MLB Player News

Heller was optioned to New York's alternate training site, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, following Monday's game against the Red Sox, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Heller appeared in two games since his promotion Aug. 8, striking out two over 1.2 scoreless innings of relief work.

Taylor allowed a hit in one inning to earn the save in Monday's 2-1 win over the Rockies.

Taylor had little margin for error, but he made the lead hold after allowing a leadoff infield single to Charlie Blackmon. Three flyouts later, Taylor had his first major-league save. The 25-year-old has pitched to a 1.54 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 12 strikeouts in 11.2 innings this season. Ryan Pressly still has the upper hand for closing duties, but Taylor's work through 10 appearances has made him a solid late-innings option.

Smeltzer (2-0) allowed one walk and one hit while striking out three across 2.2 scoreless innings to earn the win Monday against the Royals.

Smelzter followed Matt Wisler into the game, and began pitching in the third inning. He worked effectively, with the only hit he allowed being a base knock. Smeltzer has worked regularly in a multi-inning role to this point in the season, and since allowing five earned runs in his first appearance, he has surrendered only three earned runs across 9.2 frames.

Alexander will pitch out of the bullpen going forward but could be called upon to pitch in a multi-inning role following the debuts of Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize on Tuesday and Wednesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Alexander has recorded anywhere between one and 11 outs in his six appearances thus far this season, with only one outing coming as a start. The arrivals of Skubal and Mize push him further down the rotation depth chart, though neither pitcher is ready for a true starter's workload just yet, so Alexander's ability to provide length remains valuable.

Graveman's neck issues stem from a benign bone tumor in the C6 section of his cervical spine, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Gravement expects to undergo surgery to correct the problem at some point, but given that the tumor is benign and that pitching doesn't make it worse, he intends to play through the discomfort it causes for now. He remains on the injured list for now but continues to throw, so it's certainly possible that he'll be back on a big-league mound before too long.

Norris will remain in the bullpen for the foreseeable future after the Tigers announced that pitching prospects Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize would be called up to make starts Tuesday and Wednesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Norris started in his season debut Aug. 2 and worked as a primary pitcher behind Michael Fulmer on Aug. 10 before moving to the bullpen ahead of this past weekend's series with the Indians. Though Tyler Alexander had replaced him as the piggyback option behind Fulmer, Norris looked like he might be a candidate to re-enter the rotation after Ivan Nova (triceps) was moved to the injured list Saturday. However, with the Tigers sitting at 9-10 entering play Monday and still firmly in the mix for a spot in the expanded postseason, the team brass is evidently hoping the two young hurlers may aid a surprise playoff push. Norris should still be one of the next men up if a rotation spot opens at any point, but he may actually offer more fantasy value as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen.

Taylor was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Monday.

Taylor has ramped up and is ready to go after missing all of camp due to coronavirus. He'll be a useful left-handed weapon in the pen for the Red Sox, as he posted a 3.04 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in his 47.1-inning debut last year.

Chapman (illness) was officially activated from the injured list as expected Monday.

Chapman is finally ready to go after spending the first few weeks ramping up after a positive COVID-19 test cost him most of summer camp. His return will push Zach Britton back into a setup role.

Green picked up the hold in Sunday's win over Boston, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings and allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two.

Green has been one of the better setup men in baseball thus far, tying for the league lead with five holds while allowing only one run and two hits in nine outings covering 12.2 frames. He has also registered an impressive 17:4 K:BB and picked up a pair of wins along the way. It remains to be seen how Green's usage will change with the return of Aroldis Chapman (COVID-19) and consequent move of Zack Britton to a setup role, but he should continue to be deployed in high-leverage situations given his early season success.

Graveman (neck) will throw 50 pitches in an intrasquad game Monday.

Gravemen has been out since early August with neck spasms, and he's dealt with neck problems in the past, but a specialist confirmed that he doesn't need surgery for now. The fact that he's already ready to throw a considerable number of pitches is undoubtedly an encouraging sign, though it's not yet clear when he's expected to return.