Reds vs Cardinals

The transaction clears space on the 40-man roster for the addition of Tejay Antone, who was called up from Triple-A Louisville. Williamson landed on the 15-day IL last week with left shoulder fatigue and now won't be eligible for activation until late June.

Ferguson, who also threw Thursday, worked on back-to-back days for the Bats, which is typically a final box to be checked off for a reliever before coming off the injured list. The left-hander has made four appearances combined between Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga. The Reds' bullpen has fallen apart in May (8.47 ERA) and could use Ferguson as soon as possible.

Naturally, Pagan is eager to return, but we've seen plenty of setbacks from players trying to return from muscle injuries like this one. The Reds' bullpen has been cratering without Pagan, so the Reds will have to straddle their desire to get him back, his desire to return and his need to fully heal.

Suarez's recovery from a left oblique strain has come along more slowly than anticipated, but he's finally progressed to the point of being cleared to play in games. The veteran slugger has been sidelined for nearly a month, so he will likely need a handful of rehab contests before rejoining the Reds' active roster.

It will be his first time throwing off the mound since he underwent surgery in mid-March to remove bone chips from his right elbow. Greene will eventually progress to facing hitters and then go out on a rehab assignment. The Reds don't expect Greene to return before July, but more will be known about a timeline after he gets deeper into his throwing progression.

It's the least severe diagnosis Trevino could have hoped for, but he will still require longer than a minimum absence. P.J. Higgins will back up Tyler Stephenson at catcher for the Reds while Trevino is shelved.

Hayes appears to have faded into more of a part-time role for the Reds, as he'll be on the bench for the third time in eight games. Sal Stewart will receive the nod at third base in place of Hayes, who is holding down a career-worst .420 OPS over 128 plate appearances on the season.

Lowder recently resumed throwing off the mound as he works his way back from an AC joint issue in his right shoulder, and he's almost ready to face hitters. The righty said he's "pushed to be aggressive to get back as fast as possible," but he will not quite be ready when first eligible Monday. It shouldn't be long after that, however, as long as Lowder's recovery continues at its current trajectory.

Church was scratched from the lineup Thursday against the Pirates because he was "just a little beat up," according to manager Oliver Marmol. The outfielder appears to be dealing with something significant enough to require him to be sidelined moving forward, but it's currently unclear what exactly he's being hampered by. Outfielder Bryan Torres is expected to be called up from Triple-A Memphis on Friday in a corresponding move.

Urias' recovery from tennis elbow is coming along slowly but surely. He will continue building up his hitting progression and is expected to be sidelined several more weeks. Urias put up a .595 OPS with a pair of home runs in his first 25 games for the Cardinals before getting hurt.