MLB Player News

Atlanta plans to select Kimbrel's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Kimbrel signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta shortly before the regular season began and has made 15 appearances at Gwinnett, logging a 2.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP alongside a 17:8 K:BB across 14.2 innings. With Atlanta in need of bullpen help after giving up seven runs in the ninth inning of Thursday's 11-10 loss to Arizona, they'll now turn to the 37-year-old veteran for assistance. Kimbrel has accumulated 440 saves across his 15 years in the majors -- good enough for fifth most in MLB history -- though it's unclear what role he'll have in Atlanta's bullpen.

McGuire is starting at catcher and batting ninth in Thursday's game against the Nationals.

McGuire will pick up his first start since Sunday as Carson Kelly gets a breather. McGuire launched two home runs in his first game of the year back on May 25, but he's gone 0-for-9 with three strikeouts across three games since then. The veteran catcher doesn't have a ton of fantasy value as long as Kelly is healthy, and McGuire will likely be moved off the MLB roster entirely whenever Miguel Amaya (oblique) is able to return from the injured list.

Hodge (oblique/hip) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Hodge went on the 15-day injured list nearly three weeks ago with a strained oblique, but it's a hip impingement that's a bigger concern now for the reliever. He is expected to require a brief rehab assignment before returning from the injured list.

Imanaga (hamstring) threw a 39-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Imanaga faced hitters for the first time since going on the 15-day injured list in early May due to a strained left hamstring. Whether Imanaga will require a rehab assignment is not yet clear, but he still has some stamina to rebuild before being considered for a return to the Cubs rotation.

Bericoto (undisclosed) has gone 1-for-9 with four strikeouts in two games since he was assigned to Double-A Richmond after being reinstated from Triple-A Sacramento's 7-day injured list.

Bericoto missed about a month of action for Sacramento due to the injury before he was sent to Richmond after playing in six rehab games in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. The 23-year-old had slashed just .196/.196/.283 at Sacramento prior to missing time with the injury, so Bericoto could need an extended run of quality performances with Richmond before he rejoins the Triple-A club.

The Pirates re-signed Solak to a minor-league contract Thursday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Solak had elected free agency after being outrighted off the Pirates' 40-man roster, but he's back on a restructured pact. He went 1-for-11 at the dish during his brief time with the Pirates but has slashed .389/.449/.619 this season in the minors.

Canario is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Astros.

Tommy Pham could be re-taking the left-field job from Canario, as this will be Pham's second straight start there and fourth start in the last six games. Canario has a .546 OPS and 40 percent strikeout rate over his last 10 tilts.

Kelly is absent from the lineup for Thursday's tilt versus the Nationals.

Kelly started at catcher in the first two games of the three-game set but will get a breather for Thursday's finale. Reese McGuire is behind the dish and batting ninth.

Tucker (finger) will start in right field and bat second in Thursday's game against the Nationals.

Tucker was out of the lineup each of the past two days after jamming his right ring finger during Sunday's game versus the Reds, but he pinch hit Wednesday and he feels well enough to take the field for Thursday's series finale. The 28-year-old enters play Thursday sporting a .915 OPS with 12 home runs and 16 stolen bases.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that there's a "good possibility" Kopech (shoulder) will rejoin the active roster this weekend, Benjamin Royer of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kopech has been sidelined all season, first with right forearm inflammation and more recently a right shoulder impingement. After some initial struggles on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Kopech has been unscored upon in four of his last five appearances. The hard-throwing righty is likely to be eased into high-leverage situations.