MLB Player News

Topa (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with the Rookie-level ACL Brewers Blue on Tuesday.

Topa has missed the entire regular season so far after suffering a flexor strain during spring training. He advanced to throwing bullpens in late June and will now participate in his first game action of the season. Given his lengthy absence, the right-hander will likely need multiple weeks in the minors to get ramped up, but he will certainly be a candidate to join the Brewers' bullpen in late July or early August, assuming he doesn't face any setbacks. Topa impressed during his brief time with the Brewers in 2020, posting a 2.35 ERA and 12:1 K:BB across 7.2 innings.

Weber was designated for assignment by the Brewers on Tuesday.

The Brewers claimed Weber after the right-hander was DFA'd by Boston last month. He pitched one scoreless inning for Milwaukee before being sent to Triple-A Nashville on June 27. With Milwaukee acquiring lefty Kyle Lobstein from the Nationals on Tuesday, Weber is the odd man out on the 40-man roster. The 30-year-old could attract interest on the waiver wire from clubs in search of bullpen depth.

Guzman (elbow) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday and optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Guzman has been on a rehab stint with Jacksonville since late June, and he's allowed five earned runs on nine hits and four walks across 7.1 innings. He'll reclaim his spot on the 40-man roster with his Tuesday activation but will remain in Triple-A for the time being. The Marlins could look to stretch out Guzman in hopes of having him available to start big-league games later this season.

Rodriguez went four innings in his most recent start for Double-A Rocket City, striking out six while allowing one run on three hits and a walk against Montgomery.

In three starts since being sent down to Double-A, he's pitched 1.1, then 2.2 and now four full innings, so it certainly appears that the Angels are stretching Rodriguez out for a potential starting role. There's not an obvious opening in the rotation for him, but considering that the 22-year-old hasn't thrown a whole lot of innings in his career, the team may be content to have him put in extra work as a starter in Double-A and perhaps Triple-A before he returns to the majors.

Szapucki underwent ulnar transposition surgery in his left elbow that will end his season, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The procedure was necessary to repair a nerve issue in the lefty's pitching elbow. Szapucki appeared in one game for the Mets this season and struggled, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks in just 3.2 innings. It's unclear whether he'll be healthy for the start of spring training in 2022.

The Pirates placed Howard on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right oblique strain, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

The lefty appeared in five games after being activated from the IL on June 29, posting a 16.20 ERA in 3.1 innings while walking four batters and hitting two. It's currently unclear whether Howard will be activated soon after he's eligible July 20. The Pirates have yet to announce a corresponding move.

Woods Richardson allowed 16 runs on 19 hits and 10 walks across 10.2 innings in his last three starts for Double-A New Hampshire prior to the All-Star break.

That leaves the young righty with a 5.53 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 40.2 innings spanning 10 outings with the Fisher Cats. He's shown great swing-and-miss stuff with a 12.8 K/9, but he also has a 4.7 BB/9. It's been an odd campaign so far for the highly regarded young arm, who pitched to a 2.25 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across his first five starts. The good news is that he's still just 20 years old in Double-A -- nearly five years younger than the average player at his level. He's got plenty of time to figure it out, and perhaps a temporary change of scenery will help, as Woods Richardson is part of the U.S. roster for the Olympics.

Chargois fired a scoreless fourth inning in a loss to the Angels on Sunday, recording two strikeouts.

Chargois took over for opener Hector Santiago and made quick work of the Angels in the fourth, needing only 15 pitches, six which impressively resulted in swinging strikes, to get through the one frame. Chargois allowed an earned run apiece in back-to-back appearances to close out June, but he's opened July with three straight scoreless one-inning efforts to coax his ERA and WHIP back down to 2.49 and 0.83, respectively.

Montero allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while recording two strikeouts over two innings in a loss to the Angels on Sunday.

Montero thus closes out the first half of the season in the midst of an extremely worrisome stretch of pitching that saw him post a 12.00 ERA, 2.44 WHIP and 2.0 HR/9 over the nine innings covering his last six starts. The right-hander's one-time closer responsibilities are a distant memory at this point, and manager Scott Servais may have a difficult time trusting Montero for anything other than low-leverage work moving forward.

Swanson fired a scoreless two-thirds of an inning during which he allowed a hit in a loss to the Angels on Sunday, his first appearance since being activated from the injured list Wednesday.

The right-hander was sidelined for what amounted to nearly a month and a half with a groin injury, but he was able to pick up right where he left off in his return Sunday. Swanson now has seven consecutive scoreless efforts dating back to May 13, lowering his ERA and WHIP to an elite 0.66 and 0.80, respectively.