MLB Player News

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Valdez recently underwent season-ending surgery on his dislocated left shoulder, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Tomczyk estimated that Valdez would require about six months of recovery time, so the 26-year-old utility man should be back to full strength or close to it for spring training. Before being shut down with what was initially labeled as an inflamed left shoulder before it was determined he suffered a dislocation, Valdez played in 31 games for the Pirates and slashed .209/.294/.363 with two home runs, 12 RBI and seven runs across 102 plate appearances.

Sykora threw three perfect innings for Single-A Fredericksburg on Tuesday while striking out five.

The 21-year-old righty had a delayed start to the season as he recovered from offseason hip surgery, but Sykora has been dominant since being cleared to get back on the mound. After two appearances in the Florida Complex League in which he compiled a 14:1 K:BB through only five innings, Sykora got bumped up to Single-A and has kept rolling, producing a 0.00 ERA and 9:2 K:BB in six innings over two starts. His workload is still being monitored -- he threw only 42 pitches (29 strikes) Tuesday -- but another promotion to High-A could come quickly given the lack of a challenge Carolina League hitters are presenting him.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said that Jones will undergo season-ending surgery Wednesday on his right elbow, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Tomczyk didn't indicate whether the upcoming procedure will be Tommy John surgery, an internal brace surgery or another kind of surgery, so Jones' status for the 2026 season won't be immediately known until more details are provided. Even if the 23-year-old righty doesn't need to miss much time to begin the 2026 season, he could struggle to immediately regain his pre-surgery velocity and command, making him a risky investment in fantasy leagues.

Lindor went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to the Red Sox.

The Mets managed only four hits on the night, but Lindor did what he could to kick-start some offense from the top of the order. The All-Star shortstop is slashing just .233/.313/.397 through 18 games in May, but he's supplied three of his nine homers and five of his seven steals on the season during that span.

Estrada (wrist) took batting practice for a third straight day Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Estrada progressed to facing velocity during Tuesday's batting practice as he continues to work his way back from a fractured right wrist. A rehab assignment for Estrada seems to be coming soon, with a return to the Rockies' active roster expected by around June 1.

Faucher (2-2) took the loss Tuesday, failing to record an out while coughing up six runs on five hits and a walk in a 14-1 loss to the Cubs.

The right-hander entered the game with the score tied 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning and walked the first batter he faced before getting tagged for five straight singles, with all the runners eventually coming around to score. The disastrous performance snapped a streak of 12 straight appearances without allowing a run for Faucher, but despite that run of success he hasn't recorded a save since April 22 and appears to be firmly behind Jesus Tinoco in the pecking order for closing opportunities.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

With Miguel Amaya running hot at the plate of late, Cubs manager Craig Counsell has turned the catcher spot into more of a timeshare. Kelly will take a seat for the second time in the series while Amaya gets a chance to build on the five-RBI performance he delivered in Monday's 8-7 loss.

Vodnik (shoulder) threw a live batting practice session Monday, MLB.com reports.

Vodnik is likely to be cleared for a rehab assignment next, although that has not yet been confirmed by the Rockies. The reliever has been shelved since mid-April with right shoulder inflammation but is on pace to return before the end of May.

The Reds reinstated Moll (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

With Moll's 30-day rehab window coming to a close, the Reds were content with the members of their nine-man bullpen and opted to keep the lefty at Triple-A rather than opening a spot for him on the 26-man active roster. Moll should still rank near the top of the list for a call-up if the Reds require another relief arm at any point. The southpaw had posted a 6.52 ERA and 1.97 WHIP over 9.2 innings during his rehab assignment with Louisville, but he delivered scoreless appearances in four of his last five outings.

The Pirates optioned Mlodzinski to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.

As expected, Mlodzinski will head back to the minors while the Pirates open up a spot in the rotation for right-hander Mike Burrows, who was called up from Triple-A in advance of his first MLB start Thursday versus the Brewers. After winning a spot in the Opening Day rotation coming out of spring training, Mlodzinski struggled over his nine starts, going 1-4 with a 5.67 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 28:12 K:BB in 39.2 innings. He might stay stretched out as a member of the Indianapolis rotation, but Mlodzinski could be ticketed for the bullpen the next time he receives a call-up to Pittsburgh.