MLB Player News

Woods Richardson and Anthony Kay were traded from the Mets to the Blue Jays on Sunday in exchange for Marcus Stroman, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Woods Richardson was selected in the second round of the 2018 draft out of high school, and he's done nothing but impress to this point. He posted a 4.25 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with a 97:17 K:BB over 78.1 innings this season while with Columbia and will likely be assigned to Low-A Lansing following Sunday's transaction.

Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson were traded from the Mets to the Blue Jays on Sunday in exchange for Marcus Stroman, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Kay has struggled to find his groove since being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse in mid-June, but perhaps a change of scenery will be just what the prospect needs to settle in. He owns a 6.61 ERA and 1.63 WHIP with 26 punchouts over 31.1 innings at Triple-A, and he'll likely report to the Bisons following Sunday's trade. He was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Mets' farm system.

Covey (1-7) allowed five runs on five hits and failed to retire a batter Sunday against the Twins. He was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte after the game, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Covey was rocked in the first inning of his latest start, surrendering five runs on a pair of homers before being removed. After accruing a 6.99 ERA and 1.62 WHIP with 31 strikeouts over 47.2 innings with Chicago, he'll head back to Triple-A.

Betances (lat) is likely a few weeks away from throwing off a mound, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Skipper Aaron Boone stated Saturday that Betances could resume mound work sometime next week, but following Sunday's matchup, he revealed that he misspoke and that Betances likely wouldn't get on a mound for a couple of weeks.

The Rangers transferred Biddle to the 60-day injured list Sunday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Since Biddle's initial move to the IL was retroactive to July 15, the new transaction means he won't be eligible to rejoin the Rangers until at least mid-September. At that point, the Rangers may not deem it worthwhile to bring Biddle back with limited time left in the season, making it a realistic possibility that he doesn't pitch again in 2019. Biddle's placement on the 60-day IL will open up a spot on the 40-man roster for fellow reliever Ian Gibaut, who was acquired from the Rays on Sunday.

The Mariners optioned Carasiti to Triple-A Tacoma after Saturday's 8-1 win over the Tigers.

Carasiti's demotion clears a spot on the active roster for Hunter Strickland (lat), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list ahead of Sunday's series finale. The right-hander's first stint in the big leagues since 2016 lasted just over a month, with Carasiti giving up six runs (five earned) on 11 hits and five walks over 9.2 innings.

The Rangers acquired Gibaut from the Rays on Sunday in exchange for a player to be named later, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays elected to designate the hard-throwing righty reliever for assignment earlier in the week when the team needed to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Matt Duffy, who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Though Gibaut has only one big-league appearance to his name, the Rangers were likely intrigued by the massive strikeout rates he's posted in the minors the past few seasons. Gibaut has been limited to just 10.1 innings at Triple-A Durham this season due to injury, but he turned in a 33.8 K% over 48 appearances for the affiliate in 2018. He'll likely report to Triple-A Nashville for his new organization but could get a call to the big leagues in the near future.

The Twins designated Torres for assignment Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Torres was pushed off the 40-man roster after the Twins bolstered their bullpen Saturday with the acquisition of Sergio Romo from the Marlins. The Twins will have seven days to either trade, waive or release Torres. Since the 36-year-old righty has more than five years of MLB service time, he would have the luxury of refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester.

Banda (elbow) has given up five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out eight across 8.2 innings over his three rehab appearances at Triple-A Durham.

Banda previously made four appearances with the Rays' lower-level affiliates before moving up to Triple-A about two weeks ago. While he hasn't turned in top-notch results, Banda reportedly feels good physically and is gradually raising his pitch count as he works back from Tommy John surgery. The Rays will likely activate him from the 60-day injured list and keep him at Triple-A once his rehab window comes to a close, but Banda should be an option to aid a banged-up big-league pitching staff as either a starter or bulk reliever later this season. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times posits that Banda is likely ahead of fellow Triple-A pitcher Jose De Leon -- who beat Banda back from the IL earlier this season -- for a potential callup.

Bummer walked one in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Twins.

Bummer, who earned his team-leading 11th hold, has not allowed a run and sports a 0.75 ERA over the last 10 games. As the trade deadline approaches, Bummer is in position to take over as the team's closer if the White Sox opt to trade existing closer Alex Colome.