MLB Player News

The Astros recalled Abreu from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Houston optioned Abreu to the minors Saturday, but he never reported back to Sugar Land and stuck around with the Astros on their West Coast road trip in case an extra reliever was needed. He'll be eligible to rejoin the Astros just one day later after closer Ryan Pressly was placed on the paternity list Sunday. Expect Abreu to work mostly in low-leverage spots out of the bullpen while he's on the 26-man active roster.

The Astros placed Pressly on the paternity list prior to Sunday's game against the Giants, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

According to delos Santos, manager Dusty Baker said he doesn't have a timeline for when Pressly will rejoin the team after the All-Star closer and his wife recently welcomed a baby boy into the world. Players placed on the paternity leave list are eligible to remain away from the team for 1-to-3 days, so if Pressly isn't ready to rejoin the Astros ahead of the two-game set with the Dodgers that begins Tuesday, Houston could move him to the restricted list. Kendall Graveman will likely be the team's top option for the ninth inning if a save chance is available for Sunday's series finale in San Francisco.

The Blue Jays optioned Saucedo to Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.

During his first stint in the big leagues, Saucedo appeared in 15 games out of the Toronto bullpen, logging a 2.03 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 13.1 innings. Despite his excellent results, Saucedo will end up moving off the 26-man roster after Toronto needed to clear up a spot for the newly acquired Joakim Soria.

The Blue Jays optioned Hatch to Triple-A Buffalo ahead of Sunday's game against the Royals.

Hatch will cede his spot on the 26-man roster and in the rotation to Jose Berrios, whom the Blue Jays acquired from the Twins ahead of Friday's trade deadline. Toronto turned to Hatch to make his first start with the big club Monday in Boston, where the right-hander was ambushed for three runs on seven hits and one walk in 3.2 innings. Hatch should continue to make regular starts at Triple-A to stay ready in the event the Blue Jays' rotation depth takes a hit at any point in the second half.

Luetge (4-1) earned the win in relief Saturday against the Marlins after tossing two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and fanning four.

Luetge has been pitching very well of late and extended his streak of scoreless appearances to six outings, a stretch in which he's posted an excellent 12:1 K:BB while also going more than one inning three times. The left-hander posted a strong 2.00 ERA and an excellent 12.0 K/9 across eight July appearances, but a concerning 1.44 WHIP suggests he outpitched his ERA during that same span.

Taylor (2-3) was tagged with the loss in relief Saturday against the Giants after allowing one run on one hit and a walk across two-thirds of an inning.

Taylor pitched the sixth inning but couldn't complete the frame before being lifted, as he allowed a walk to Austin Slater and a single to Darin Ruf, who ended up scoring on an RBI single from Brandon Crawford two at-bats later. Taylor, who tossed just five of his 11 pitches for strikes, has now given up runs in back-to-back outings and has posted a 4.09 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP and a 6.5 BB/9 across 11.0 innings in July.

The Yankees recalled Abreu from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

Even though he was optioned to Triple-A two days earlier, Abreu is eligible to rejoin the Yankees after the team placed Domingo German (shoulder) on the injured list in a corresponding move. Nestor Cortes is the most likely candidate to take over German's spot in the rotation, but Abreu will give the Yankees a fresh arm out of the bullpen in the meantime.

Sulser struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-2 win over Detroit.

The right-hander has produced a 6.2-inning scoreless streak in eight appearances since the All-Star break. Sulser has also matched the career-high five saves he posted last season. He appears to be the favorite for closing duties in Baltimore currently, and he sports a 2.75 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 54:18 K:BB through 39.1 innings on the year.

Loaisiga picked up the save against Miami on Saturday, pitching a scoreless inning during which he allowed one hit and struck out one batter.

Closer Aroldis Chapman threw 18 pitches while converting the save Friday, so the Yankees elected to go to Loaisiga with a two-run ninth-inning lead Saturday. The right-hander gave up a one-out single and then saw the next batter reach safely on a fielder's choice, but he was able to escape the jam without allowing a run. Loaisiga has registered a solid 2.63 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 51:10 K:BB along with seven wins and 13 holds this season, and he appears to be the Yankees' primary choice to close when Chapman is unavailable.

The Orioles placed Scott on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a sprained left knee, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Manager Brandon Hyde suggested that Scott wouldn't be in store for a long-term stay on the IL, but the lefty's move to the shelf nonetheless deprives Baltimore of one of its most trusted arms in the late innings. Through 48 appearances on the season, Scott has compiled a 3.95 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 59:31 K:BB in 41 innings while picking up 14 holds.