MLB Player News

Poulin will serve as the opening pitcher in Saturday's game against the Yankees, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Poulin will receive his 11th opening assignment of the season and will likely remain in the game for an inning or two before turning the game over to bulk reliever Miles Mikolas. Poulin has given up just two runs in 10.1 innings since coming up from the minors in mid-June and carries a 2.83 ERA through 35 frames on the year.

Hill went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 10-2 loss to the Tigers.

Getting a rare start in center field against a right-hander pitcher after Justin Crawford (knee) was scratched, Hill accounted for all of Philly's offense on the night, including a solo shot off Jack Flaherty in the third inning. Over 48 plate appearances since being picked up from the White Sox in June, Hill's produced an impressive .356/.383/.600 slash line with three homers, seven RBI and nine runs, but his 2:19 BB:K suggests that level is unsustainable even if he remains in a short-side platoon role.

Nola didn't factor into the decision Friday, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks over five innings as the Phillies fell 10-2 to the Tigers. He struck out eight.

The veteran right-hander was lifted after 84 pitches (50 strikes) with the score tied 2-2, falling short of his sixth quality start of the season, only to see his bullpen implode. Nola has struggled to put together a consistent stretch of success this season, but he's lasted at least five innings and allowed three runs or fewer in four of his last five outings, posting a 5.47 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 31:7 K:BB over 26.1 innings during that span.

Chourio isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Pittsburgh.

Chourio will begin Saturday's festivities in the dugout after going 3-for-21 with an RBI and three runs scored during the Brewers' last series against St. Louis. Luis Lara will fill in as Milwaukee's left fielder and bat sixth.

The Brewers recalled Gasser from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday.

Gasser was sent down after making his last start during Tuesday's doubleheader, and he'll now return to the active roster Saturday to replace the injured Kyle Harrison (forearm). Gasser could be available to work in long relief during the Brewers' final three games before the All-Star break, before moving to the rotation to start in place of Harrison to begin the second half.

The Brewers placed Harrison on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Thursday, with left forearm tightness, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Harrison made an early exit from his last start due to an injury, and although he said after the game that he wasn't too concerned about it, the Brewers will move him to the injured list anyway. Robert Gasser will come up from the minors to fill the open roster spot and figures to claim Harrison's place in the rotation until further notice.

The Pirates transferred Griffin (finger) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Griffin was given an 8-to-10-week return timeline when he landed on the injured list Tuesday with a torn tendon in his left ring finger, so the Pirates will stash him away on the 60-day IL, which makes him ineligible for activation until Sept. 4 at the earliest. The move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster to help make room for Brandon Eisert and Jacob Gonzalez, both of whom were acquired in a trade with the White Sox on Friday.

The Pirates designated Sanders for assignment Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

A day after losing his place on the active roster, Sanders will now also be removed from the 40-man to help create space for new acquisitions Brandon Eisert and Jacob Gonzalez. Sanders has struggled in the big leagues up to this point but owns a 2.96 ERA through 24.1 innings in the minors, which could draw interest on the waiver wire from bullpen-needy teams.

O'Brien retired all three batters he faced with two strikeouts to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win against Atlanta.

O'Brien needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order and convert his 10th consecutive save opportunity. That brings the right-hander up to 23 saves on the season, moving him back into a three-way tie with Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran for the National League lead. While he has not blown a save since mid-May, O'Brien surrendered six runs with a 7:7 K:BB across 10 appearances in June. He finished the month with three straight scoreless outings and has followed up with three more clean appearances to begin July.

Leahy didn't factor into the decision Friday against Atlanta after allowing one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out two and did not issue a walk.

Leahy was hardly dominant as he tallied just one swinging strike on 44 pitches, but he kept Atlanta off the board by inducing five groundouts before a long rain delay ended his evening. The 30-year-old saw his two-start win streak come to an end Friday thanks to the rain, but he continued his strong run of form with just one run allowed in his past four starts. Leahy will head into the All-Star break with a 3.73 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 75:33 K:BB through 89.1 innings -- already the largest workload of his big-league career after he operated as a reliever the past few years.