Steven Matz scratched from Friday night's start because of shoulder discomfort  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Hampered for much of the season by a balky elbow, Mets lefthander Steven Matz was scratched from his scheduled start against the Giants on Friday night with lingering discomfort in his shoulder.

Brewers Designate Ramon Flores, Activate Domingo Santana  —  The Brewers have designated outfielder Ramon Flores for assignment, per a team announcement.  He'll be replaced on the active roster by fellow outfielder Domingo Santana, who is finally ready to return from the DL.

Rays Designate Oswaldo Arcia For Assignment  —  The Rays have designated outfielder Oswaldo Arcia for assignment, per Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times (links to Twitter).  Arcia's DFA stems from the fact that the Rays simply didn't feel they had room for the out-of-options slugger …

MLB Clears Howard, Zimmerman of Drug Allegations  —  NEW YORK — Philadelphia's Ryan Howard and Washington's Ryan Zimmerman have been cleared by Major League Baseball of allegations they used human growth hormone.  —  Pharmacist Charlie Sly claimed in an Al-Jazeera America documentary …

Dave Righetti on Pitching  —  Dave Righetti was a good pitcher.  In a 16-year career spent mostly with the New York Yankees, he threw a no-hitter and saved over 250 games.  He might be an even better pitching coach.  “Rags” has held that position with the San Francisco Giants since 2000 …

Next Slide  —  Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price has never been a fan of things like left-handed specialists.  He'd rather have a staff full of pitchers who can handle multiple types of deployment.  —  That's what the Reds are trying to do with their bullpen down the stretch of the 2016 season.

Giants executive Brian Sabean on the recent struggles, the trade-deadline decisions, and getting tired of watching the Cubs win every day (new “TK Show” episode)  —  First off: I asked Giants executive vice president Brian Sabean today directly if the team was interested in just-released outfielder Carlos Gomez...

Rockies To Promote Jeff Hoffman  —  The Rockies are set to promote top prospect Jeff Hoffman to make his Major League debut against the Cubs, as Jason Lewis of CBS Albany first reported (on Twitter).  MLB.com's Thomas Harding tweets that an official announcement should be expected later this afternoon.

Nationals Acquire Sean Burnett From Twins  —  12:15pm: The Nationals' Triple-A affiliate announced the acquisition of Burnett from Minnesota in exchange for cash considerations.  —  11:51am: The Nationals have agreed to a deal to acquire left-hander Sean Burnett from the Twins, reports SB Nation's Chris Cotillo (Twitter link).

Dorial Green-Beckham ready for ‘fresh start’ in Philadelphia  —  Dorial Green-Beckham is “not necessarily sure” why the Tennessee Titans traded him after one season, but he welcomed a change of scenery in Philadelphia even at this point in young career.  —  “I think this will be a fresh start …

Jurickson Profar becomes fixture in Texas Rangers lineup  —  Every non-roster invitee and up-and-coming prospect each spring almost always says that his goal is to make the big-league club's Opening Day roster even in the smallest role on the team.  —  When a player is promoted from the minor leagues …