The San Diego Padres are calling up pitching prospect Adam Mazur from Triple-A El Paso, according to a source familiar with the situation. Mazur, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is expected to make his first major-league start on Tuesday on the road against the Los Angeles Angels. The 23-year-old gets his first big-league call-up after going a combined 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, nine walks and 50 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings over 10 starts at Double-A San Antonio and El Paso. In four starts at El Paso, he's allowed 15 earned runs on 21 hits (four homers) while walking four and fanning 18 in 19 innings. With both Joe Musgrove (elbow) and Yu Darvish (hamstring) on the injured list, the Padres rotation is thinned out, giving Mazur the opportunity to perhaps have a two-start week in two good matchups against the Angels and Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Minnesota Twins officially optioned struggling second baseman Edouard Julien to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday. Julien, an 18th-round pick in 2019 out of Auburn, hit .263 as a rookie with 16 home runs and 37 RBI in 109 games for the Twins last year but hasn't been able to replicate that so far in 2024, slashing .207/.309/.367 with seven homers, 17 RBI and six stolen bases in 58 games played. The 25-year-old infielder really struggled in the month of May and will now go down to the farm to work on some things. In the meantime, utility man Willi Castro should see most of the starts at the keystone in Minnesota, with Kyle Farmer also seeing an uptick in opportunities. Eventually, the plan is likely for Julien to come back up this summer to try and regain the starting job at second base for the Twins.

Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer (back, forearm) threw around 25 pitches in a bullpen session over the weekend on Saturday before the team's win over the Miami Marlins and continues to progress. Scherzer gave two thumbs-up on Sunday because he was able to throw without nerve pain. Depending on how he recovers, manager Bruce Bochy said Scherzer could potentially face live hitters on Monday. "I feel great, finally turning the corner on this. The check engine light just won't go off, there's something wrong with the engine, but we addressed it and now everything is firing on all cylinders," Scherzer said. The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer was moved to the 60-day injured list on May 15 after experiencing nerve pain in his right triceps and forearm. He has yet to pitch in 2024 after having offseason back surgery, but barring another setback, he could make his season debut before the All-Star break in mid-July.

Texas Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford (back, rib) threw on flat ground on Sunday. He originally landed on the injured list with a lower-back strain after he was unable to throw a bullpen session between starts. The original plan was for Bradford to miss the minimum 15 days, but after further evaluations, doctors found a "very small" stress fracture on the 12th rib on the right side, according to manager Bruce Bochy. Before his injury, the 26-year-old southpaw was the team's best starter, having gone 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA over three starts. Bradford's recovery has been slower than expected, but Bochy said he's starting to get over the hump. He won't be eligible to return for a couple more weeks now that he was moved to the 60-day IL last week.

Cleveland Guardians first base prospect C.J. Kayfus is being promoted to Double-A Akron. Kayfus opened the season by making his High-A debut and is already just two stops away from the major leagues. Through 40 games with High-A Lake County, the former third-round pick posted a stellar .338/.437/.578 line with seven home runs, 37 RBI, four stolen bases, and a 23:33 BB:K ratio. The Miami product made his professional debut last summer with Single-A and held a .271/.429/.542 line with four long balls through 17 games. MLB Pipeline projects Kayfus to reach the majors in 2026, but that ETA could shift to as early as next season due to the rate of how fast he is moving through the minor leagues.