MLB Player News

Scrubb (shoulder) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Scrubb began a rehab assignment at the end of August and recorded a 1.69 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 5.1 innings across 5.1 innings. He'll remain in the minors now that he's healthy but will be considered for a call-up if the Astros need a fresh bullpen arm late in the season.

Montero (lat) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Montero has been on the injured list since Aug. 10 due to a lat strain, so his move to the 60-day IL means that he won't have enough time to return during the regular season. The Astros haven't yet indicated whether Wednesday's transaction was prompted by a setback in the right-hander's recovery, and it's not clear whether he could be available for a potential postseason run.

Marte (undisclosed) could be activated for the Angels' series finale against Oakland on Sunday, per MLB.com.

Marte's only appearance on the mound for the Angels this season took place Aug. 20. He was placed on the injured list without a designation shortly thereafter, and he wasn't able to rejoin the club until early September. The right-hander has since been tossing bullpens and appears nearly ready to return to the active roster.

Reyes (8-8) was credited with the win in an extra-innings victory over the Mets on Tuesday, firing a scoreless 10th inning during which he issued a walk.

Reyes continued trending in the right direction with another strong outing Tuesday, one that saw him get his three outs on an efficient 13 pitches. The right-hander has settled into a nice groove as more of a setup option of late, generating four straight scoreless appearances and six in his last eight trips to the mound overall.

Brogdon was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain Wednesday, retroactive to Sept. 13.

Brogdon pitched well recently, as he posted a 1.69 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 10.2 innings across his last 10 appearances while working mainly in lower-leverage situations. Right-hander Ramon Rosso was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his place in the bullpen, and it's not yet clear whether Brogdon will have enough time to return in 2021.

Bednar (oblique) resumed playing catch Wednesday and is feeling pain free, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Bednar's ability to start throwing again just one day after being placed on the injured list suggests his right oblique strain is a relatively minor one. That said, he'll still need to progress to throwing off a mound and facing hitters in live batting practice or simulated games, so Bednar is far from a safe bet to make it back from the 10-day injured list before the end of the season. In the meantime, Chris Stratton represents the top candidate to pick up saves for the Pirates.

Smith (shoulder) resumed playing catch earlier this month but is without a clear timeline for returning from the 10-day injured list, MLB.com reports.

Before he was placed on the injured list Aug. 14 with right shoulder inflammation, Smith had been productive for the Mets in a middle-relief role, posting a 2.40 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 31 appearances. The Mets haven't shut Smith down for the season, but since he has yet to resume facing hitters, he may have a tough time making it back in the next two and a half weeks.

Gallegos was charged with his eighth blown lead of the season after he gave up a run on one hit while striking out one over an inning of relief in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Mets in 11 innings.

Tasked with protecting a one-run advantage in the bottom of the ninth, Gallegos surrendered a leadoff home run to Javier Baez to send the game to extras. Alex Reyes entered the contest the following inning and was credited with the win, while Kwang Hyun Kim kept the Mets off the board in the bottom of the 11th to claim his first save. Since Reyes was transitioned out of the closer role earlier this month, Gallegos picked up four saves in dominant fashion before Tuesday's hiccup, so he still looks to be the Cardinals' top late-inning arm.

Fairbanks secured his 14th hold in a win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday, allowing a hit over a scoreless sixth inning.

Fairbanks' control could hardly have been sharper, as he got all nine offerings into the strike zone during a blink-and-you-missed-it frame. The right-hander's dominant performance was a nice bounce-back effort after he took the loss against Detroit his last time out by allowing three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Barnes is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday and is expected to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Barnes initially appeared on tap to return from the IL ahead of Wednesday's series finale in Seattle, but the Red Sox will instead have him pitch in a tune-up outing in the minors before he rejoins the big club. Assuming Barnes feels fine physically following the outing, he should be ready to take on a late-inning role with Boston over the weekend. Before testing positive for the virus Aug. 30, Barnes was already on the ropes as the Red Sox's closer after blowing his last two save chances and allowing 10 earned runs across his last 10 appearances. Adam Ottavino, Hansel Robles and Garrett Whitlock have all picked up saves while Barnes has been sidelined, though none of the three has truly run away with the closer's gig.