MLB Player News

Nittoli agreed to a one-year contract with the Cubs on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Cubs will hope that Nittoli can bolster a bullpen that ranks 24th in the majors this season with a collective 4.52 ERA. The 33-year-old previously made seven appearances in the big leagues with the Athletics this season, logging a 2.25 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in eight innings prior to being moved off the 40-man roster and electing free agency last week.

Jones isn't listed among the Pirates' probable starting pitchers for this weekend's series in Atlanta, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Jones will thus go the entire week without making a start, much to the chagrin of fantasy managers in weekly leagues who chose to keep him active. Gorman notes that general manager Ben Cherington has previously said that while the Pirates don't intend to shut Jones or fellow rookie phenom Paul Skenes down at any point this season, both pitchers will have their respective workloads managed to some degree as the campaign unfolds. Jones isn't dealing with any sort of injury, so the Pirates appear to have simply chosen this week as an opportunity to build in more recovery for the right-hander, who has logged 86 innings through his first 15 big-league starts. Jones now appears to be in line to make his next start at some point during next week's series versus the Cardinals.

Perez (groin) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Friday in Atlanta, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Pirates will push back Jared Jones' next turn through the rotation in order to make room for Perez, whose last outing before he landed on the IL in late May coincidentally came against Atlanta. Perez needed just one rehab start to convince the Pirates he was ready to rejoin the big club, as he allowed two runs (one earned) over five innings while tossing 65 pitches for Triple-A Indianapolis last weekend. Perez shouldn't face any major restrictions with his workload Friday.

Cabrera (shoulder) threw four scoreless, no-hit innings for Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday, striking out seven and walking two.

The right-hander built up to 60 pitches (37 strikes) as he closes in on a return to the big-league rotation. The Marlins moved Cabrera to the 60-day IL over the weekend, which will prevent him from being activated until early July, but he should be ready to rejoin the team's staff as soon as he's eligible. Through five MLB starts this season, Cabrera has a 7.17 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 31:14 K:BB across 21.1 innings.

Marquez (elbow) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday, MLB.com reports.

Marquez made his most recent rehab outing Saturday with High-A Spokane and threw 58 pitches over four scoreless frames. The right-hander will head to the highest level of the minors to put the finishing touches on his rehab from Tommy John surgery, and he could make his season debut in early July.

Manager Bud Black said Tuesday that Diaz (calf) will be out for at least another week, MLB.com reports.

Diaz has resumed baseball activities but is not sprinting at full speed and is still experiencing some soreness. The Rockies have stressed the importance of Diaz returning at full strength, so his absence could extend into the middle of July. Jacob Stallings should remain the team's primary catcher in the meantime.

Blackmon (hamstring) will meet the Rockies at the start of their series against the White Sox on Friday and is likely to be activated from the injured list when first eligible Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Blackmon has been working out in Denver and is apparently fully recovered from the hamstring strain. The veteran outfielder's return hasn't been made official, but it appears he'll end up spending only the 10-day minimum on the injured list.

Conforto went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Cubs.

Conforto launched a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the second to put the Giants up 2-1 and was directly followed by another solo shot off the bat of David Villar. The outfielder has now posted at least one RBI in three consecutive games and in four of his last five overall. However, Conforto still has just one multi-hit effort this month, during which he's now batting .125 with two homers, nine RBI and four runs scored.

Espinal started at third base and went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's 6-1 loss to Pittsburgh.

Espinal started at third base for the seventh time in the last eight games, as Jeimer Candelario's knee and hamstring issues are impacting his usage. Candelario, who sat out Wednesday, has been used at first base or DH in four of his last five games. Espinal is 5-for-25 with a walk, a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored over his last seven games.

The Brewers recalled Dunn from Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday and placed him on the 10-day injured list with a back strain.

Dunn was optioned to Nashville last week, but it turns out that he had been dealing with a back injury so he will go on the IL instead. It's not clear how long he might be sidelined, but the infielder could be optioned again once he's healthy.