MLB Player News

Rogers (1-1) recorded only one out but surrendered three hits and two earned runs to blow the save and take the loss Thursday against the Pirates.

Rogers was called upon to protect a 5-4 lead in the ninth inning, but struggled immediately. He allowed a single and double to the first two batters he faced. After striking out the third hitter of the inning, he allowed another base knock to surrender two runs to lose the game. This was Rogers' first stumble of the season, and he has still allowed opposing batters to go only 4-for-17 against him. He should remain in line for plenty of saves.

Thornton was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with elbow inflammation, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Thornton apparently felt off during a bullpen session, resulting in his placement on the IL. The Blue Jays have yet to announce who will replace Thornton in the rotation, though there's a chance Chase Anderson (oblique) could return from the IL to start Saturday. Jacob Waguespack was added to the active roster in a corresponding move.

Andriese allowed one run on three hits in three innings of relief against the Mariners on Wednesday. He struck out one batter.

Andriese piggybacked Julio Teheran, who lasted just 2.2 innings as he continues to build up his workload. The right-hander now owns a 4.35 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 7:4 K:BB through 10.1 innings this season. According to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, manager Joe Maddon said he really likes Andriese in the bullpen, so it's possible he shifts to a long-relief role moving forward.

Richards was recalled from the Rays' alternate camp site Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

An injury to Yonny Chirinos (triceps) opened the door for Richards to rejoin the Rays following a brief stint at the team's satellite camp. The righty has struggled across of a pair of appearances this season, allowing six runs in 5.1 innings, though he could be called upon to pitch a handful of innings this weekend in place of Chirinos.

Chapman (illness) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Chapman is still building up his arm strength after missing all of summer camp due to COVID-19. The southpaw threw a bullpen session Wednesday, and it sounds like he could be cleared to face live hitters next week if everything goes off without a hitch during his BP session this weekend. Zack Britton should continue to close in Chapman's absence.

Mengden moved into a bullpen role July 31 after the Athletics added Jesus Luzardo to the rotation, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Mengden hasn't been used since his last start July 28, while Oakland's top pitching prospect strengthened his hold on a rotation spot by tossing five shutout innings Tuesday against the Rangers. The Athletics presumably still view Mengden as the next man up in the rotation, but he'll be largely limited to low-leverage mop-up work while he's in the bullpen.

Abreu was optioned to the Astros' alternate training site Thursday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Abreu was part of Houston's Opening Day roster and worked mainly as a middle reliever, but he'll find himself off the major-league roster as the active roster shrinks to 28 players. In four relief appearances this year, the right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and seven walks while striking out three over 3.1 innings. He'll remain on the taxi squad for the team's current series but will work on his control at the alternate training site going forward.

The Twins list Smeltzer as their starting pitcher for Friday's game against the Royals, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Though manager Rocco Baldelli hasn't confirmed as much, Smeltzer looks like he'll be joining the rotation as a replacement for Lewis Thorpe, who may be headed to the bullpen after givng up three runs and putting 10 runners on base over four innings in his start Monday against the Pirates. Smeltzer made six starts for Minnesota in 2019, but he's appeared in long relief for his first two outings of this season, ceding six runs but striking out seven over 4.2 total innings.

Kahnle (elbow) was transferred to the 45-day injured list Thursday.

He opted for Tommy John surgery earlier this week. Given the timing of the injury, it will take a very smooth recovery for Kahnle to return in 2021. Next year is his final year under club control, so it's possible the Yankees will non-tender him at some point in the next year.

Rodriguez was optioned to the Angels' alternate camp site Thursday.

This move comes as the Angels look to shave their roster down to 28. Rodriguez made just one appearance during his brief stint with the big club, allowing a pair of hits and a walk across 1.2 scoreless frames.