MLB Player News

The Pirates optioned Simon to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.

Simon had just been recalled Sunday and received only one plate appearance this week. He's clearing off the roster to make room for the return of Ryan O'Hearn (quadriceps) from the injured list.

The Pirates activated O'Hearn (quadriceps) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Sidelined since late July with a left quadriceps strain, O'Hearn has been cleared to return after going 1-for-7 with one double and a 1:2 BB:K in two rehab games with Triple-A Indianapolis. The 33-year-old has authored a .270/.334/.454 slash line with 17 home runs over 96 contests this season. Manager Don Kelly said Friday that O'Hearn will likely be limited to first base and designated hitter down the stretch so as not to risk aggravating his quad issue in the outfield, per Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com. O'Hearn is not in the lineup Friday against Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga.

Atlanta recalled Keirsey from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

He's taking the roster spot vacated by the injured Lane Thomas (intercostal). Keirsey has slashed .247/.303/.346 with six home runs and 40 stolen bases this season with Gwinnett. The 29-year-old is unlikely to play much in a reserve outfielder role.

Atlanta placed Thomas on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left intercostal strain.

Thomas suffered the injury prior to Thursday's game against the Rays. The injury is expected to sideline Thomas for one month, but he will visit a doctor Sunday to see if there's anything he can do to speed up his recovery, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Sullivan (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, striking out four while yielding one run in 1.2 innings.

It's the first outing for Sullivan since he went down with a shoulder impingement in early July. The left-hander likely doesn't have enough time to get stretched back out to make any traditional starts down the stretch, but he could help the Rockies in a relief role.

Cruz went 3-for-4 with a home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's 2-0 win over the White Sox.

Cruz knocked in both runs that were scored in the contest, drilling a solo homer to center field in the fourth inning and adding an RBI single in the eighth. He was also the only player to record multiple hits in the low-scoring affair. Cruz's long ball was his first since Aug. 25, though he did bat a healthy .326 during the 12 games between homers. Due to a hand fracture that sidelined him for two months this summer, he's played in just 84 contests this year but has put up big numbers, posting a career-best .848 OPS with 18 home runs, 56 runs, 62 RBI and 27 stolen bases.

Montgomery earned a save against the White Sox on Thursday, allowing one hit with one strikeout and no walks over one scoreless inning.

Montgomery was summoned in the ninth inning with Pittsburgh up 2-0. He gave up a leadoff single to allow the tying run to come to the plate but retired each of the next three batters, getting the final out on a strikeout. Montgomery has notched a save each of the past two days and already has five saves through the first 10 days of September. He's been a revelation as the Pirates' closer and has now gone 20 straight contests without giving up an earned run. Over that stretch, Montgomery has earned three wins, gone 10-for-10 in save chances and posted a 30:4 K:BB over 19.1 innings.

Jones (4-6) earned the win over the White Sox on Thursday, allowing one hit and issuing two walks while striking out eight batters over seven scoreless innings.

Jones limited Chicago to just one knock -- a Colson Montgomery double. He racked up a whopping 20 whiffs and struck out eight while throwing an efficient 90 pitches over seven frames in his longest start of the season. It's been an up-and-down campaign for Jones in his first year back from elbow surgery, and his 4.10 ERA through 18 starts is far from dominant. However, the right-hander has kicked off September in fine form, tossing 13 shutout innings while posting a 17:3 K:BB across his first two starts of the month. He'll look to keep rolling his next time out, which is projected to be a matchup against Milwaukee at home.

Feltner (5-10) allowed four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out two batters over five innings in a loss to the Yankees on Thursday.

Feltner fell behind quickly when he gave up a two-run homer to Luis Garcia in the first inning. The Yankees plated two more runs against him in the second, and though Feltner finished his outing with three scoreless frames, the early damage was enough to send him to his 10th loss. The right-hander has given up at least four runs in four of his past five starts, stumbling to a 6.93 ERA with a 22:13 K:BB across 24.2 innings during that stretch. His season-long 5.88 ERA is sixth worst in the majors among hurlers who have tossed at least 100 innings, but Feltner still figures to finish out the campaign in Colorado's rotation. His next start is projected to be a home matchup against San Diego.

Carroll (back) underwent an MRI on Thursday that came back clean, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.

Carroll was absent from the starting lineup for Arizona's last two contests while nursing low-back discomfort, and he underwent imaging to determine if he was dealing with anything of significance. The outfielder appears to have avoided a major injury, and he is expected to return to the lineup for Friday's series opener versus the Rangers.