CHICAGO -- Cubs reliever Pedro Strop suffered a setback in his rehab from a knee injury as an MRI revealed the righty strained his right groin during workouts on Wednesday.Strop originally was to be out four to six weeks after tearing the meniscus in his left knee last month, though the Cubs had thought he might be back on the shorter end of that diagnosis. Now the team says hell be out a full six weeks with a mid-September return. It still gives Strop plenty of time to prepare for the postseason.The Cubs got better news in the form of John Lackey, who threw off the Wrigley Field mound on Thursday as he readies for a return from the disabled list due to shoulder soreness.I feel fine, Lackey said afterward.?I feel like I can pitch in a game. If Lackey feels OK on Friday morning, hell be slated to start Sundays game against the San Francisco Giants. Theres also good news for setup man Hector Rondon (triceps), who is headed to Triple-A Iowa for rehab outings on Saturday and Monday before hes expected to be activated as well. The Cubs called up some reinforcements as rosters expanded on Thursday. Reliever Joe Smith (hamstring) and outfielder Chris Coghlan (rib contusion) were technically activated from the disabled list, as both were on rehab assignments at Triple-A, and righty Jake Buchanan was called up along with them. Buchanan, 26, was 12-8 with a 4.34 ERA in 24 appearances for Iowa including 22 starts. He gives the bullpen some length, as manager Joe Maddon has used his top relievers often during the Cubs 22-6 August run. When youre winning often, youre going to use up a lot of good bullpen, Maddon said Thursday. Its part of the way this thing flows. Lackey is expected to be a playoff starter for the Cubs while Strop and Rondon are their seventh- and eighth-inning bullpen arms in front of closer Aroldis Chapman.Custom Miami Marlins Jerseys . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Miami Marlins Shirts . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. https://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.us/ . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Marlins Jerseys 2020 . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Stitched Marlins Jerseys . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game.GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Single-A Carolina League is expanding by two teams in 2017 while two teams in the California League will be contracted.Minor League Baseball president Pat OConner said Monday that the Bakersfield Blaze and the High Desert Mavericks will cease operations after the season, with Kinston, North Carolina, and another undetermined city receiving Carolina League teams.The Texas Rangers, whose advanced Class A farm team has been at High Desert for two years, will own the team that plays in Kinston next year. Bakersfield also has been a Seattle Mariners affiliate since 2015.The parent club, ownership and location of the other Carolina League team was not announced. Minor League Baseball says Fayetteville, North Carolina, officials have a memorandum of understanding for a stadium to open in 2019.We are happy that professional baseball will return to Kinston, and we are pleased with the steps Fayetteville has taken to bring professioonal baseball back to that great city as well, OConner said.ddddddddddddMinor League Baseball says the Rangers and Kinston have a 12-year agreement to play at Grainger Stadium. Kinston was home to a Carolina League team from 1978-2011, and was a Cleveland Indians affiliate for the last 25 years of that run before that team moved to Zebulon, North Carolina, in 2012 and became the Carolina Mudcats.Fayetteville played host to Carolina League teams from 1950-56 and South Atlantic League teams from 1987-2000.High Desert owner Dave Heller said it is with great regret and reluctance that his team is being contracted, and blamed the city of Adelanto, California, for creating too much uncertainty for next season and beyond. Citing budget concerns, the city in March moved to evict the Mavericks from their publicly owned stadium. ' ' '