MLB Player News

The Diamondbacks reinstated Castro (personal) from the paternity list Monday.

Arizona optioned right-hander Slade Cecconi to Triple-A Reno to clear room on the 28-man active roster for Castro, who spent the maximum three days away from the team following the birth of his child. Castro, who has posted a 1.64 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over his last 14 appearances, should step back into a middle relief or setup role for the final week of the regular season.

Ellis cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Ellis is no longer on the Phillies' 40-man roster, but he looks set to remain in the organization at least through the end of the season. The utility infielder saw action in 12 games for the Phillies this season, producing an .858 OPS.

Jones went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Sunday's loss to the Cubs.

Jones got a hold of a slider from Jordan Wicks during the sixth inning and sent it over the wall in center field to extend the Rockies' lead to 3-1. The long ball was Jones' seventh against left-handed pitching and his 10th on the road, as he's shown he doesn't need to rely on playing at home to be an impactful bat. He's been a true breakout star for the Rockies and is potentially setting himself up for a massive year in 2024 with a full season under his belt. The 25-year-old is now slashing .286/.382/.531 with 18 home runs, 55 RBI, 56 runs, 17 steals and a 50:117 BB:K in 393 plate appearances.

Rodgers went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's loss to the Cubs.

Rodgers took Jordan Wicks deep to center in the third to get the Rockies on the board. It was just his second home run since returning from the injured at the end of July, and he's now sporting a slash line of .359/.419/.538 with six RBI, five runs and a 3:5 BB:K over his last 10 games.

Melancon (shoulder) allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning Sunday in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Reno.

This was the first game appearance in 2023 for Melancon, who has been out all season after being diagnosed with a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder back in March. It wasn't an encouraging first performance for the veteran reliever, but he's still hoping to show the Diamondbacks he's ready to rejoin their bullpen before the end of the week.

Black (3-3) took the loss Sunday against the Cubs, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five over 5.1 innings.

Blach struck out the side in the opening frame after walking the first batter he faced and was able to prevent any major damage until the sixth inning. With his third time facing the Cubs' order, the left-hander surrendered consecutive hits to put two runners in scoring position before a sacrifice fly and a two-run blast from Patrick Wisdom plated three runs and abruptly led to a pitching change. Blach's five strikeouts was just the third time he's reached that mark this season, and he's now given up at least four runs in four of his last five starts. The 32-year-old holds a 5.42 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 46:22 K:BB in 73 innings and lines up for one more start against the Twins.

Wicks (4-1) got the win over the Rockies on Sunday, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out three over six innings.

Wicks was able to bounce back from his first rough outing of the year with his third quality start in six tries. He surrendered a two-run blast to Brendan Rodgers in the third and then Nolan Jones got to him with a solo shot in the sixth to extend the Rockies' lead to 3-1. The Cubs were able to respond with three runs in the sixth to take the lead and put Wicks in line for the win. The 23-year-old has been fantastic at preventing hard contact and had only allowed one home run prior to Sunday's outing. Wicks now owns a 3.00 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB in 33 innings and lines up to make one more regular season start against the Brewers.

Flores (knee) exited Sunday's game versus the Dodgers with right knee discomfort, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Flores went 2-for-2 in the contest before he was replaced by J.D. Davis. It doesn't appear to be a long-term concern, but with the Giants fading fast in the wild-card race, Flores may get some extra time off over the last week of the season if he's not feeling 100 percent.

Baker went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 12-2 loss to the Padres.

Baker produced the Cardinals' lone scoring play with his seventh-inning blast. He's seen steadier playing time over the last week, going 4-for-17 (.235) over his last six games. The 26-year-old is batting .217 with two homers, seven RBI, six runs scored and a double across 76 plate appearances in the majors this year. With the Cardinals in last in the NL Central, he'll likely get some more at-bats over the final week of the campaign as part of the evaluation for next season's roster.

Wade went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Dodgers.

Wade tied the game at 2-2 with his fifth-inning blast. He'd sat out the last two games with the Giants facing left-handed starters in each of those contests. Through 17 games in September, Wade has gone 18-for-52 (.346) with four homers and 10 RBI. The first baseman is at a .262/.376/.428 slash line with 17 long balls, 45 RBI, 63 runs scored and two stolen bases through 130 games this season in a strong-side platoon role.