MLB Player News

The Reds reinstated Friedl (personal) from the paternity list and placed him on the restricted list Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

The outfielder has already been on the paternity list for the maximum three days, so he'll head to the restricted list since he won't be back in time for Friday's 12:40 p.m. EDT start time. Friedl is apparently traveling to rejoin the team in Cincinnati, so he could be back on the active roster for Saturday's series finale versus Atlanta.

Atlanta optioned Dunning to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

The right-hander surrendered five runs without recording an out Thursday against the Reds and is being demoted in favor of Austin Cox. In four appearances since being acquired by Atlanta, Dunning has given up nine runs with a 6:2 K:BB over 5.2 innings.

Atlanta recalled Cox from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

The left-hander has spent the past couple weeks in the minors but is back with Atlanta ahead of Friday's game in Cincinnati. Cox has made six MLB appearances this year and has allowed two earned runs with an 11:1 K:BB over eight innings.

The Cubs optioned Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The right-hander was called up by Chicago on Tuesday and will head back to Triple-A to clear roster space for the club's trade deadline additions. Hollowell fired a scoreless inning Tuesday and has given up just one earned run across 7.1 frames in the majors this season.

The Cubs optioned Ballesteros to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The 21-year-old was called up Wednesday by Chicago and went 1-for-2 with three-run double that day against Milwaukee, but he'll head back to the minors to make room on the MLB roster for trade deadline acquisition Willi Castro. Ballesteros has a .334/.393/.497 slash line with 26 doubles, nine homers and three steals in 86 games this year at Iowa.

Kinley gave up two hits and a walk in a scoreless seventh inning during Thursday's extra-inning win over the Reds. He struck out one.

Making his debut for Atlanta after being acquired from Colorado on Wednesday, Kinley was brought in with the game tied 3-3 and nearly made a mess of things, loading the bases with one out before getting Spencer Steer to pop out and fanning Jake Fraley. With closer Raisel Iglesias surprisingly still on the roster after the trade deadline, Kinley will be on the fringes of high-leverage work for his new club while Pierce Johnson and Dylan Lee continue to handle setup duties.

Johnson (2-3) picked up the win in Thursday's 12-11 extra-inning victory over the Reds, striking out one in 1.1 perfect relief innings.

The right-hander was viewed as a potential closer candidate for the final two months of the season if Raisel Iglesias got dealt, but with Iglesias still in Atlanta after the trade deadline, Johnson will remain in a setup role. He put an impressive July in the books during which he posted a 0.75 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB over 12 innings while notching one win and three holds in 12 appearances.

Ozuna went 1-for-2 with three walks, three runs scored and an RBI in Thursday's 12-11 extra-inning win over the Reds.

The veteran designated hitter was widely expected to get shipped out by Atlanta at the trade deadline, but the deadline came and went without a deal in place to send Ozuna to a contender. He's started four straight games -- three against left-handers and one against a righty -- and even hit cleanup Thursday, going 4-for-13 with two home runs, six RBI and a 6:1 BB:K during that span. However, his .235/.365/.399 slash line on the season and the remaining money on his $16 million salary for 2025 was apparently enough to deter teams from submitting a trade offer that Atlanta found palatable. With no reason to showcase the 34-year-old any further, Ozuna could slip back into a bench role while catchers Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy get more work at designated hitter the rest of the way.

Murphy went 2-for-2 with three walks, a double, a run scored and an RBI in Thursday's 12-11 extra-inning win over the Reds.

Getting the start behind the plate and batting sixth, Murphy had a perfect night as part of a 13-hit barrage from Atlanta. The veteran catcher got regular playing time in July as both he and rookie Drake Baldwin saw plenty of action at DH, but the fact that Marcell Ozuna remains on the roster after the trade deadline will likely cost Murphy at-bats over the final two months of the campaign. Over 82 plate appearances in July, Murphy slashed .250/.366/.559 with six doubles, five homers, 12 runs and 15 RBI.

Albies went 4-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI in Thursday's 12-11 extra-inning win over the Reds.

The second baseman led a 13-hit attack for Atlanta, scoring multiple runs in a game for the first time since May 29. Albies is on pace for the worst season of his career, but he's shown signs of life at the plate since the All-Star break, slashing .289/.411/.467 over the last 13 contests with two doubles, two homers, two steals, eight runs, 13 RBI and a strong 10:10 BB:K.