MLB Player News

Underwood was officially recalled from Triple-A Iowa to start Monday against the Dodgers.

This is simply expected to be a spot start, as the Cubs will soon return to a five-man rotation when Tyler Chatwood returns from the paternity list and fifth starter Mike Montgomery will likely head to the bullpen when Yu Darvish (triceps) returns from the disabled list in a week or two, unless the Cubs go with a six-man rotation. Underwood has a 4.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 60:20 K:BB in 71.2 innings this year in the Pacific Coast League.

Edwards (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Sunday without issue and will likely throw at least one more, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Edwards just resumed mound work after being limited to throwing only off flat ground, so the Cubs will take their time with him and make sure all is well before sending him out on a rehab assignment. If he avoids any setbacks during his next bullpen session, though, he could be given the green light to see game action with one of the Cubs' affiliates.

Neris was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Neris was optioned to Lehigh Valley just a week ago, but he will rejoin the big club in fewer than the standard 10 days required by that assignment due to fellow reliever Edubray Ramos' placement on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Neris tossed two scoreless innings in the minors, but he struggled mightily prior to being sent down, so manager Gabe Kapler may be hesitant to use him in key spots until it's clear Neris has turned things around.

Miller (elbow) has been activated from the disabled list, and will make his season debut Monday night against the Marlins.

Miller has been out of action since undergoing Tommy John surgery May 10, 2017, but he is ready to return to action after completing both his recovery and a rehab assignment. Miller threw 81 pitches in his final rehab start last week, and he doesn't figure to be extended too much beyond that in his first MLB start in over 14 months.

Phillips was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Phillips was called up Sunday to add another arm to the Braves' bullpen, but he was not used, and will head right back to Gwinnett. Expect Phillips to garner consideration next time the Braves need to call up a reliever from the minors.

Ferguson, who appeared out of the bullpen in relief of Clayton Kershaw (back) in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Mets, is expected to piggyback the southpaw again Thursday against the Cubs, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "[Working out of the bullpen is] something for [Ferguson] to grow on, that his pregame can be amended and he can be successful," manager Dave Roberts said.

Ferguson had been in line to make his fourth start with the Dodgers on Saturday, but the surprise return of Kershaw, who was initially scheduled to make a rehab start in the minors the same day, resulted in an assignment to the bullpen. With Kershaw being eased back in for only three innings (55 pitches), Ferguson still ended up getting plenty of work in long relief, and made quite the impression. He tossed four scoreless frames and worked around a few jams while striking out six batters, matching his best total from any of his previous three starts. Kershaw will likely face fewer restrictions against the Cubs, so expect Ferguson to see a lighter innings count out of the bullpen in his next appearance.

Dominguez was saddled with a blown save and a loss after allowing a pair of runs on a walk and three hits while getting just one out Sunday against the Nationals.

Dominguez was called on to face the toughest part of the Nationals' order with a man on first and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, holding a slim, one-run lead. He couldn't get the job done, allowing a double to Bryce Harper and singles to Daniel Murphy and Michael Taylor. The rookie's first 12 appearances were stellar, as he threw 14.2 scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts and allowed just three baserunners. He's fallen down to earth over his last eight appearances, allowing six runs and 16 baserunners in nine innings. Notably, Dominguez never pitched on back-to-back days in that first stretch but has done so three times in the latter stretch, with a 3.00 WHIP and a 12.00 ERA in those appearances. The Phillies may need to back off his usage a bit for him to remain effective.

Pivetta didn't factor into the decision against the Nationals on Sunday, giving up two earned runs on eight hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked two as the Phillies eventually fell 8-6.

Coming off his monster 13-strikeout effort against the Cardinals, Pivetta pitched well again against the Nationals but didn't find himself in line for the win as his bullpen gave up six earned runs after he departed. He's been susceptible to getting blown up from time to time, part of the reason his ERA is still high at 4.06 through 84.1 innings. He's a great source of strikeouts, however, with a 101:24 K:BB, and he's failed to punch out six or more batters just once in his past eight starts. He'll take on this same Nationals team in his next start, this time at home next Friday.

Hand (1-4) took the loss and blew the save in the Padres' 3-2 extra-innings defeat to the Giants on Sunday, giving up two earned runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout in his one-third of an inning.

This marked the second straight blown save for Hand and fourth of the season in 25 opportunities. He's been struggling of late overall, with five earned runs over his last four appearances. He had been having a fine season prior to this recent rough stretch, and he still sports a solid 2.82 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP to go along with his 21 saves, which has him tied with Colorado's Wade Davis for the most in the National League. His recent struggles would likely need to persist for longer before there start to be any serious questions regarding Hand's job security. However, San Diego still could trade him at the deadline if they fall out of the playoff race -- maybe to a club that'll deploy him as a setup arm.

Hudson, who was passed up for Monday's spot start against the Indians, allowed just one earned run on seven hits and a walk over eight innings in Triple-A Memphis' win over New Orleans on Saturday.

Hudson also struck out five, and Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports that he is now 4-0 with an 0.64 ERA over his last four starts. The promising right-hander also leads the Pacific Coast League with a 2.04 ERA across his 14 starts (88.1 innings). While he missed out on Monday's opportunity with the Cardinals, Hudson increasingly appears like a lock to be called up at some point this summer.