MLB Player News

Soroka (biceps) is not listed among the Nationals' probable pitchers for this weekend's series in Cincinnati and is expected to make a third rehab start in the minors, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Soroka declared himself ready to go after he went 4.1 innings and threw 78 pitches in his second rehab start with Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday. However, rather than bringing him back from the 15-day injured list this weekend, the Nationals will presumably ask him to make one more rehab start to increase his pitch count a bit. Barring a setback, Soroka should rejoin the Washington rotation next week. He's been out since late March due to a right biceps strain.

Realmuto isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto will get a chance to catch his breath Thursday after going 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during Wednesday's contest. While he sits, Rafael Marchan will start at catcher and bat ninth.

Fortes (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Fortes has missed the last three weeks of action with a Grade 1 left oblique strain but is ready to test things out in a game setting. The 28-year-old might remain at Jacksonville rather than rejoin the major-league roster once healthy enough to do so, as Agustin Ramirez has taken over the primary catching duties for the Marlins and backup Liam Hicks is a Rule 5 pick who must remain on the roster or be offered back to the Tigers.

The Cardinals want Herrera (knee) to catch back-to-back games and get his timing down at the plate on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis before he's activated from the 10-day injured list, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera will begin his rehab assignment Thursday with a full game at designated hitter before playing five innings at catcher Friday. He will have to increase his workload and catch back-to-back contests before rejoining the Cardinals' active roster, suggesting Herrera is probably at least a week or so away from returning.

The Diamondbacks transferred Puk (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Thursday.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Jose Castillo, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Reno on Thursday. Puk is dealing with a left flexor strain, and while he will not undergo surgery at this time, he is facing an extended absence. Justin Martinez (shoulder) was also placed on the IL on Thursday, so the Diamondbacks are down their top two relievers and could turn to Ryan Thompson, Shelby Miller and Kevin Ginkel as options to close games.

The Diamondbacks selected Castillo's contract from Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Castillo got a late start to the season with Reno due to an adductor injury, but he made five appearances there and allowed just one run with a 7:0 K:BB over 5.1 innings. The left-hander missed much of 2024 with a hand injury, and when he makes an appearance, it will be his first in the majors since 2023.

The Diamondbacks placed Martinez on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right shoulder inflammation.

Martinez's velocity and results have trended in the wrong direction lately, so the Diamondbacks are opting to shut him down for the time being. He is scheduled to undergo imaging to see if there is anything more serious beyond inflammation in his pitching shoulder. With A.J. Puk (elbow) also on the shelf, the Diamondbacks could mix and match at closer. Ryan Thompson, Shelby Miller and Kevin Ginkel are among the options to see save chances.

Arraez went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run and an RBI in a 5-3 win against San Francisco on Wednesday.

Arraez was activated from the 7-day concussion injured list Tuesday and went 1-for-3 with an RBI in his return to action that day. The veteran infielder added another two hits Wednesday, with his sixth-inning triple plating a run. Arraez has shown a bit more pop than usual with three homers, three doubles, a triple and an overall .149 ISO thus far in 2025, and he's recovered from a slow start at the plate to push his batting average up to .298 through 104 plate appearances.

Yelich is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the White Sox.

Yelich will get the afternoon off after starting every game since April 15. William Contreras will occupy the designated-hitter spot Thursday, while Eric Haase will do the catching and bat ninth.

The Reds optioned Petty to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

As expected, Petty will head back to Triple-A after he was designated as the Reds' 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader with the Cardinals. He took the hill for Game 2 of the twin bill and was dealt a loss in his MLB debut after giving up nine earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 2.1 innings.