MLB Player News

The Cubs selected Thornton's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

The move corresponds with Charlie Barnes being designated for assignment and the Cubs placing Matthew Boyd (knee) on the 15-day injured list. Thornton was activated from Iowa's 7-day injured list in late April after fully recovering from surgery in August to repair a torn left Achilles tendon. The 32-year-old right-hander has appeared in four Triple-A games, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five across 5.2 innings.

Pagan said Wednesday that he's been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and is expected to be sidelined 4-to-8 weeks, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Pagan aggravated a nagging hamstring issue on his first pitch of an appearance during Tuesday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Cubs and was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier Wednesday. With Pagan slated to miss at least a month of action, the Reds are likely to turn to Tony Santillan at closer, with Graham Ashcraft also potentially in the mix.

The Reds selected Antone's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

Antone's return to the big leagues is a great story of perseverance, as he's believed to be the third pitcher to make it back to the majors following three Tommy John surgeries, per Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati. The 32-year-old righty earned a promotion after collecting a 2.25 ERA and 15:6 K:BB over 12 innings with Louisville. When Antone gets into a game, it will be his first at the big-league level since April 7, 2024.

The Reds activated Johnson from the bereavement list Wednesday.

Johnson is ready to rejoin the bullpen after being away from the club for a few days. The veteran reliever will move up in the Reds' bullpen hierarchy while Emilio Pagan (hamstring) is out and could see some high-leverage opportunities.

The Reds placed Pagan on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left hamstring strain.

Pagan suffered the injury on the first pitch he threw during an appearance Tuesday against the Cubs. It's the second time this season he's had a left hamstring issue. He was unavailable for only a couple days the first time, but the reliever will miss at least a couple weeks of action this time around. Tony Santillan is the favorite to serve as the Reds' closer while Pagan is sidelined, and Graham Ashcraft could also be in the mix.

Perez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mets on Wednesday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Perez secured a spot on the Nationals' Opening Day roster coming out of spring training but was dropped from the 40-man roster last week after submitting a 6.19 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and 9:11 K:BB in 16 innings. After clearing waivers, Perez elected to become a free agent and was able to quickly catch on with a new organization. Perez is expected to report to Triple-A Syracuse and will likely need to show improved control before he receives a look in the New York bullpen.

Miller (back) will throw a bullpen session Thursday before beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Miller was just placed on the 15-day injured list Monday with a lower-back strain, but the Giants expect him to be ready for activation when first eligible. The left-hander is one of four pitchers to record a save for the Giants this season and is poised to return to the late-inning mix before the end of next week if all goes well.

The Dodgers optioned Eder to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

He's clearing out to make room on the roster and in the bullpen for the return of Brock Stewart (shoulder) from the injured list. Eder has yielded one run with a 1:1 K:BB over four innings during his time with the Dodgers this season.

The Dodgers reinstated Stewart (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Los Angeles optioned left-hander Jake Eder to Triple-A Oklahoma City to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Stewart, who has been given the green light to join the big club for the first time in 2026 after completing his recovery from the right shoulder debridement procedure he required last September. Stewart recently wrapped up an impressive eight-appearance rehab assignment between Single-A Ontario and Triple-A Oklahoma City during which he struck out 13 batters and allowed four hits and three walks over 6.1 scoreless innings. The Dodgers may start him out with some lower-leverage appearances out of the bullpen, but Stewart could quickly work his way into the setup mix.

Holmes is no longer scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Mariners, as Martin Perez is now slated to take the hill for Atlanta in the series finale in Seattle.

According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the change in the pitching schedule doesn't necessarily mean that Holmes will be heading to the bullpen on a permanent basis, and Atlanta could even steer clear of using him in relief Wednesday if the team wants him to make a start during the three-game series in Los Angeles this weekend. Atlanta may just have wanted to give Holmes a bit of a reset after he failed to reach six innings in three of his last four starts while pitching to a 5.95 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 15:9 K:BB during that span.