MLB Player News

Bednar (oblique) has been sent to Double-A Altoona to begin a rehab assignment.

Bednar has missed the last two-plus weeks with a left oblique strain but was cleared for rehab games after getting through a bullpen session over the weekend with no issues. It's possible he requires just the one rehab appearance before being activated, although with the All-Star break looming, the Pirates also have the option of taking things a little slower with their closer.

The Pirates activated Priester (lat) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.

Priester has been shelved since June 6 due to a right lat injury, but after making a pair of rehab starts, Pittsburgh determined he was ready to rejoin the active roster. The 24-year-old completed five innings in his latest rehab outing and could take the spot of Jared Jones (lat) in the Pirates rotation, which would put him on track to start Sunday against the White Sox. Priester holds a 4.83 ERA across 31.2 innings with the Pirates this season.

Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

Elder was called up to make a spot start Monday. a move made to give Chris Sale an extra day of rest. After allowing three runs across five-plus innings Monday, Elder will be returned to Triple-A. Elder has a 5.71 ERA across seven starts with Atlanta, recording a 24:13 K:BB across 34.2 innings.

Blackmon is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Cincinnati.

Tough southpaw Nick Lodolo is starting the game for the Reds, so the left-handed hitting Blackmon will grab a seat. Hunter Goodman will draw the start in right field for the Rockies, while Elias Diaz serves as the designated hitter.

Atlanta activated Smith-Shawver (oblique) from the 15-day injured Tuesday.

Smith-Shawver had been slated to make his second rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Gwinnett, but he will rejoin the big club instead to offer length in the bullpen, per Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The young right-hander struck out four and allowed one run over two innings in his lone rehab appearance last week with High-A Rome. Smith-Shawver went 4.1 shutout frames in his lone start this season for Atlanta back in late May before exiting with a strained oblique.

Pallante and the Cardinals won't face the Royals on Tuesday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather.

The contest will be made up as part of a split doubleheader Wednesday. Pallante will be pushed back a day to start one of the two games of the twin bill and is no longer in line for a two-start week.

Kinley allowed four earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two across two-thirds of an inning Monday against the Reds.

Kinley has worked as a setup man in recent appearances but was called upon in the eighth inning with the Rockies down 2-0 on Monday. He allowed a leadoff home run and then two of the next three batters he faced to reach base to account for the majority of the damage against him. The Rockies appear to be using a committee approach in the closer role, but Kinley's last save came on June 11.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that Fleming will start Tuesday's game versus the Brewers, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He'll be filling the rotation spot that opened up when Jared Jones (lat) was placed on the injured list. Fleming will be pitching on two days' rest and hasn't gone more than two innings or exceeded 27 pitches across his last five appearances, so he's unlikely to work deep enough into Tuesday's start to qualify for a win.

Marquez (elbow) made the sixth start of his rehab assignment Thursday with Double-A Hartford, covering 3.2 innings and giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out two.

According to MLB.com, Rockies manager Bud Black said Marquez's surgically repaired elbow came out fine following his latest rehab start, during which he built up to 69 pitches and hit 99 miles per hour with his fastball. Black suggested that Marquez will make one more rehab start with Hartford on Tuesday, and if all goes well, the right-hander's next outing will likely come with the big club. Marquez would line up for a start during the Rockies' final game before the All-Star break Sunday versus the Mets, but the organization may be more inclined to give him some extra time to recover from Tuesday's outing and wait until after the break before activating him from the 60-day injured list.

Gilbreath (elbow/shoulder) threw his third bullpen session Saturday and will begin facing hitters at the Rockies' facility in Arizona this week, MLB.com reports. "[His side session] went great, he threw all his pitches," manager Bud Black said. "He'll be in some games within a week in Arizona, and then probably we'll jump him up a level."

Gilbreath is working his way back from his March 14, 2023 Tommy John surgery, and though he was initially projected to return from the injured list in May, his 2024 debut was pushed back after he strained his shoulder earlier in the spring. According to the report, Gilbreath is considered fully recovered from the shoulder issue, so he's now in the process of building back up from elbow surgery. If he responds well to facing hitters, Gilbreath could begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League before eventually moving up to a higher-level affiliate later this month.