MLB Player News

The Mariners optioned Nittoli to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Nittoli's first stint in the big leagues lasted just under a week after he was brought up from Tacoma last Friday. He made his MLB debut Wednesday against the Rockies, giving up two runs over one inning. Seattle will call up Keynan Middleton from Triple-A to replace Nittoli in the bullpen and on the 26-man active roster.

Sims' elbow sprain is expected to keep him out for 3-to-4 weeks, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The news certainly could have been a lot worse for the Reds, as this is Sims' second elbow issue of the year. He battled an elbow problem over the offseason and didn't appear in a Cactus League game until nearly the end of spring training. The given timeline means he'll return just after the All-Star break at the earliest and potentially not until late July. Sims had been the leading member of the Reds' closer committee, so other members of that committee such as Tejay Antone and Amir Garrett should see more opportunities in the ninth inning until he returns.

Flores was claimed off waivers by the Rockies on Thursday and was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Flores made a single relief appearance for the Cardinals back in early May, allowing a run on a hit and two walks while failing to record an out. He recorded an unimpressive 5.74 ERA and 1.86 WHIP in five starts and three relief appearances for Triple-A Memphis before being designated for assignment Tuesday. He'll serve as organizational depth for the Rockies for now.

Chavez will start Thursday's game against the Reds, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Chavez was let go by the Angels in late March, but he signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta in April and began the season with Triple-A Gwinnett. The 37-year-old posted a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 20 innings across 13 relief appearances, and he'll make a spot start Thursday. Since the right-hander has only pitched out of the bullpen across the past two seasons, Atlanta could rely heavily on its bullpen in Thursday's matchup.

Hentges will remain in the rotation and start Saturday's game against the Twins, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

After working in relief in his first three outings of June, Hentges moved back into the rotation last weekend, when a fifth starter was needed with Zach Plesac (thumb) and Shane Bieber (shoulder) on the injured list. Hentges delivered an excellent start against the Pirates, working five scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and a walk. He'll be awarded a second straight start on the back of his strong effort, and the 24-year-old lefty likely gained some additional security in the rotation Monday, when Aaron Civale (finger) suffered an injury that will likely keep him on the shelf until late July or early August.

Triple-A Albuquerque placed Rolison on the 7-day injured list June 14 after he had his appendix removed, MLB.com reports. Rockies manager Bud Black said Rolison is expected to be on the shelf for about six weeks.

Rolison, one of the Rockies' top pitching prospects in the upper levels of the minors, compiled a 4.38 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 12.1 innings over his first three starts with Albuquerque following his promotion from Double-A Hartford. He's not expected to rejoin the Albuquerque rotation until early August, which could hamper the 23-year-old lefty's chances of receiving a late-season call-up to the majors.

Sims was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a sprained right elbow.

Elbow issues are always worrisome for any pitcher, and they're especially worrisome for Sims, as he dealt with elbow troubles throughout the offseason and most of spring training. After a slow start to the season, he'd begun to settle down, allowing just one run over a stretch of 11 appearances while posting an 18:4 K:BB, but he was lit up for three runs while failing to record a single out Tuesday against the Twins. He leads the Reds in saves with seven, though the team has stuck with a committee approach, so fellow committee members Tejay Antone and Amir Garrett should pick up most of the slack going forward.

Tate allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three over 1.2 scoreless innings in Wednesday's 13-0 loss to Houston.

Through 11.1 innings in June, Tate has a 2.38 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB. The biggest flaw in the right-hander's pitching so far is a 3.5 BB/9, but he's been able to more effectively limit run-scoring opportunities lately. With a 3.81 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 18:10 K:BB in 26 innings overall, Tate could be in line to see more high-leverage work, although such opportunities aren't going to be common given Baltimore's struggles as a team this year.

Staumont allowed a hit and a walk with one strikeout in 1.1 scoreless innings in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees.

In five outings since he's returned from a knee injury, Staumont has not logged a save, hold or decision. He's given up three runs on six hits and two walks across 5.1 innings in that span. The 27-year-old saw time as the closer earlier in the season, but it appears Greg Holland -- who blew a save Wednesday -- has moved ahead of him in the pecking order for now. Kyle Zimmer is also a possibility for saves, although he's seen a more versatile role this year.

Blue Jays team president Mark Shapiro said Thursday that Pearson will soon receive a fourth medical opinion on his strained right groin, Arash Mardani of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The multiple medical opinions would seemingly suggest the Blue Jays have a high degree of concern about Pearson's injury, which is an aggravation of the same groin he strained back in spring training. The previous injury was a Grade 1 strain, but Pearson could be dealing with a moderate or more severe strain this time around. Expect the Blue Jays to provide a formal update on Pearson along with a potential recovery timeline once the organization is satisfied with the medical evaluations it has received.