MLB Player News

The Royals designated Richards for assignment Wednesday.

Kansas City will swap Richards out of its bullpen for a fresh right-handed arm in Jonathan Bowlan, who was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. After receiving a promotion to the big club Saturday, Richards appeared in three contests and gave up four earned runs on seven hits and two walks over three innings. If he goes unclaimed off waivers, Richards will have the option of electing free agency if he doesn't wish to report back to Omaha.

The Royals activated Erceg (back) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Erceg has been shelved since late May with a lower-back strain but is ready to go after making one scoreless rehab appearance. He will slide back into a setup role for Kansas City.

The Red Sox outrighted Stock to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Stock is off the 40-man roster but will remain in the organization in a depth capacity. The righty has yielded three runs over 2.2 innings covering two appearances with Boston this season.

The Twins claimed Wentz off waivers from the Pirates on Wednesday.

Wentz is out of minor-league options and will be added to the Twins' active roster prior to Thursday's game against the Rangers. He's posted a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 22:11 K:BB over 26 innings at the big-league level in 2025.

The Rays recalled Sulser from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Sulser has pitched well in 11.2 relief innings with the big club, allowing four runs with a 9:3 K:BB. He's taking the roster spot vacated by Manuel Rodriguez (forearm), who has landed on the 15-day injured list.

The Rays placed Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right forearm strain, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's not clear when Rodriguez was hurt, but he last made an appearance Monday in Boston, tossing a scoreless frame despite giving up two hits and a walk. He will be eligible for activation June 25, but given the nature of the injury, it's possible Rodriguez will need more time than that.

Lauer will start Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, though Spencer Turnbull is expected to work behind him as a bulk reliever, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manager John Schneider said Monday that Turnbull is set to handle a multi-inning role out of the bullpen for Toronto after being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, and Wednesday's contest represents a good opportunity for the Blue Jays to break him in for some extended work. Lauer has been the Blue Jays' nominal No. 5 starter since late April, making two starts and five bulk-relief appearances among his eight outings. The southpaw hasn't covered more than 4.2 innings in any of those appearances, and the Blue Jays are likely to continue to keep his workload in check to optimize his performance. Since Lauer is unlikely to reach five innings Wednesday, Turnbull is the more likely of the two pitchers to factor into the decision.

Cantillo is slated to rejoin the Triple-A Columbus rotation this weekend after being slowed by left elbow soreness, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Cantillo didn't throw for a few days after feeling discomfort during a bullpen session, but he's been cleared for mound work and will make a start this weekend, barring a setback. The left-hander made 21 relief appearances for the Guardians earlier this season but was sent down in late May to get stretched back out as a starter.

Clarke allowed four runs on five hits and one walk with no strikeouts over one-third of an inning in Tuesday's 10-2 loss against the Yankees.

The right-hander entered in relief of Noah Cameron with two outs and a runner on in the sixth inning, but he quickly unraveled, surrendering a flurry of hits that allowed the inherited runner to score along with four more runs of his own. Clarke entered Tuesday with a stellar 1.29 ERA and 0.43 WHIP, but those marks ballooned to 3.77 and 0.84, respectively, after the rough outing.

Weissert earned the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Rays after pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

Aroldis Chapman was unavailable after working three straight days Saturday through Monday, but Weissert was able to get the job done in the ninth, retiring the side on just seven pitches to pick up his first save of the season. He's now earned two holds and a save in his last three appearances and has allowed just two runs while posting an 11:2 K:BB in his last 12 innings. For the season, he owns a 1.65 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 37:9 K:BB in 27.1 innings.