MLB Player News

Thompson (lat) said Friday that he's hoping to resume a throwing program within the next "week or two," Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Thompson resumed throwing in June following a setback with his left lat in May, but evidently he suffered another setback that has limited him to a strengthening program. The left-hander admitted Friday that he's still feeling discomfort, so a resumption of his throwing program by early August doesn't seem to be a given. Thompson has been sidelined all season with a high-grade left lat strain.

Doval allowed two earned runs on three hits while hitting one batter and striking out three across one inning in Friday's 8-1 defeat to the Mets.

Doval entered the game in the ninth inning, hitting the first batter he faced before striking out the next two. However, the right-hander then surrendered a ground-rule double and threw a wild pitch, allowing a run to score before giving up an RBI single. The 28-year-old has made seven appearances this month, posting a 5.63 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 10:7 K:BB with two saves and one blown save across eight innings during that span.

The Phillies designated Cusick for assignment Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Cusick will surrender his spot on the Phillies' 40-man roster to make room for Brewer Hicklen, who was acquired from Detroit on Saturday. Cusick, 25, owns an 8.34 ERA and 1.94 WHIP through 22.2 innings in Triple-A this season, making it likely he clears waivers.

Lynch (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Saturday.

Nerve irritation in Lynch's left elbow landed him on the injured list July 6. Now that he has the green light to return to game action, the left-hander shouldn't require too many tune-up outings before being cleared to rejoin the Kansas City bullpen.

The Yankees reinstated De Los Santos (elbow) from the injured list Saturday.

De Los Santos landed on the injured list in mid-June due to elbow discomfort, but after two rehab outings in the minors, he'll now rejoin the Yankees' bullpen. The 27-year-old carries a 1.80 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP through 20 innings with New York this year and should take on a middle-relief role now that he's healthy.

The Guardians recalled Kent from Triple-A Columbus to serve as the team's 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader versus the Royals.

Kent is likely to stick around with the Guardians just for the day before heading back to Triple-A once the twin bill concludes. The 27-year-old righty has previously made four appearances out of the Cleveland bullpen this season, allowing five earned runs on eight hits and five walks while striking out eight over 7.1 innings.

Bowlan was called up from Triple-A Omaha and will serve as the Royals' 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against Cleveland.

Bowlan owns a 4.64 ERA and 1.27 WHIP through 21.1 innings with the Royals this season. The 28-year-old will likely be demoted back to Triple-A following Saturday's twin bill.

Simpson (2-0) picked up the win Friday over the Brewers, striking out one in a perfect sixth inning.

The 27-year-old southpaw has emerged as a strong option in the Marlins' bullpen since his rough big-league debut June 21 against Atlanta. Over his last 10 appearances and 11 innings, Simpson has posted a 0.82 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB while recording two wins and a hold.

Flexen allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits across two innings of relief in Friday's 12-5 loss to the White Sox. He struck out two.

Shota Imanaga allowed seven runs in his three innings of work to take the loss, so Flexen was off the hook there, but the latter still continued a disappointing stretch of games. Over his last three appearances, Flexen has allowed 11 earned runs across nine innings. This included his first start of the season, when he allowed three runs over four innings against the Yankees on July 11. The rough patch has raised Flexen's ERA from 0.83 to 3.02. The veteran righty will look to get back on track soon, but his fantasy value is already limited by his long-relief role.

Casparius gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his first career save in a 5-2 win over the Red Sox. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

The right-hander got checked out for a calf injury after a shaky appearance Tuesday, but Casparius was thrust right into a high-leverage spot after an MRI came back clean and got the job done on 19 pitches (12 strikes). With Tanner Scott (elbow) and Blake Treinen (forearm) currently on the shelf, late-inning roles in the Dodgers' bullpen are wide open, and Casparius appears to be in the mix for closing opportunities along with Alex Vesia and Kirby Yates. It wouldn't be a surprise if additional competition arrived at the trade deadline, however.