MLB Player News

Ortega's contract was selected from Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Ortega began the year at Double-A Rocket City but advanced to Triple-A Salt Lake in late July. He performed well in nine relief appearances with the Triple-A club and posted a 3.75 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 12 innings. The 24-year-old will be available to make his major-league debut out of the Angels' bullpen, but he should pitch in low-leverage situations.

Brasier (concussion) was activated from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Brasier suffered a calf strain in spring training and sustained a concussion when struck in the head by a line drive while rehabbing, but he's now poised to make his first outing of the season for the Red Sox. The 34-year-old has been a significant bullpen piece for Boston over the past few years and could provide a boost for the final month of the season.

White Sox manager Tony La Russa said Lopez will start Saturday's game against the Royals, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

After striking out seven in five perfect frames last Friday against the Cubs in his return to the bullpen, Lopez will step back into the rotation during the upcoming weekend as a replacement for Lance Lynn (knee), who was placed on the injured list Tuesday. Lynn is only expected to miss one turn through the rotation, but Lopez could have the opportunity to pick up another start after Saturday if Lucas Giolito is slow to recover from the hamstring injury he sustained Tuesday.

Brentz (shoulder) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Brentz will return to the Royals' bullpen after a brief stay on the injured list, and he didn't require a rehab assignment prior to Wednesday's activation. The southpaw has made 17 relief appearances since the All-Star break and has recorded a 3.68 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 14.2 innings during that time.

Schreiber had his contract selected by the Red Sox on Wednesday, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Schreiber was designated for assignment at the start of the season and will now receive another major-league opportunity. The right-hander had a 6.32 ERA in 15 outings for the Tigers last year and has a 3.10 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 57:21 K:BB over 58 innings for Triple-A Worcester in 2021.

Junis was placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder impingement syndrome Wednesday.

Junis struggled in Tuesday's start and gave up three runs in 4.2 innings. The right-hander was apparently dealing with a shoulder injury during the outing and will spend at least 10 days on the shelf as a result. It's not guaranteed that he'll return to the major-league rotation once he's healthy since Jackson Kowar was called up Wednesday.

Triple-A Norfolk reinstated Lowther (shoulder) from its 7-day injured list Wednesday.

Lowther wrapped up his three-game rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie on Aug. 26, when he tossed four innings and gave up two unearned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four. Now that he's back in action at Triple-A, he should slot back into the Norfolk rotation. Before landing on the shelf, Lowther posted a 6.93 ERA over seven starts with Norfolk.

The Orioles recalled Wells from Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

With the roster expanding from 26 to 28 men Wednesday, Baltimore elected to use its two open spots on a pair of bullpen arms in the left-handed Wells and the right-handed Dusten Knight. Wells has previously made six appearances (three starts) for Baltimore this season, covering 18.2 innings while allowing 16 earned runs on 27 hits and nine walks.

Robertson was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Robertson signed a minor-league deal with the Rays on Aug. 16, and he struck out 12 in six scoreless innings across six relief appearances at Triple-A Durham. The right-hander will now be available to make his first major-league appearance since 2019 after he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. While Robertson will likely serve as a low-leverage reliever early on, he could be in consideration for some high-leverage chances if he continues to perform well.

The Royals recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against Cleveland.

The addition of Kowar will give the other Kansas City starters some extra rest between outings, but the 24-year-old right-hander won't necessarily become a fixture in the rotation in September. He faltered badly in a three-outing stint with the big club back in June (18.00 ERA, 3.20 WHIP in five innings), and he wasn't overly impressive upon returning to Triple-A, submitting a 5.14 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 49 innings. Kowar at least appeared to turn a corner in his most recent two Triple-A starts, working 11 innings between those outings while giving up two earned runs and posting a 16:2 K:BB.