MLB Player News

Almonte (shoulder) will throw a live batting practice session Friday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

It appears to be the first time he's faced hitters since going down with a right shoulder strain in early May. Almonte should be ready for a rehab assignment before long and is tracking toward a return before the end of the month.

Faucher struck out one in 1.1 perfect innings of relief to Thursday to record his fifth hold of the season in a loss to the Mets.

The 28-year-old right-hander continues to give the Marlins solid innings while seeing occasional high-leverage work. Faucher has been scored upon only twice in his last 12 appearances, posting a 2.38 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB through 11.1 innings over that stretch. JT Chargois' return from the IL figures to bump him down another spot in the bullpen pecking order, but if Miami cleans house at the deadline and ships out relievers like Tanner Scott, there could be an opening for Faucher in the late-inning crew.

Grove (4-3) was charged with the loss against the Rangers on Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits over one inning.

Grove was deployed as an opener but wound up having little margin for error as the Dodgers' offense managed to generate only one run on the night, leaving the right-hander with his first loss since May 10. He has allowed at least one run and multiple hits in two straight appearances. He's also failed to record a strikeout in three straight outings.

The Pirates outrighted Heller to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Heller passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment and will remain in the organization. The reliever yielded 12 runs (11 earned) over just two innings during his brief time with the Pirates this season.

Scott (5-5) took the loss and blew a save against the Mets on Thursday, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter over one-third of an inning.

Scott was 8-for-9 in save chances coming into Thursday and hadn't blown a save since mid-April. In fact, he had rattled off 19 straight outings without allowing an earned run, racking up five wins and seven saves during that stretch. However, the southpaw couldn't protect a one-run, ninth-inning lead versus New York, issuing a leadoff walk to Francisco Lindor before serving up a walk-off two-run blast to J.D. Martinez two batters later. Despite the implosion Thursday, Scott has pitched well enough this season to not currently be in danger of losing his closing role, but that success could also make him a prime candidate to be dealt by the rebuilding Marlins.

Roycroft (1-0) allowed a hit but didn't given up a run over two-thirds of an inning Thursday, earning the win over the Pirates.

Roycroft gave up four runs over six innings during his first stint on the Cardinals' roster, but he's been much better the second time around. He's on a 5.1-inning scoreless streak over his last five appearances, allowing just three hits with a 6:0 K:BB in that span. The 26-year-old right-hander has posted a 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB through 11.1 innings overall while serving in a low-leverage role. Roycroft has been steady, but he's at risk of losing his place in the majors soon, as Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) and Riley O'Brien (forearm) are on rehab assignments while Nick Robertson (elbow) has resumed mound work within the last week.

Kittredge allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.

The Cardinals' bullpen delivered 4.2 scoreless innings, with Kittredge closing it out since Ryan Helsley had pitched each of the two previous days. The save was Kittredge's first of the year to go with 18 holds and three blown saves over 33 appearances. He's hit a rough patch since May 25, allowing eight runs (seven earned) over his last 9.2 innings, but he remains firmly in the high-leverage mix for the Cardinals. Kittredge has a 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 31:8 K:BB through 30 innings.

Leiter (2-4) allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while retiring just two batters to take the loss Thursday against the Rays. He struck out one.

Chicago starter Justin Steele tossed six scoreless innings, but his effort was quickly wasted by Leiter, who couldn't get out of the seventh. The righty reliever has allowed runs in each of his last two appearances, which has pushed his ERA up from 3.20 to 4.44. Leiter had a sub-4.00 ERA each of the last two seasons for the Cubs, so while he's struggled some lately, his track record suggests that better days will be ahead.

Brasier (calf) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Brasier strained his right calf April 29 and has resumed playing catch. He'll officially be out until the end of June with this move, though it's not clear when he'll be ready for game action.

Hernandez was traded from the Pirates to the Dodgers in exchange for cash Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The Pirates designated Hernandez for assignment Tuesday after he struggled for much of the season at Triple-A Indianapolis. He'll likely start his time with the Dodgers at Triple-A Oklahoma City, though he could contribute at the big-league level this summer.