MLB Player News

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

Cosgrove was brought up from the minors Friday to replace Caleb Thielbar (paternity) but will now head back to Iowa to clear space on the active roster for Cade Horton. Cosgrove has given up just one run in four innings with the Cubs this season and is a candidate to return to Chicago later in the year whenever the big club needs a fresh bullpen arm.

The Cubs selected Horton's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Although Brad Keller is listed as the starter for Saturday's contest against the Mets, Horton is still expected to make his MLB debut during the game -- likely as a bulk reliever. The 23-year-old righty has dazzled to the tune of a 1.24 ERA and a 33:13 K:BB across 29 innings in Triple-A this year, and he could make a case to remain on the big-league roster even once Shota Imanaga (hamstring) returns with a few strong performances. To clear roster space for Horton, Tom Cosgrove was optioned to Iowa, and Eli Morgan (elbow) was moved to the 60-day IL.

Darvish (elbow) threw three innings in a simulated game Thursday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Darvish threw 48 pitches during the session at the Padres' spring complex in Arizona. It was the first time the veteran hurler has thrown to hitters since his second start of spring training, after which he was diagnosed with right elbow inflammation. Padres manager Mike Shildt declined to give a timeline for Darvish's return but stated that the right-handed starter is "definitely getting closer" and suggested that he could be activated off the IL without significant buildup, stating, "I think we're going to trust a guy that's got 200 professional wins and 3,000 strikeouts." It's possible that Darvish could return to San Diego's rotation before the end of May, but if he does get the go-ahead that soon, he'd likely be on a somewhat limited pitch count in his initial outings.

The Diamondbacks optioned Mena to Triple-A Reno on Saturday.

Mena made his season debut Friday, striking out five batters across 3.2 shutout innings. He'll now be sent back to Triple-A in favor of Joe Mantiply, but Mena's strong outing could keep him in consideration for another promotion later in the season.

The Diamondbacks recalled Mantiply from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.

Mantiply has given up 13 runs in only 7.1 innings with the D-backs this season, but he's only allowed two runs in six frames since being sent down to Triple-A. He'll get another look in the majors as a replacement for Cristian Mena, though it's unlikely Arizona uses Mantiply outside of low-leverage situations.

Bohm isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game versus Cleveland.

Bohm will get a breather Saturday after recording hits in each of his last six games, going 8-for-22 with three RBI and four runs scored in the process. Edmundo Sosa will fill in at the hot corner and bat ninth.

Pham (illness) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.

Pham was a late scratch from Friday's lineup due to an illness, and it seems he's still feeling a bit under the weather Saturday. Alexander Canario will get another start in left field and bat eighth.

The Reds recalled Joe from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

A day after joining the Reds organization via a trade with San Diego, Joe will now return to the majors to provide some depth to Cincinnati's outfield while Jake Fraley (calf) is on the injured list. Joe is still searching for his first big-league hit of the season after going 0-for-9 in seven games with the Padres.

The Reds placed Fraley on the 10-day injured list Saturday with left calf tenderness, retroactive to Wednesday.

Fraley has sat out each of the Reds' last three games due to his calf, and he'll now miss at least another week as he moves to the IL. It doesn't seem like he'll need to miss more than the minimum amount of time, though the team hasn't confirmed any sort of timeline. Connor Joe was added to the active roster in a corresponding move to replenish Cincinnati's outfield depth.

Walker isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.

The Cardinals will give Walker a day off Saturday after he went 1-for-8 with three RBI, two runs and five strikeouts across his last three games. Brendan Donovan will fill the vacant spot in the outfield, opening up second base for Nolan Gorman.