MLB Player News

Miller (elbow) threw 25 pitches of live batting practice Friday, the Associated Press reports.

The right-hander was facing hitters for the second time in three days and felt "fantastic" during Friday's session, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The Diamondbacks will likely limit Miller's activity for the next few days before allowing him to throw again as the club takes a cautious approach in bringing him back from May 2017 Tommy John surgery. A formal timeline for Miller's return from the 60-day disabled list hasn't been established, but the general expectation is that he'll be ready to handle a starter's workload at some point shortly before the All-Star break.

Strop (3-0) retired the only hitter he faced and snagged the win Friday against the Brewers.

Strop came on in the top of the seventh with runners on the corners and two outs, and he retired Jesus Aguilar on just three pitches to get out of the jam. He then became the pitcher of record when the Cubs broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom half of the inning. Strop has a strong 2.79 ERA this season and he's on pace to surpass his career high in wins, which is currently five.

Boxberger struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his seventh save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Nationals.

He has yet to blow a save this season, but Boxberger hasn't been completely lights-out recently, coughing up five runs over his three prior appearances heading into Friday. The right-hander still has a 2.70 ERA and 13:4 K:BB in 10 innings on the year, but if his struggles grow worse, Archie Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano are both pitching extremely well and appear ready to step into the closer role if necessary.

Suter (1-2) did not factor in the decision Friday as he struck out three batters over five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and one walk in a 3-2 loss to the Cubs.

Suter looked to be in for a long afternoon as he gave up two runs on four hits in the first inning, but allowed only two baserunners over his final four frames. The 28-year-old's next start is slated for Wednesday at Cincinnati, and he carries an unattractive 5.34 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 30.1 innings (six starts) with 22 strikeouts.

Mayers was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

The Cardinals continue to employ a bullpen rotation of sorts with their minor-league affiliate, with Mayers being the latest addition to the big-league relief corps. The 26-year-old has allowed just one run this season in 10 innings between the majors and minors. To make room for him on the active roster, John Gant was optioned to Triple-A.

Richards was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans on Friday, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

The 24-year-old has been in the Miami rotation for five starts this season, but he's produced mixed results. On one hand, he continues to display strong strikeout numbers as his 24 whiffs in 23.2 innings pitched shows. However, his ERA still sits at a 4.94 mark due in part to a 5.3 BB/9 and a 1.1 HR/9. Richards will head to the minors for a bit more development, though it wouldn't be surprising to see him back in the big leagues if another injury strikes the Marlins' rotation. Martin Prado was activated from the disabled list in a corresponding move.

Dominguez was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Dominguez had a strong start to the season for Double-A Reading after transitioning to a bullpen role, tossing 13 innings with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.12 FIP. He struck out 36.7 percent of batters while walking just 4.1 percent. Relievers can move quickly up through the levels, so if his hot start continues with Lehigh Valley, don't be surprised if he ends up in the Phillies' bullpen before the end of the season, especially since he's already on the 40-man roster.

Hernandez (shoulder) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list prior to Friday's game.

In a corresponding move, the club optioned Phil Gosselin to Triple-A Louisville. Hernandez wound up appearing in a pair of rehab outings with Louisville, and didn't experience any problems with the shoulder inflammation that has lingered since late March. Expect the 32-year-old to slide into a late-inning role in the Reds' bullpen.

Nelson (shoulder) is getting close to being ready to throw bullpen sessions, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

It's not exactly clear where Nelson stands in his recovery from shoulder surgery, as he has not yet been able to do any more than mimic throwing from a bullpen mound without a baseball being involved. However, things are seemingly moving in the right direction, as no setbacks have been reported along the way. Nelson still has too many steps to go in the process to provide an accurate estimate at his return date, but that will become much clearer once he is cleared to throw baseballs -- and not just air -- from a mound.

Erceg (head) returned to action Thursday for Double-A Biloxi, going 0-for-3 with a run, a walk and a strikeout in Birmingham.

He was sidelined for a couple days after a pitch struck his helmet in Monday's game, but fortunately avoided a DL stint, and presumably avoided a concussion. Erceg has cooled off a bit, hitting .222 with one home run and eight strikeouts over his last 36 at-bats, but still boasts an impressive .306/.378/.417 slash line on the young season.