MLB Player News

The Phillies recalled Backhus from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Backhus will get the call back to Philadelphia as a replacement in the bullpen for righty Zach Pop (calf), who was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Before being sent back to Lehigh Valley last week, Backhus had yielded three earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four batters in three innings across his four appearances with the big club.

Carlson elected to become a free agent Wednesday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Carlson cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Cubs over the weekend, but he's decided to test out free agency rather than accept an outright assignment. The switch-hitting outfielder will now seek employment in a new organization.

Scholtens is slated to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Cole Sulser in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

Initially tabbed to make his first MLB start since the 2023 season, Scholtens will instead continue to work out of the bullpen Wednesday while he essentially takes over the rotation spot of Joe Boyle, who was placed on the 15-day injured list last week due to a right elbow strain. With Boyle facing an uncertain timeline for a return and with Ryan Pepiot (hip) recently getting shuttled to the 60-day IL, Scholtens could have some staying power in the rotation if he performs up to snuff. The 32-year-old righty sparkled in long relief in his 2026 Rays debut last Wednesday against the Cubs, striking out four batters while allowing five baserunners over 4.2 scoreless frames.

Mlodzinski is expected to cover the bulk of the innings in relief behind opening pitcher Mason Montgomery in Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Despite pitching to a 2.51 ERA over his first three starts, Mlodzinski is still in search of his first win after working fewer than five innings his first two times out and taking a no-decision in his most recent outing. With Montgomery handling the first frame or two of Wednesday's contest, Mlodzinski should have improved odds of coming away with a win while serving as the Bucs' primary pitcher out of the bullpen.

Robles (pectoral) is participating in light baseball activities, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old landed on the shelf last week due to a right pectoral strain, and the Mariners are building him back up slowly since it's an injury to his throwing arm. Robles will be eligible to be reinstated Friday but seems likely to require a longer stint on the IL.

The Yankees recalled Chivilli from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

Acquired from the Rockies in a trade over the offseason, Chivilli has spun 8.1 scoreless innings with a 9:2 K:BB in the early going at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He's taking the roster spot vacated by Yerry De Los Santos, who was sent down to SWB after Tuesday's loss to the Angels.

Lee went 2-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Reds.

Lee singled in the second inning and doubled in the fourth, marking his fourth multi-hit performance of the campaign. The 27-year-old outfielder has been productive of late, going 6-for-16 with two RBI, two doubles and a home run over the last four games. Overall, he's slashing .207/.262/.345 with seven RBI, four runs scored and a home run across 65 plate appearances in 17 games.

Kilian allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in a scoreless inning during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Reds.

Kilian earned a bullpen job during spring training and has continued to impress early in the season. The 28-year-old right-hander tossed a scoreless sixth inning Tuesday and now owns a 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 10:4 BB:K across seven innings in eight appearances this season.

Soto (calf) began a running progression Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The news was dropped by Mets owner Steve Cohen in a social media post on X on Tuesday night. Soto had been swinging a bat in an indoor cage but hadn't yet started running again until Tuesday, as he ramps up his recovery from a calf strain that has kept him sidelined since April 3. The 27-year-old outfielder still doesn't have a clear timeline for his return, but he may not need a rehab assignment and could be back in action as soon as next week.

Saggese is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

Saggese will hit the bench for a second straight matchup versus a right-handed pitcher (Slade Cecconi) while the Cardinals give Nathan Church a spin in left field. After putting together a recent five-game hit streak in which he went 7-for-16, Saggese has gone hitless with five strikeouts in 10 at-bats over the Cardinals' last three contests.