MLB Player News

Littell was recalled from the Twins' alternate training site Thursday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Littell was optioned Wednesday to make room for Rich Hill on the Twins' pitching staff, but he'll return to the 28-man roster after Lewis Thorpe was optioned to the alternate training site in a corresponding move. Littell had a rough season debut, but he's been effective since then, allowing just one run on four hits and three walks over four innings.

Thornton (elbow) was activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Thornton will start Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Phillies, so the transaction was anticipated. He was placed on the IL earlier in August while dealing with right elbow inflammation but progressed smoothly through his recovery. The right-hander should claim a role in the starting rotation with Nate Pearson (elbow) on the 10-day injured list.

The Astros recalled Perez from their alternate training site Thursday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

He'll join the active roster as a replacement for third baseman Alex Bregman (hamstring), who was placed on the 10-day injured list. Perez missed a large chunk of summer camp while recovering from an unspecified issue, but he was cleared to report to the Astros' alternate site in late July and should be in good condition as he makes the jump to the big leagues. Perez will likely serve as a multi-inning option out of the Houston bullpen, given his recent starting experience in the high levels of the minors.

Anderson was credited with his fourth hold in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday, firing a perfect eighth inning during which he recorded two strikeouts.

Anderson mowed through the trio of Luke Voit, Gio Urshela and Mike Ford on just 13 pitches, nine of which he threw for strikes. The right-hander extended his season-opening scoreless streak to 11 appearances in the process, and he now owns a sparkling 15:1 K:BB over 9.1 innings to go along with four holds and three saves.

Fairbanks (3-1) was credited with the victory in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday, recording one out on a strikeout to close out the seventh inning. He also threw a wild pitch.

Fairbanks came on after Ryan Thompson got three outs behind an effective eight-strikeout performance by starter Tyler Glasnow, and he had a hand in making the situation more of a high-leverage scenario than it should have been. Fairbanks' wild pitch while facing Aaron Hicks moved inherited runner Brett Gardner to third base with two outs, but the right-hander ultimately bounced back to retire the slugger on a called third strike. Fairbanks seems to be hitting his stride after allowing a combined three earned runs over two outings to the Yankees and Red Sox earlier in August, as he's now fired 3.1 scoreless frames across his subsequent four appearances.

Pearson (elbow) underwent an MRI on Thursday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

The hard-throwing prospect was shut down earlier this week with elbow tightness, which is never a good sign. General manager Ross Atkins said the team is "not overly concerned," but that's pretty typical front-office speak with pitching injuries like this where there has not been an official diagnosis. Trent Thornton (elbow) is coming off the injured list to take Pearson's spot in the rotation.

The Tigers designated Fulmer for assignment Thursday.

Fulmer was booted from the 40-man roster and 28-man active roster to clear room for reliever Buck Farmer (groin), who was activated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Through seven appearances out of the Detroit bullpen this season, Fulmer gave up five runs on eight hits and three walks over 6.2 innings.

The Tigers reinstated Farmer (groin) from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Farmer had been on the shelf since Aug. 10 with a left groin strain, but he was able to quickly move past the injury. The Tigers designated Carson Fulmer for assignment to clear a spot on the active roster for Farmer, who has been one of Detroit's top setup men this season with a 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and four holds over seven appearances.

Puk (shoulder) will be evaluated for his readiness to face live hitters after Friday's bullpen session, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Puk has been on a steady throwing program that has seen him progressively build up his workload at the Athletics' alternate training site in San Jose. If the left-hander's bullpen session goes well Friday, Puk could take the next step toward eventual activation by getting back in front of live hitters again next week.

Lopez (shoulder) could start Saturday's game against the Cubs, Scot Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

That spot in the rotation is currently TBA, but Gregor's best guess is that Lopez gets activated from the injured list for that start. At the very least, it sounds like Lopez is very near a return. He has been out for over three weeks with shoulder inflammation.