MLB Player News

Karros has cleared concussion protocol and will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Hartford on Thursday, Eli Whitney of Blake Street Banter reports.

Karros has been on the 7-day injured list twice since mid-August, which is worrisome, but he appears to be in the clear now. He is slated to remain with Hartford through the end of the weekend. If all goes well, Karros appears poised for a return to the Rockies' active roster next week as the club begins a road trip.

The Mets optioned Ross to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

Ross tossed a perfect inning of relief Tuesday versus the Rays in his major-league debut, but he's now headed back to Syracuse to make roster space for the return of Justin Hagenman (rib). The righty reliever should be back in the big leagues later this month.

The Mets activated Hagenman (rib) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Hagenman will make a spot start Wednesday versus the Rays in what will be his season debut for the Mets. The right-hander has been shelved since spring training with a fractured rib, but he's pitched well in three rehab outings, yielding five runs (three earned) with a 9:1 K:BB over 9.1 innings. Hagenman tossed 64 pitches in his last appearance, so his workload will be truncated in Tampa Bay. He will likely work in long relief after Wednesday's start.

Gonzalez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Giants.

It's the first time in the second half that Gonzalez hasn't started at shortstop for the Pirates when the opposition had a righty on the bump. Jared Triolo will handle shortstop Wednesday as the Giants send righty Landen Roupp to the hill.

Soroka (shoulder) will throw a simulated game Friday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Soroka was placed on the 15-day injured list with right arm inflammation last week and is eyeing a minimum-length stay with a potential return next week if all goes well during his simulated game. The right-hander owns a 3.40 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 91:24 K:BB across 95.1 innings spanning 18 starts this season.

Gallen (elbow) will throw a simulated game Friday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Both Gallen and Michael Soroka (shoulder) will toss sim games Friday with the hope of returning to the team next week. Gallen has been sidelined since July 7 with right elbow inflammation. He made a rehab start with Triple-A Reno over the weekend, allowing a hit and walking two with two strikeouts across 1.2 frames. Gallen is aiming for 60 pitches Friday.

Casparius (shoulder) experienced arm fatigue while on a minor-league rehab assignment and has been shut down from throwing, MLB.com reports.

Casparius landed on the injured list in mid-April due to right shoulder inflammation. He began a rehab stint July 25 and has logged 10 appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City. The righty reliever struggled to a 7.27 ERA, 2.56 WHIP and 10:14 K:BB over 8.2 innings during his rehab assignment, though he had been showing improvement with just one earned run allowed across his past five frames. It's unclear how much Casparius' arm fatigue will set him back, but it's certainly possible that he won't return to the big-league club this year.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Nelson (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Visalia on Saturday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

Lovullo also noted that Nelson -- who has been sidelined since late June with a right elbow strain -- is likely to be used out of the bullpen when he returns. Coming back as a reliever should shorten Nelson's rehab assignment, though he figures to require additional rehab outings after Saturday.

Ruiz was lifted from Wednesday's game against Atlanta in the fourth inning after taking a foul tip to the mask, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

Ruiz has a history of concussions, so this is a worrisome development. The Nationals should have more on his status after the game. Ruiz flew out in his lone plate appearance Wednesday before exiting. He was replaced by Harry Ford, who would stand to benefit if Ruiz needs to miss additional time.

Smith went 1-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's loss to St. Louis.

Smith returned Tuesday from a nearly three-month stay on the injured due to a neck injury. The All-Star catcher started behind the plate and batted fifth in the Dodgers' order. Smith flied out in each of his first three plate appearances before roping a two-run double to left field in the seventh inning. He'll have about four weeks to shake any rust ahead of the postseason and should return to a regular role as Los Angeles' top backstop, with Hunter Feduccia serving as his primary backup.