MLB Player News

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Brown (neck) has begun to increase his activity and has taken part in workouts with plyometric balls, MLB.com reports.

Counsell added that Brown is considered "asymptomatic" as he recovers from a stress reaction with his neck, an injury that sent him to the shelf June 24. Though Brown has seemingly made decent progress after being shut down from activity for a few weeks, the Cubs want him to proceed conservatively with his rehab program. He's without an official timeline for a return from the 15-day injured list, and the Cubs likely won't be able to pinpoint a target date for Brown until he starts throwing off a mound and facing hitters.

Silseth registered a hold against Detroit on Sunday, allowing one hit in one scoreless inning.

Silseth took the mound in the seventh frame with the Angels holding a 3-1 lead. The right-hander gave up a one-out single but was able to finish the inning without allowing any runs. Silseth began his MLB career as a starter, but he's logged all 43 of his appearances out of the bullpen this season. He frequently worked in high leverage early in the campaign, though Sunday's hold was his first since June 12 -- a span of 14 appearances. Silseth has been one of the team's better relivers overall, compiling a 2.95 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 45:20 K:BB across 36.2 innings.

Triple-A St. Paul placed Laweryson on its 7-day injured list Sunday due to an unspecified injury.

Before hitting the shelf, Laweryson had tossed 3.1 scoreless innings over three appearances for St. Paul after the Twins demoted him July 6. The right-hander has covered 16.2 innings over 15 outings at the big-league level this season, logging a 4.86 ERA and 1.38 WHIP while gathering one win, one save and two holds.

Vesia struck out all three batters he faced on 10 pitches in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader versus the Yankees.

Vesia entered in the seventh inning and got the job done emphatically, striking out Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger -- all of whom have been in at least one All-Star Game -- on 10 pitches. Five of the lefty reliever's 10 strikes were whiffs, and the only ball he threw was on an 0-2 slider to Goldschmidt. Vesia has been dominant despite a touch of wildness over his past 16 appearances, posting a 0.75 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 18:10 K:BB over 12 innings during that span. He's been Los Angeles' top setup man this year, leading the club with 16 holds while adding three saves, one win, a 2.14 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP and a 48:22 K:BB with no homers allowed across 33.2 frames spanning 44 outings.

Cruz was charged with a blown save in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, as he gave up one run on one hit and two walks while recording his only out via strikeout.

Cruz entered in the eighth inning with New York clinging to a one-run lead. He made a mess of things, giving up a game-tying leadoff homer to Tommy Edman before issuing a pair of one-out walks. David Bednar entered for the Yankees following the second of those free passes and was able to extinguish the fire without allowing Los Angeles to cash in either walk. Though he struggled Sunday, Cruz has been quite reliable this year, posting a 2.40 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 52:24 K:BB over 41.1 innings spanning 46 appearances while notching four wins, one save and a team-leading 16 holds. Prior to Edman's long ball, Cruz had gone 34 appearances (covering 32.2 frames) without serving up a homer, compiling a 1.65 ERA and 1.10 WHIP during that span.

Headrick recorded a hold Sunday in the second game of a doubleheader against the Dodgers by tossing two perfect innings, during which he struck out three batters.

Headrick was the third pitcher to enter for New York in a bullpen game for both clubs. The left-hander thrived during his time on the mound, recording six outs on just 22 pitches, with four of his 15 of his strikes being of the swing-and-miss variety. It was the continuation of a dominant 26-outing span for Headrick, as he's posted a 0.69 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 31:8 K:BB over 26 innings while collecting five holds and two wins during that span. Coming into the campaign, Headrick had just one hold across 32 career regular-season relief appearances, but he's moved into higher-leverage work this year with 11 holds -- second-most on the Yankees -- over 49 outings.

Raya (shoulder) struck out two and allowed two earned runs on one hit and one walk across one inning in a rehab appearance Saturday with Triple-A St. Paul.

Raya appears to be tracking toward an abbreviated stay on the injured list after the Twins deactivated him July 8 due to a right shoulder impingement. He averaged 94.4 mph with his four-seam fastball Saturday, with that velocity being right on par with his season-long average. According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Raya is slated to cover two innings and throw around 35 pitches in his next outing with St. Paul on Tuesday in what could be his final rehab appearance before he gets reinstated.

Blubaugh struck out three and gave up one hit and one walk in a two-inning relief appearance in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles in 11 innings.

With no saves and just four holds this season, Blubaugh hasn't handled a high-leverage role for Houston but has found success as a multi-inning reliever. He's been especially effective over his last 15 appearances, recorded multiple strikeouts in all but one of those outings while pitching to a 2.22 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 25.4 K-BB% across 28.1 innings during that stretch.

Holmes (fibula) is tentatively scheduled to make his first minor-league rehab start Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Holmes had been slated to begin his rehab assignment this past Saturday with High-A Brooklyn, but as a result of rainy conditions, he instead opted for a 45-pitch bullpen session. The right-hander will look to build on that pitch count Thursday, and if all goes well, he could make his return from the 60-day injured list as soon as July 28. Holmes likely won't be stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload immediately upon his activation, but the Mets may be eager to showcase him to potential suitors ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Rodriguez (undisclosed) struck out a batter over a perfect inning Friday after being reinstated from High-A Brooklyn's 7-day injured list.

The one-inning start marked Rodriguez's debut outing for Brooklyn, after he had been stashed on the affiliate's injured list throughout the season. The 23-year-old lefty has struggled mightily to stay healthy for extended periods throughout his professional career. Since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2022, Rodriguez has logged just 16.2 total innings in affiliated ball.