MLB Player News

The Pirates recalled Brannigan from Double-A Altoona on Thursday.

He'll grab the roster spot vacated by the injured Spencer Horwitz (hamstring). Brannigan got a late start to the season after fracturing his nose during spring training, and he's hit .235/.333/.522 with eight homers in 31 contests at Altoona since returning. The 25-year-old is likely set for a reserve role, and he'll be making his major-league debut when/if he gets into a game.

The Pirates placed Horwitz on the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a left hamstring strain.

Horwitz suffered the injury during Wednesday's win over the Mariners. The Pirates haven't provided word on the severity of the strain, making it difficult to forecast a timeline for Horwitz's return. Horwitz will be eligible for activation in early July, but with the All-Star break looming, the Pirates could proceed cautiously with the first baseman and keep him on the shelf until the start of the second half, even if his strain is mild.

Alvarez went 3-for-7 with a walk and two solo home runs across both ends of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Cubs.

After taking Javier Assad deep in the matinee, Alvarez crushed a Shota Imanaga fastball over the fence in left-center field during the nightcap. The 24-year-old catcher has homered in three straight games, giving him eight on the year. Over 50 plate appearances since returning to the lineup in early June from knee surgery, he's delivered a .319/.360/.574 slash line with four homers and eight RBI.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro indicated Thursday that Witt (knee) is on track to return to the lineup Friday versus the White Sox, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Witt is missing a sixth straight start Thursday against the Rays as he overcomes a Grade 1 MCL sprain of his right knee. However, he went through a full pregame workout Wednesday and bounced back well Thursday. Witt should be available off the bench Thursday before returning to the lineup Friday, barring a setback.

King (5-1) was credited with the win Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing one hit and striking out one in a scoreless inning of relief.

Eury Perez worked 4.2 innings in his return from the IL, and King got the final out in the fifth inning with the game tied 1-1 before the Marlins took the lead for good in the bottom of the frame. King has made nine appearances in June and come away with a win in four of them while producing a stellar 0.93 WHIP, 0.83 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB in 9.2 innings. The 31-year-old southpaw will be hard-pressed to maintain that pace, but King's hardly alone this season in racking up reliever wins at an impressive rate -- Milwaukee's Aaron Ashby leads all MLB pitchers with 10 victories, and Colorado's Antonio Senzatela has eight wins in just 23 relief outings.

Kiner-Falefa will undergo a CT scan Thursday on his injured left forearm to check for fractures, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Kiner-Falefa was placed on the 10-day injured list this past weekend, but the Red Sox wanted to wait for the swelling in the infielder's arm to go down before sending him for testing. Once those results are in, the team will have a better idea as to how much time Kiner-Falefa might miss.

Parker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run for Single-A Dunedin on Wednesday.

The homer was Parker's fourth in the last six games, and through 17 contests in June he's produced a .290/.384/.629 slash line with nine total extra-base hits, six steals and a much-improved 20.5 percent strikeout rate. The eighth overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft out of a Mississippi high school, Parker needed a couple months to adjust to pro ball, but if he maintains his current level of performance for another few weeks he could reach High-A before his 20th birthday in August.

Kolek won't be available to make his scheduled start Friday against the White Sox and is expected to be placed on the paternity list prior to the contest, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Once he's officially placed on the list, Kolek will be away from the club for the next 1-to-3 days, by rule. He could rejoin the team this weekend to make a start against the White Sox, though the Royals might also opt to just skip the right-hander's turn through the rotation. Kolek is coming off his worst start of the season, having allowed nine runs over 1.2 innings in a loss to the Cardinals last Sunday.

Keys went 2-for-4 with a walk, two home runs and four RBI for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old third baseman began the year with a .287/.419/.585 slash line and 14 homers in 49 games for Double-A New Hampshire, and since getting promoted to Buffalo in early June, Keys has kept right on slugging with a .288/.408/.712 line and six long balls in his first 17 games at Triple-A. A fourth-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Bucknell, Keys is knocking loudly on the door of the majors, but it's unclear where he might fit this summer on a Blue Jays roster that has Vladimir Guerrero at first base, Kazuma Okamoto at third and George Springer at DH.

Knack (chest) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, yielding two runs on five hits and one walk over 1.1 innings.

Knack struck out a pair in the outing and got his pitch count up to 33. The right-hander has been out all season with an intercostal strain, and he will be built up as a starting pitcher before likely remaining in the OKC rotation once he's activated from the 60-day injured list.