MLB Player News

Sulser will not be the Orioles' closer going forward, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Sulser has saved five games for the Orioles this season but has blown three more opportunities. He's given up runs in each of his last four outings, walking eight batters in five innings over that stretch. His 4.70 ERA, 21.2 percent strikeout rate and 19.7 percent walk rate are all far from closer material. Hunter Harvey and Miguel Castro could be the primary ninth-inning options in Baltimore now, as Mychal Givens was traded to the Rockies on Sunday.

Akin will start Monday's game against the Blue Jays.

As Jon Heyman of MLB Network suggested would be the case when Akin was called up Sunday, the lefty will step into the rotation Monday as a replacement for Tommy Milone, who was traded to the Braves over the weekend. The 2016 second-round pick has struck out more than a batter per inning at each minor-league stop, but finding the zone was an issue for him at Triple-A Norfolk last season, when he walked 12.1 percent of the batters he faced. Akin made his first two big-league appearances in relief this season, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one in 3.1 innings. According to Joe Trezza of MLB.com, manager Brandon Hyde said Akin would be on an unspecified pitch count in his first start, and likely "for the rest of the year."

Giles (forearm) will throw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Giles has now been out for over a month with a strained flexor mass in his right forearm, but he continues to make good progress towards his return. It remains to be seen how many more times he'll have to throw before the Blue Jays feel ready to activate him, but when he does eventually return, he should reclaim his closer role.

Pitching coach Pete Walker said Monday that the Blue Jays are "definitely hopeful" that Romano (finger) will be ready to pitch again before the end of the regular season, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Romano will be on a no-throw program for the next week or two while he contends with a sprained middle finger on his pitching hand, so he won't realistically be ready to return from the injured list until the second half of September. While that timeline likely makes Romano a justifiable drop in most formats, the right-hander could quickly reclaim a prominent role in the Toronto bullpen once he's activated. Prior to being shut down with the injury, Romano had seemingly emerged as the team's top closing option, recording saves in two of his final three appearances. With Ken Giles (forearm) also on the shelf, Anthony Bass could re-emerge as Toronto's primary closer in the short term, if the Blue Jays don't add any other end-game options prior to Monday's trade deadline.

Reyes was optioned to the Angels' alternate training site Sunday.

Reyes was acquired by the Angels earlier Sunday in exchange for Jason Castro, but he'll begin his time in the organization with the alternate squad. Whether he'll be added to the team's bullpen at some point during the abbreviated 2020 season remains to be seen.

Banda was designated for assignment by the Rays on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Banda imploded in his relief appearance Sunday as he allowed five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one over one inning. The Rays were still able to pick up the win behind a strong offensive showing, but Banda will lose his spot on the 40-man roster. The southpaw recorded a 10.29 ERA and 4:5 K:BB over seven innings this season.

Munoz (elbow) was traded from the Padres to the Mariners on Sunday for Austin Nola and several other players, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Munoz underwent Tommy John surgery in March and will miss the entire 2020 season as a result. He could return at some point in 2021, but he'll go through his recovery process with a new organization. The right-hander was effective in his first taste of major-league action last year as he posted a 3.91 ERA and 30.9 percent strikeout rate over 23 innings with the Padres prior to being shut down.

Garcia was returned to the Yankees' alternate training site following Sunday's doubleheader.

Garcia was dominant in his major-league debut Sunday in Game 2 of the doubleheader, as he limited the Mets to one run (zero earned) on four hits and no walks while striking out six over six innings. However, he didn't get much run support from the Yankees and was forced to settle for a no-decision in the 5-2 win in eight innings. While he'll head back to the alternate squad, he could be back with the Yankees as soon as Friday, when the team could have him start one game of a doubleheader with the Orioles.

Quijada (0-1) took the loss versus the Mariners on Sunday, allowing an unearned run on two hits with his lone out coming via strikeout.

Quijada allowed the initial runner, Kyle Lewis, to score on a Tim Lopes single in the 10th inning, and that was enough to take the loss. Quijada's only other appearance of the year was a scoreless outing over two-thirds of an inning in Saturday's blowout win against the Mariners. He'll likely see mostly low-leverage deployment going forward.

Ramirez pitched a scoreless 10th inning, allowing one walk while striking out a pair to earn the save in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Angels.

Ramirez relieved regular closer Taylor Williams to start the 10th inning and the former was able to strike out a pair before intentionally walking Mike Trout. Ramirez then got Anthony Rendon on a flyout to close out the contest. It's the first save of the year for Ramirez, who has a 2.77 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 21 strikeouts across 13 innings. He typically works earlier in games as a multi-inning relief option.