Brewers.

Long (1-1) was tagged with the loss Sunday against Oakland after allowing four runs on four hits and three walks across five innings. He fanned three.

Long was unable to repeat what he had accomplished in his previous start against the Phillies, when he logged his first quality start of the season. Long has made just four starts this season and owns a rather unimpressive 4.95 ERA, though his 8.6 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 are showing some promise considering he's made just two starts and four appearances at the big-league level. If he stays in the rotation, his next start should come this weekend on the road against Arizona.

Howard is scheduled to start Monday's game against the Reds.

Howard will pick up his first start since June 15, as the Phillies' schedule has allowed the team to get by with a shortened four-man rotation for nearly two weeks. Before temporarily shifting to a relief role, Howard hadn't cleared four innings in any of his four starts, so the Phillies likely won't ask him to work deep into Monday's game as he transitions back into the rotation. Rookie Bailey Falter could be deployed as a piggyback pitcher behind Howard.

Kranick (1-0) earned the win in his big-league debut Sunday against the Cardinals after tossing five perfect innings, striking out three.

Kranick was perfect in his MLB debut, tossing 36 of his 50 pitches for strikes with no hits or walks while looking absolutely in control of the mound en route to an excellent performance. It's only one start and it's still way too early to make assumptions, but there's no question this was an excellent outing for the 23-year-old right-hander. He might have done enough to earn at least another start at some point next week, though his immediate future remains unclear.