MLB Player News

Mears (back) played catch from 105 feet Tuesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The right-hander landed on the shelf last week due to back tightness but wasn't shut down from throwing for long. Mears will be eligible to be reinstated Sept. 17, and the Brewers are targeting that date or shortly after for his return from the injured list.

Megill (elbow) threw a successful live batting practice session Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

It was the first time Megill faced hitters since he was diagnosed with a Grade 1 right flexor strain in late August. He could thrown one more live batting practice session before being sent out on a rehab assignment. Megill is aiming to be activated from the 15-day injured list next Tuesday, and thus far, he seems on track to achieve that goal.

Sewald (shoulder), who has logged two scoreless innings in a rehab assignment with High-A West Michigan, could return from the injured list as soon as Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Sewald has yet to pitch for Detroit after getting acquired in a trade before the deadline. The 33-year-old righty last saw the mound on July 11 when he was with Cleveland, and he posted a 4.70 ERA and 18 strikeouts across 15.1 innings for the Guardians before going down with a right shoulder strain. The Tigers are hoping Sewald can provide some veteran bullpen depth for the stretch run, though he's unlikely to see save chances ahead of Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan (groin) once he's healthy.

Watson, who was promoted to Double-A Binghamton on Aug. 25, has a 2.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 128:56 K:BB in 111.2 innings across three levels of the minors this season.

A seventh-round selection out of USC in 2024, Watson spent the bulk of the year dominating for High-A Brooklyn (1.70 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 18.9 K-BB%) before getting the late-season promotion to Double-A. He has given up seven earned runs on 11 hits and seven walks while striking out eight in 8.2 innings across his first two appearances at Double-A. Watson's velocity has jumped in pro ball, with his fastball now sitting 93-95 mph (touches 97 mph) and playing up due to the ride he gets out of a lower arm slot. His changeup is his best secondary offering while his slider is a fine third pitch. He worked as a reliever at times in college and it's still unclear if he'll throw enough strikes to make it as a starter in the big leagues, but Watson's run at High-A should buy him more developmental time in the rotation.

With Daniel Palencia (shoulder) landing on the injured list Monday, Kittredge is an option to see more high-leverage work at the end of games, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Sharma notes that Chicago manager Craig Counsell is likely to deploy a committee approach to the ninth inning with Palencia out, rather than settle on a single closer. Kittredge is in that mix, though fellow righty Brad Keller might be a bit ahead of him in the bullpen pecking order and is probably the favorite for saves at the moment. The Cubs also have Caleb Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz as options from the left side. Kittredge probably will get a bump in fantasy value with Palencia out, but it remains to be seen exactly what the former's role will be.

Cruz (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Cruz has missed more than a month of action with right shoulder tendinitis but is ready to test things out in a game setting. As long as things go well, the righty reliever shouldn't require too many rehab outings before being reinstated from the 15-day injured list.

King (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

King hasn't been on a big-league mound since late July, as he dealt with an oblique strain and more recently a mid-back strain. It's not clear how many rehab appearances he'll require before being activated from the 15-day injured list, but he's nearing a return.

Coulombe (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco on Friday, MLB.com reports.

Coulombe last pitched Aug. 26 against the Angels, when he allowed a pair of home runs. He'll join Frisco for its final three games of the regular season. That gives the left-handed reliever ample opportunity to prepare for a potential activation Sept. 16, the earliest date on which he could return.

Munoz picked up the save in Monday's 4-2 win over the Cardinals. He allowed no hits and a walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning.

The hard-throwing righty made quick work of St. Louis, issuing only a one-out walk to Ivan Herrera before striking out Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman to secure his 33rd save of the season. It was Munoz's first outing since Aug. 31, as Seattle's schedule since then featured a four-game losing skid followed by back-to-back blowout wins over Atlanta that didn't require his services.

Dana (0-1) took the loss Monday, allowing five runs on five hits and five walks over 4.2 innings in a 12-3 loss to the Twins. He struck out nine.

Dana flashed both his potential and his flaws in his latest outing, piling up nine strikeouts but also issuing five walks and serving up two home runs. The right-hander has made four big-league appearances this season, including two starts since being recalled Sept. 3, and sits with a 6.32 ERA and 1.60 WHIP across 15.2 innings. While his 19 strikeouts show the swing-and-miss upside, 11 walks and continued issues with home runs highlight the command struggles holding him back.