MLB Player News

Triple-A Toledo placed Smith on its 7-day injured list Thursday due to an unspecified injury.

After being optioned to Toledo on July 2, Smith made just one appearance for the Triple-A club before landing on the IL. The 25-year-old right-hander maintains a 2.70 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 37:11 K:BB in 26.2 innings between Toledo and Double-A Erie this season.

Gipson-Long (neck) struck out five and allowed no hits and one walk over 4.2 scoreless innings in a rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Toledo.

Pitching for the first time since landing on the 15-day injured list July 2 due to a neck strain, Gipson-Long showed no ill effects of the injury while needing just 59 pitches to retire 14 batters. The Tigers haven't decided on the next steps for Gipson-Long, and though he isn't fully stretched out yet, the team could be willing to have him bypass another rehab start and return as a bulk reliever when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up following the All-Star break. Keider Montero finished the first half as Detroit's fifth starter but doesn't have a firm grasp on the role.

The Mariners optioned Saucedo to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.

Saucedo took Carlos Vargas' spot on the 26-man active roster for a few days while the latter was on paternity leave, but with Vargas getting reinstated Monday, Saucedo will head back to the minors. The lefty reliever has permitted four runs with a 4:3 K:BB across 4.2 frames with the big club this season.

The Mariners reinstated Vargas (personal) from the paternity list Monday.

Vargas was unavailable for the Mariners' final three games before the All-Star break while welcoming a new addition to the family, but he will be back in the bullpen for the start of the second half. The 25-year-old has posted a 3.43 ERA and 32:19 K:BB over 44.2 innings this season.

The Yankees claimed Garcia off waivers from the Mets on Monday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Garcia tossed 4.2 scoreless frames with the Mets after getting called up from Triple-A Syracuse earlier this month, but he was nonetheless removed from their 40-man roster last week. He is out of options, so the reliever will go directly onto the Yankees' active roster as a bullpen arm.

Rodriguez gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless inning of relief Sunday in a loss to the A's.

The right-hander continues to thrive in a high-leverage role. Over 17.2 innings since the beginning of June, Rodriguez has posted a 2.04 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB while collecting two wins, three holds and a save. While the Jays could well bolster their bullpen at the trade deadline, Rodriguez seems locked in as part of the late-inning bridge to closer Jeff Hoffman.

In games against the Mariners on Saturday and Sunday, Kahnle allowed seven earned runs on six hits and two walks without retiring a single batter.

Kahnle had two of his worst outings of the season on consecutive days, and he saw his ERA climb from 2.84 to 4.50 in the process. This whole month of July has been a struggle for the righty, as he's allowed 12 earned runs on 11 hits and five walks across six appearances (2.1 innings). Meanwhile, Will Vest continues to pitch well as Detroit's closer, sitting with a 2.30 ERA and a team-high 15 saves. At this point, Vest is clearly the reliever to roster in the Tigers' bullpen, particularly given Kahnle's recent poor form.

Speier was charged with a blown save in Sunday's 8-4 win over Detroit, allowing one run on one hit in the seventh inning.

Speier was taken deep by All-Star Riley Greene, and saddled with his fourth blown save of the year. Speier had gone four consecutive outings without surrendering an earned run prior to Sunday's hiccup, and he should remain an integral part of Seattle's bullpen as its lone active left-hander. Through his first 36.2 frames, Speier owns a strong 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 51:9 K:BB with 10 holds.

Legumina allowed one run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Tigers. He struck out one.

It's been a rough July thus far for Legumina, who's yielded eight runs over 2.1 innings (three appearances) this month to swell his ERA from its June 29 figure of 3.31 to 5.14 following Sunday's showing. Legumina did submit eight consecutive scoreless outings to wrap up June, but he figures to continue working in lower-leverage spots until he gets back on the right track.

Chapman picked up the save in Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Rays, striking out all three batters he faced.

The veteran southpaw wrapped the series finale against Tampa Bay in style, retiring three consecutive batters via punchout to notch his 352nd career save. Chapman has been electric in his first season with the Red Sox, pitching to a stellar 1.18 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 58:10 K:BB across 38 total frames. The 37-year-old is set to make his eighth All-Star appearance in Atlanta on Tuesday.