MLB Player News

Merryweather (ribs/back) underwent additional testing Monday and it was determined that he is dealing with a rib stress fracture in his back, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Merryweather was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right shoulder strain, but manager Craig Counsell announced his updated injury status Monday, stating that the right hander will be shut down from throwing for four weeks. Merryweather is now set to be on the shelf well past the minimum stay on the IL and in the meantime, Daniel Palencia will likely stick around the major-league bullpen.

The Dodgers optioned Varland to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Varland will return to Triple-A after being recalled by the Dodgers on April 6. He pitched against the Cubs on April 7, when he gave up two runs (one earned) on one hit over 0.1 innings. Prior to his call-up, Varland appeared in three games for OKC, giving up two runs on one hit and one walk over 3.2 innings.

Soriano will enter the Angels rotation and start Wednesday against the Rays in Anaheim, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The Angels stretched Soriano out in spring training before putting him back in the bullpen once the season began. However, with Chase Silseth (elbow) heading to the injured list, Soriano will now get a look in the rotation. Soriano came up as a starter in the minors and made two starts with Double-A Rocket City in 2023, but all 40 of his appearances in the majors to this point have come in relief. The 25-year-old has standout stuff with a fastball that regularly hits triple digits, but he also has two Tommy John surgeries under his belt and his professional high in innings is 82.1, which came back in 2019. Still, he may bring enough upside to the table for managers in deeper fantasy leagues to pick him up on speculation.

Zuniga was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right pectoral strain.

Zuniga evidently must have suffered the injury during Sunday's appearance against the Red Sox when he allowed four baserunners without recording an out. There's no timetable at this point for how long he might be sidelined.

Headrick was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul on Monday with a forearm strain, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

The left-hander presumably suffered the injury during his start against Nashville on Saturday, when he struck out seven across five scoreless innings. Headrick doesn't have an official timeline for his return, but the fact it's an forearm injury likely means he'll be out beyond the 7-day minimum.

Alcala experienced some soreness during his last appearance Saturday against the Guardians, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

It's not clear exactly what is sore on the reliever, but Alcala was able to play some light catch Sunday and will be reevaluated Monday. Consider him day-to-day for the time being.

Mariners manager Scott Servais revealed Monday that Bolton was placed on the 15-day injured list due to kidney stones, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Bolton's injury was initially listed as a general medical issue, but Servais provided more details after the right-hander's move to the IL. Bolton has allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three over six innings this season. Austin Voth, Tyson Miller and Brett de Geus figure to see more work out of the Mariners' bullpen in Bolton's absence.

The Astros designated Diaz for assignment Monday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The move corresponds with the Astros selecting the contract of right-hander Blair Henley from Triple-A Sugar Land. Diaz was claimed by the Astros on April 4 after being DFA'd by the Tigers on March 28 following a poor spring training. He appeared in one game for Houston this season, pitching one scoreless inning April 5 against the Rangers. Diaz will be available on waivers for an organization in need of bullpen depth.

The Astros selected Henley's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land, and he's scheduled to start Monday against the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

It remains unclear why Framber Valdez was scratched from his start Monday, but it will give Henley the chance to make his MLB debut. Henley spent last season at Double-A Corpus Christi and had a 5.06 ERA over 106.1 innings, and he allowed two earned runs with a 6:4 K:BB in five frames during his lone outing for Sugar Land this season. The 26-year-old righty doesn't have significant prospect pedigree and is facing one of the best lineups is baseball, so he shouldn't be on the streaming radar.

Bolton was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Mariners on Monday, retroactive to April 6, with a general medical issue, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

No further details are available, but Bolton will be sidelined at least for the next couple weeks. He had allowed two runs over his first six innings with the big club this season.