MLB Player News

Atlanta activated Strider (elbow) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday in Toronto.

Strider is set to make his long-awaited return from internal brace surgery, which he underwent last April. The right-hander reached 90 pitches in his final rehab start with Triple-A Gwinnett, so he should be prepared for a fairly normal workload Wednesday. Strider's fastball velocity was down about two miles per hour during his rehab assignment, but the results are hard to ignore, as he allowed only two runs with a 27:5 K:BB over 13.2 innings.

Smith went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Rockies.

The backstop took Ryan Feltner deep in the third inning, driving the first pitch he saw over the fence in left field. Smith has reeled off three straight multi-hit performances, and through 16 games on the season he's slashing .367/.475/.551 with two homers, one steal, six runs and 12 RBI.

Lipscomb is headed to Pittsburgh and is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Lipscomb will take the roster spot of Paul DeJong, who is expected to go on the injured list after being hit in the face by a pitch in Tuesday's game. He could see some action at third base while DeJong is out, but Lipscomb will be behind Amed Rosario in the pecking order at the hot corner.

The Nationals are likely to place DeJong (face) on the 10-day injured list, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

DeJong was hit in the face by a pitch in the sixth inning of Tuesday's game versus the Pirates. There's no word yet on the specifics of his injuries, but he will need some down time. Trey Lipscomb is slated to take his roster spot and Amed Rosario is likely to see the bulk of the starts at third base while DeJong is out.

Herrera (knee) played catch Tuesday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

It's his first bit of baseball activity since he landed on the 10-day injured list just over a week ago with a bone bruise in his left knee. Herrera will be brought along slowly, with the anticipation that he will be shelved for at least four weeks. Pedro Pages has been operating as the Cardinals' primary catcher in Herrera's stead.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Rockies that Knack will be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Knack made his third appearance and second start of the season for the Dodgers on Tuesday, taking a no-decision while giving up two earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two. The Dodgers gave the 27-year-old right-hander plenty of run support early, but Knack was still lifted after 65 pitches (41 strikes), two outs shy of qualifying for the win. With the Dodgers requiring a spot starter for Wednesday's series finale, Bobby Miller will get called up from Oklahoma City, and Knack will be sent back to the minors in a corresponding move. An off day Thursday along with additional off days next Monday and Thursday will likely allow Los Angeles to get by with a five-man rotation for the time being, and Knack may not be needed to start once the Dodgers transition back to a six-man setup by late April or early May. Tony Gonsolin (back) got stretched out to 66 pitches in his latest rehab outing with Oklahoma City on Tuesday and could be activated ahead of Knack the next time the Dodgers need a starter.

Winn (back) played catch Tuesday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Winn was cleared to begin baseball activities four days after landing on the 10-day injured list with lower-back spasms. A target date for his return should become available as he continues to ramp things up. Brendan Donovan and Thomas Saggese have been handling shortstop for the Cardinals with Winn out.

Feltner (0-1) took the loss Tuesday, coughing up five runs on five hits and six walks over 2.2 innings as the Rockies fell 6-2 to the Dodgers. He struck out one.

The big blow off Feltner was a three-run homer by Will Smith in the third inning, but the right-hander created his own problems with his difficulty getting the ball over the plate. He came into Tuesday having issued only four free passes in his first three starts, but Feltner tossed just 46 of 81 pitches for strikes in this trip to the mound before getting the hook. He'll take a 4.82 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 17:10 K:BB through 18.2 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Kansas City.

Machado went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Cubs.

The blast shouldn't have happened, as Machado popped up two balls in foul territory during the same at-bat, but he got reprieves each time when they were dropped by Kyle Tucker and Gage Workman. Machado took full advantage of the extra chance, driving the ninth pitch he saw from Shota Imanaga over the fence in left-center field. It was Machado's second long ball of the season in 18 games, and the 32-year-old has had an overall strong start to the campaign, slashing .313/.387/.507 with six steals, seven RBI and 16 runs.

Vasquez didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Cubs, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks over five-plus innings. He struck out two.

The right-hander blanked the Cubbies for five frames before running out of gas in the sixth, as he gave up back-to-back singles to Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner before getting the hook, with Adrian Morejon then letting one of the inherited runners cross the plate. Vasquez left the mound after 80 pitches (51 strikes), and while his 8:14 K:BB through 20.2 innings is worrisome, he'll carry a 1.74 ERA and 1.35 WHIP into his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in Detroit.