Baseball-Major League Baseball roundup

Aug 19 (The Sports Xchange) - The Pittsburgh Pirates welcomed back center fielder Andrew McCutchen on Tuesday with his activation from the 15-day disabled list. McCutchen had been sidelined since Aug. 4 with a fracture in his lower left ribcage after he was hit by a pitch in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before the injury, McCutchen was batting .311 with 17 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 109 games. - - - Washington Nationals outfielder Nate McLouth will have season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, the team announced Tuesday. The 32-year-old McLouth, who was the Nationals' primary left-handed batter off the bench this year, had gone on the disabled list Aug. 4 with right shoulder soreness. In McLouth's first season with the Nationals after signing a two-year, $10.75 million contract, he was limited to 79 games and batted .173 with one home run, seven RBIs and six doubles. - - - Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is considered day to day with a sore shoulder after a wild four-walk outing Sunday in his last appearance on the mound. Chapman walked all four batters he faced and threw 28 pitches in the Reds' 10-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies. The 26-year-old, who missed the first month of the season while recovering from a line drive to the face during spring training, has 26 saves in 28 opportunities this season and a 2.82 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings. - - - The Cleveland Indians signed reliever Scott Atchison to a contract for next season with a club option for 2016, the team announced Tuesday. No financial terms were released by the Indians. The 38-year-old right-hander has made 53 appearance out of the bullpen this season for the Indians and has a 6-0 record with a 2.95 ERA. - - - Struggling through a disappointing season, the Arizona Diamondbacks are expected to retain Kirk Gibson as manager next year, according to a report. The Diamondbacks have the fourth-worst record in baseball at 53-72 entering Tuesday's games, but USA Today reported that Tony La Russa, brought in three months ago to oversee baseball operations, is learning toward giving Gibson another year in the dugout. - - - The St. Louis Cardinals placed second baseman Mark Ellis on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a left oblique injury and called up infielder Greg Garcia from Triple-A Memphis. Garcia was hitting .275 with eight homers and 40 RBIs but batting a robust .367 in August before receiving his second promotion to the major leagues. (Editing by Gene Cherry)