MLB Player News

The Cubs reinstated Palencia (lat) from the 15-day injured list Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Placed on the shelf April 17 due to a lat strain, Palencia ended up missing just over the minimum amount of time. The righty will rejoin the Cubs after making a 19-pitch rehab appearance for Triple-A Iowa on Friday, when he retired two of the three batters he faced and averaged 100.4 miles per hour with his fastball. Given the brevity of his absence, Palencia should settle back in as the Cubs' closer right away.

The Reds placed Johnson (personal) on the bereavement list Sunday.

The 34-year-old will step away from the team for a few days for personal reasons. Johnson could rejoin the Reds toward the end of the upcoming road series versus the Cubs, which ends Thursday.

Atlanta optioned Stratton to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Stratton's stay in the big leagues lasted just two days, with the reliever making his lone appearance Saturday, when he tossed a scoreless inning in Atlanta's 9-1 win over Colorado. He'll cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to right-hander Spencer Strider (oblique), who was reinstated from the injured list ahead of his scheduled start in Sunday's series finale in Colorado.

Ferguson (oblique) allowed one run on one hit and struck out two over one inning for Double-A Chattanooga on Friday.

Ferguson threw 16 pitches (12 strikes) as the opener in his second rehab appearance for the Lookouts. The Reds are expected to have the left-hander throw at least two more games for Triple-A Louisville before activating him from the IL, MLB.com reports.

Erceg earned the save in Saturday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Mariners, striking out two in a perfect 10th inning.

Erceg was called in after the Royals took the lead in the top of the 10th inning and slammed the door on 17 pitches. It marked back-to-back clean appearances for the 31-year-old, who has now gone six straight outings without allowing an earned run. On the year, he's 9-for-11 in save chances with a 3.77 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 13:10 K:BB across 14.1 innings.

Munoz blew the save in Saturday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Royals, allowing one unearned run on two hits and no walks with one strikeout in the ninth inning.

Munoz was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth but gave up a run on a one-out single that was uncharacteristically misplayed by Julio Rodriguez. It continued what has been a somewhat rocky start for the top-tier closer, though the appearance actually lowered Munoz's season ERA from 6.00 to 5.54. Overall, he's 6-for-8 in save chances while also posting a 1.38 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB across 13 innings in the early going.

O'Brien notched the save Saturday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out two.

O'Brien needed every bit of the three-run cushion he was granted, giving up four straight hits and two runs with two outs before finally closing the door with a strikeout -- although three of those hits were inches away from becoming outs in the gloves of Masyn Winn or JJ Wetherholt. The 31-year-old right-hander has been a bit shaky lately, converting just three of his last five save chances while yielding four runs during that span. Overall, O'Brien still sports a 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 19:1 K:BB with nine saves across 16.1 innings.

Dominguez earned the save in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Padres, striking out one and retiring both batters he faced in the ninth inning.

Dominguez entered with a four-run lead and the bases loaded after Grant Taylor struggled to open the ninth inning, and the former slammed the door on just six pitches. Since blowing a save April 16, the 31-year-old has converted five straight opportunities while keeping opponents off the board in seven of eight outings during that span. For the year, he's 8-for-10 in save chances with a 3.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB across 13.2 innings.

Holton will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher for Sunday's against the Rangers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch has already indicated that Detroit plans to treat Sunday as a bullpen day, so Holton is likely to cover an inning or two before the Tigers turn to a cadre of relievers to finish out the contest. The lefty has made 13 appearances this season, registering a 5.54 ERA, 1.92 WHIP and 9:8 K:BB across 13 innings.

Mlodzinski (2-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 17-7 rout of the Reds, giving up five runs on eight hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out 10.

The 10 strikeouts were a career high for Mlodzinski, but he fell short of lasting six innings for the second time this season and was lifted after 101 pitches (67 strikes), including a dominant 40 called or swinging strikes. The right-hander will take a 4.76 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 40:13 K:BB through 34 innings into his next start, which is set to come on the road next weekend in San Francisco.