MLB Player News

Alexander (shoulder) is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list in early July, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Alexander remains with Triple-A Oklahoma City for the time being, but manager Dave Roberts notes the southpaw will be ready for activation during the first week of July when he becomes eligible. He's been sidelined since May 1 due to left shoulder inflammation.

Megill was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Megill made three relief appearances with the Triple-A club after he was sent down in mid-June, and he allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out three in three innings. The right-hander will now rejoin the major-league bullpen as a low-leverage reliever after Tommy Nance was sent down Monday.

Nance was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Nance tossed 11.1 scoreless innings across his first 12 appearances with the major-league club this year, but he posted a 9.53 ERA in 5.2 innings across his last four appearances. He'll attempt to sort things out in the minors after right-hander Trevor Megill was recalled in a corresponding move.

Weber was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Monday.

Weber spent just under a week in the Brewers' bullpen, and he tossed a scoreless inning in his lone relief appearance. The right-hander will now head back to the Triple-A level after Pablo Reyes was recalled in a corresponding move.

Hudson (elbow) played catch in the outfield ahead of Monday's game against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Hudson played catch for the second time in the last five days, and manager Dave Martinez said that the right-hander is expected to resume mound work Wednesday. While the 34-year-old's progress has been encouraging so far, a better idea of his return timetable could be revealed once he's able to ramp up his throwing program.

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.