MLB Player News

Merryweather (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment at Low-A Dunedin on Wednesday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Merryweather has been on the injured list since April 14 and has experienced several setbacks in his recovery process, but the start of his rehab assignment indicates that he's nearing his return to Toronto's bullpen. The right-hander will throw one inning during his first rehab appearance and will likely require several minor-league appearances following his lengthy absence.

Burdi was claimed off waivers by the Orioles and optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

Burdi was designated for assignment by the White Sox on Monday after he recorded a 7.30 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 24.2 innings across 23 relief appearances at Triple-A Charlotte this season. The 26-year-old was selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 2016 first-year player draft but failed to put things together while dealing with injuries earlier in his career. He'll attempt to generate better results at Triple-A Norfolk as part of the Orioles' 40-man roster.

The Blue Jays reinstated Mayza (elbow) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Toronto cleared a spot for Mayza in the bullpen and on the 26-man active roster by designating reliever Rafael Dolis for assignment. Mayza was sidelined for the minimum amount of time with left elbow inflammation, so the Blue Jays shouldn't have much hesitation about moving him back into a high-leverage role right away. Before going on the IL, Mayza posted a 1.21 ERA and 0.67 WHIP while collecting 10 holds dating back to June 1.

Harvey (lat) is scheduled to pitch an inning for Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Harvey has been working out and throwing to hitters with the Orioles' Florida Complex League team in recent weeks. He'll move his rehab up to Triple-A and should only need a handful of appearances at most before returning to the big-league roster.

Yarbrough was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Yarbrough's activation was expected since he'll serve as the primary pitcher behind opener Louis Head in Wednesday's game against the Orioles. The southpaw spent just over a week on the COVID-19 IL.

Green struck out one in a perfect seventh inning during the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Yankees, recording his fifth save of the season.

The right-hander got the call to protect a 2-0 lead and breezed through the top of Boston's batting order on 14 pitches (nine strikes). Green has picked up saves in consecutive appearances as he works in a closer committee with Jonathan Loaisiga and others while Aroldis Chapman (elbow) is on the shelf, but he'll return to his setup role once Chapman is back, perhaps before the end of the week.

Hearn (2-4) allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out two across five innings, taking the loss against the Mariners on Tuesday.

Hearn surrendered a run apiece in the third and fifth frames, which was enough to lose the game. The 26-year-old continues to be saddled with a lack of run support; however, he has a 1.82 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 29.2 innings since June 30. On the season, he carries a 3.97 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 65 punchouts in 65.2 innings. He may remain a regular part of the rotation if he can keep his recent numbers up.

Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth inning during which he allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout to earn the save in the win over the Rangers on Tuesday.

Sewald entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead and secured his fifth save in his first appearance since being reinstated from the paternity list. The 31-year-old is a part of Seattle's closer-by-committee approach. He was afforded the ninth-inning opportunity while Diego Castillo, who is 1-for-3 in save chances since joining Seattle at the deadline, was called on in the eighth. For the season, Sewald now has a 2.77 ERA in 39 innings and is 5-for-7 in save opportunities.

Lopez (2-0) earned the win over Oakland on Tuesday, pitching five scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four.

The right-hander gave up only one hit in the outing -- a Matt Chapman single in the second inning that was immediately wiped out by a double play. He was held out from going deeper into the contest because he is still building up his pitch count, but Lopez nonetheless lasted long enough to pick up his second win of the campaign. He has looked dominant since returning to the rotation to fill in for the injured Carlos Rodon (shoulder), pitching a total of eight scoreless frames in which he has given up just two hits while striking out eight. Lopez could get another start this weekend at Tampa Bay.

Brentz earned the save against the Astros on Tuesday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning during which he allowed two walks and struck out two batters.

Brentz recorded his first career save Aug. 5, but despite his lack of high-leverage experience the Royals elected to bring him in to preserve a two-run, ninth-inning lead against baseball's top scoring team. He didn't make things easy for himself -- the southpaw threw only nine of 20 pitches for strikes and issued two free passes -- but he survived the wildness to notch the save. Brentz has been one of Kansas City's best relievers this season, posting a 3.21 ERA and 10.6 K/BB while collecting 12 holds despite a troublesome 5.7 BB/9. He appears to be near the top of the list for save chances among the team's closer committee.