MLB Player News

Williams (back) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Tuesday at American Family Field, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Williams began throwing off a mound in late June, and it didn't take long for him to be cleared to face live hitters. The right-hander will require a minor-league rehab assignment before being reinstated from the 60-day injured list, though it's unclear how many outings he might need. The Brewers have been eyeing the July 30 trade deadline as a general target date for Williams' return.

Hoeing is scheduled to start Wednesday's game in Houston.

Due in large part to the Marlins' lack of healthy rotation arms, Hoeing was thrust into a starting role in his return from the 15-day injured list Friday despite having pitched in relief in all but one of his prior 17 appearances with the big club and during his rehab assignment. Hoeing ended up getting piggybacked by Roddery Munoz in Friday's loss to the White Sox, with the former covering the first three innings and the latter handling innings four through seven. Hoeing tossed only 46 pitches Friday, but the Marlins will likely be counting on him to work deeper into Wednesday's contest. Munoz won't be available to work in bulk relief behind Hoeing, as Munoz is slated to start Thursday.

Diaz (3-1) got the win during Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Pirates but also blew the save. He did not allow a run on one hit, one walk and one strikeout over 1.1 innings.

With the Mets leading 1-0, Diaz entered the game with two outs in the eighth and allowed a walk and the go-ahead hit. After Francisco Lindor gave his team the lead, Diaz came back out and pitched a clean ninth to pick up his third win. The 30-year-old returned from his 10-game suspension Saturday, and he picked up the save. With Sunday's outing, he hasn't allowed a run in his last six appearances and has lowered his ERA to 4.26.

Neris struck out the only batter he faced to earn the save in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Angels.

Neris was credited with the save after Luke Little loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning. Neris struck out Zach Neto on four pitches to end the threat. This is the second stretch of the season in which Neris has avoided giving up a run over five consecutive appearances, with this scoreless streak at 4.1 innings. He has a 9:2 K:BB in that span, and for the season, the closer is up to 12 saves with a 4.06 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 33:22 K:BB across 31 innings.

Wesneski (3-5) allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two over 6.1 innings, earning the win Sunday over the Angels.

Wesneski had allowed eight runs over nine innings across his previous two starts, but he took advantage of a favorable matchup Sunday to earn his first win since April 25. The right-hander is now at a 3.67 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 53:20 K:BB through 56.1 innings over 23 appearances (six starts). Wesneski is likely to remain in the rotation as the Cubs continue to navigate a rough stretch of injuries, and he's tentatively projected for a road start in St. Louis his next time out.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Kelly (shoulder) isn't expected to return from the 60-day injured list until after the All-Star break, the Associated Press reports.

Kelly tossed a pair of scoreless innings in his first two rehab appearances for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday and Friday before rejoining the Dodgers in Los Angeles. He tossed a simulated inning Sunday, but Roberts noted that the right-hander wasn't sharp, as he hit two batters during the outing. Roberts hasn't indicated that Kelly will be shut down, so the 36-year-old will presumably link back up with a minor-league affiliate during the upcoming week to make another rehab appearance or two before the Dodgers entertain his return to the bullpen after the break.

Chapman (1-4) blew a save and was tagged with Sunday's loss to the Mets. He allowed two runs on two hits, three walks and two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.

Chapman entered with a one-run lead in the ninth but loaded the bases and gave up a go-ahead two-run single to Francisco Lindor. Chapman was erratic with his control as he matched his season high with three walks and threw 40 pitches, his third-most in an outing in his career. The veteran has been the Pirates' closer since David Bednar went down with an oblique injury, but this is now three straight outings in which he has given up at least one run.

Ortiz did not factor into the decision in Sunday's loss to the Mets. He threw six shutout innings, giving up four hits and striking out five.

Ortiz is making a strong case to keep a spot in the Pirates rotation, especially with Bailey Falter recently hitting the IL with arm discomfort. Ortiz was given his second start of the season Sunday, and for the second time he hurled six impressive frames as the opener. The 25-year-old is pitching to a 2.95 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 61 innings in his third big-league season.

The Mets acquired Gage from the Dodgers on Sunday in exchange for cash considerations. He was subsequently optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.

The Dodgers added Gage to their 40-man roster last week, and he was quickly shipped off to another organization. The left-hander has a 4.29 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB over 21 innings at the Triple-A level this season.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he anticipates Bednar (oblique) reporting to Triple-A Indianapolis this week to begin a rehab assignment, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Bednar has been on the 15-day injured list since June 23 with a left oblique strain, but he's on the cusp of a return after he threw a 21-pitch live batting practice session Saturday without incident. Cherington didn't say whether Bednar would require more than one rehab appearance with Indianapolis, but with the All-Star break looming, it wouldn't be surprising if the Pirates waited until the start of their second-half schedule July 19 before activating their closer.