MLB Player News

Estrada (knee) threw a bullpen session Saturday, his first since landing on the injured list June 5, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Estrada is in the midst of his second IL stint of the season, as he previously missed just under a month earlier in the campaign due to elbow tendinitis. The right-hander has had a slower recovery than expected from right knee inflammation, but his ability to get back on the mound represents a major step forward in the recovery process. He's expected to throw a couple more bullpen sessions this week before he resumes facing hitters after the All-Star break.

The Brewers will recall Lara from Triple-A Nashville ahead of Tuesday's doubleheader in St. Louis, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Lara has had a breakout season at Nashville, slashing .321/.432/.470 with nine home runs, 24 stolen bases and a 54:48 BB:K over 78 contests. The switch hitter is primarily a center fielder but has experience at all three outfield spots. Milwaukee's outfield is already relatively crowded, though Lara could eat into the playing time of the struggling Sal Frelick. At minimum, he will likely start against left-handers. Lara is already on the 40-man roster after signing a seven-year, $31 million contract extension in June.

The Cardinals are slated to call up Gastelum from Triple-A Memphis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

He's expected to be promoted either in between games during Tuesday's doubleheader or before Wednesday's contest. Gastelum has been on a roll at Memphis, turning in 18 consecutive scoreless appearances. Overall, the changeup artist has collected a 2.27 ERA and 49:17 K:BB over 43.2 innings this season. The Cardinals will need to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for Gastelum.

Carrigg went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three runs and two RBI in an extra-innings loss to the Dodgers on Monday.

Carrigg showed no signs of intimidation in his first career game against the reigning back-to-back champs, as he logged his first MLB three-hit performance. The talented rookie also came through in the clutch, clubbing a two-run double with two outs in the top of the ninth inning off Dodgers closer Tanner Scott to tie the score. Carrigg has been outstanding as a big-leaguer so far, slashing .309/.385/.593 with four home runs, five doubles, three triples, 21 runs, 21 RBI, two stolen bases and an 11:19 BB:K through 25 games.

Rushing went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in an 11-inning, 8-7 win against the Rockies on Monday.

Rushing doubled and scored in his first two at-bats, but his most memorable hit of the night was an 11th-inning single that plated the game-winning run for the Dodgers. The backstop has tallied multiple hits nine times this season, and he's recorded three-plus hits on four of those occasions. Rushing is holding down the fort quite well in the absence of Will Smith (neck), as on the campaign he's slashing .269/347/.503 with 10 home runs, 10 doubles, 30 runs and 30 RBI through 193 plate appearances.

Ohtani went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and four total RBI in an 8-7 extra-innings win against the Rockies on Monday.

Ohtani kicked off the scoring for Los Angeles with a two-run blast in the third inning. He added a two-run single in the fourth to log his first game with four-plus RBI since May 16. Ohtani tied his season high with three hits, a mark he's reached seven times so far this season. He's not putting up the jaw-dropping numbers at the plate that he did in his first two campaigns with Los Angeles, but Ohtani has still been one of the league's best hitters, posting a .944 OPS (third best in MLB) along with 19 home runs, 55 RBI, 61 runs and six stolen bases through 87 contests.

Freeland allowed six runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out two batters over five innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Monday.

Freeland kept Los Angeles out of the scoring column for two frames until Shohei Ohtani tagged him for a two-run homer in the third. That began a rough stretch for the left-handed hurler, who gave up four more runs on five hits in the fourth. Freeland departed after five innings in line for the loss, but a late Colorado rally took him off the hook. Nonetheless, it was the third time across Freeland's past five starts that he's surrendered six runs, and he's posted an ugly 6.83 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP despite a sterling 25:2 K:BB over that span.

Scott blew a save against the Rockies on Monday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two batters over one inning.

It wasn't a particularly intimidating situation for Scott, who entered in the ninth inning with Los Angeles holding a three-run lead against the team with the second-worst record in the majors. Still, the veteran lefty was unable to put Colorado away, giving up a trio of runs on two doubles, a single and two walks (one of which was intentional). It could have been even worse for Scott, but replay overturned a play at the plate on what was initially ruled the go-ahead run for the Rockies. The blowup followed a strong stretch during which Scott converted seven straight save opportunities while posting a 1.64 ERA and 17:0 K:BB over 11 innings spanning 12 appearances. With that in mind, he should remain Los Angeles' primary closer for the time being, though that will likely change when Edwin Diaz (elbow) returns, which is expected to happen shortly after the All-Star break.

Lauer completed six innings against Colorado on Monday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters in a no-decision.

Lauer got his first two outs via strikeout but then managed just one more punchout over the remainder of his outing. Regardless, he kept the Dodgers afloat while tossing 99 pitches (69 strikes) over six frames. Lauer looked like he'd notch a win until Tanner Scott blew a save opportunity by giving up three runs in the ninth. Still, Lauer regarded his fourth consecutive quality start and fifth over seven outings since making his Dodgers debut May 26. The veteran lefty has been far from dominant -- he has a 21:11 K:BB over 40.1 innings with Los Angeles -- but he's compiled a strong 3.12 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with the club after recording an ugly 6.69 ERA and 1.49 WHIP across eight appearances with Toronto earlier in the season. Lauer has pitched well enough to hold down a rotation spot, though he'll be hard-pressed to keep that role when Blake Snell (elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (back) come off the injured list, which is expected to happen at some point after the All-Star break.

Ramos went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a triple, three total runs and five total RBI in a 10-1 win against the Blue Jays on Monday.

Ramos batted leadoff for the second time in San Francisco's past three games and set the tone for a big day by his team's offense. He led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple that became a run when Andres Gimenez threw the ball into the dugout. Ramos then belted a three-run homer in the sixth inning before cranking a 444-foot solo shot in the eighth. It was the outfielder's first career multi-homer game, and the five RBI were a career-best single-game mark. Ramos has been hot since returning from the IL on June 28, slashing .313/.353/.844 with four long balls, one double, two triples, eight runs and eight RBI over eight games.