MLB Player News

Manager Rob Thomson said Wednesday that Harper (wrist) has improved strength and range of motion, and the first baseman is "getting close" to throwing, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The 32-year-old has been fielding grounders since landing on the injured list June 7 due to wrist inflammation, but he has yet to be cleared to resume throwing or swing a bat. Harper may not require a rehab assignment before rejoining the active roster, but he'll need to get back to full baseball activities before a potential return date comes into focus.

Kemp's absence from the lineup Wednesday against the Marlins is due to a knee injury, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The 25-year-old fouled a pitch off his knee during Tuesday's contest, and the subsequent swelling will keep him out of the lineup Wednesday for the first time since being promoted June 7. Kemp has a .278 average (10-for-39) in his first 10 big-league games, though his .306 slugging percentage is significantly less impressive as he has just one extra-base hit (a double). Alec Bohm shifted to first base Wednesday for the Phillies.

Conforto is not in the Dodgers' starting lineup against the Padres on Wednesday.

Andy Pages, Hyeseong Kim and Teoscar Hernandez will start in the outfield from left to right while Conforto begins the game on the bench. Conforto has gone 6-for-40 (.150) with one home run and four RBI since the beginning of June.

Smith is not in the Dodgers' starting lineup against the Padres on Wednesday.

Smith will be on the bench for the start of Wednesday's game while Dalton Rushing serves behind home plate and bats ninth. Smith has reached base safely in each of his last nine starts, and over that span he has gone 13-for-36 (.361) with 10 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, two home runs and nine RBI.

Taillon and the Cubs won't face the Brewers on Wednesday after the game was postponed due to rain in Chicago, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Chicago and Milwaukee will play a doubleheader Aug. 18 to make up for Wednesday's game. Taillon's next outing will be pushed back to Thursday's series finale, during which he'll be looking to record his sixth consecutive win.

Gray and the Cardinals will not play against the White Sox on Wednesday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather in Chicago, Jack Ankony of SI.com reports.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Thursday, with Gray likely to take the mound for one of those contests. The veteran right-hander recorded four consecutive quality starts before yielding six runs across 4.1 innings in a loss to the Brewers his last time out.

Misiorowski and the Brewers won't face the Cubs as scheduled Wednesday, as the game was postponed due to rain, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The two sides will make up Wednesday's contest during a doubleheader Aug. 18; meanwhile, Misiorowski will likely take the mound for Thursday's series finale. The 23-year-old righty will aim to remain dominant after throwing five hitless innings during his MLB debut last week.

The Giants activated Verlander (pectoral) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his start against the Guardians on Wednesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Verlander has been cleared to return to the Giants' rotation after a near four-week stint on the IL due to a right pectoral strain. He was able to skip a rehab assignment and could face some workload limitations in his first start since May 18 against the Athletics. Verlander went 0-2 in his six starts prior to landing on the IL, registering a 2.97 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 24:12 K:BB across 33.1 innings over that span.

The Giants reinstated Bailey (neck) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bailey needed only a minimum stint on the injured list to recover from a neck strain. Logan Porter was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move and Andrew Knizner will serve as the backup catcher now that Bailey is back in the mix.

The Giants optioned Beck to Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

With Justin Verlander (pectoral) returning from the injured list to start Wednesday's game against Cleveland, Beck will end up as the odd man without a spot on the Giants' pitching staff. The 28-year-old righty turned in a 4.50 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 12 innings during his time in San Francisco.