MLB Player News

Martin (elbow) threw a successful 25-pitch bullpen session Wednesday and is slated to throw off a mound again in the coming days, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

As long as he comes out of the next bullpen session with no concerns, Martin is expected to be cleared to start a rehab assignment next week. He's been out since early July with right elbow inflammation but looks to be progressing toward a return in early or mid-August.

Hendriks (elbow) is headed to Texas to meet with his surgeon and hopes to be cleared to face hitters, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Hendriks has been throwing two bullpen sessions per week over the last month as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. In his most recent session Tuesday, he threw 35 pitches and used his full repertoire. There's no clear timetable for Hendriks' return to the active roster yet, but he wouldn't appear too far off from a rehab assignment if things continue trending in a positive direction.

Joyce is expected to operate as the Angels' closer after the trade of Luis Garcia on Tuesday.

Garcia was labeled the closer while Joyce was named the setup man and closer-in-waiting after the trade of Carlos Estevez over the weekend, and Garcia has now also been dealt. However, manager Ron Washington used Joyce in the eighth inning Tuesday while Hunter Strickland picked up the save, so it remains to be seen if the skipper sticks with the initial plan. Joyce still struggles to control his 101.8-mph fastball at times and has a 4.0 BB/9 this season, but that's an improvement from his first taste of the big leagues last year when he walked nine over 10 innings and had an 8.1 BB/9 at Triple-A. The right-hander has a 2.01 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB in 19 appearances this season.

The Twins placed Stewart on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right shoulder strain, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Stewart just returned a week ago from a lengthy absence due to shoulder issues and is now headed back to the IL. The righty was roughed up for seven runs over 2.1 innings covering three appearances over the last week while showing diminished velocity. Stewart has often been a lockdown reliever for the Twins when healthy, but whether he'll be able to regain that form this season is a fair question.

The Blue Jays optioned Cuas to Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

Cuas will head back to Buffalo to make room on the active roster for right-hander Paolo Espino, who was called up from Triple-A to start Wednesday's game in Baltimore. The righty reliever's latest stint with the Blue Jays lasted just two days, with Cuas striking out one but walking three batters in a scoreless inning of relief in Tuesday's 6-2 loss.

The Blue Jays recalled Espino from Triple-A Buffalo ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday in Baltimore.

Espino made two relief appearances in April for the Blue Jays but will be making his first start with the club and his first in the majors since the 2022 season. After returning from Buffalo's 7-day injured list July 4, Espino didn't cover more than four innings in any of his subsequent three outings prior to his call-up, so he could struggle to reach the five innings he would need to hit Wednesday to qualify for a win. The Blue Jays could look to Yariel Rodriguez to provide length behind Espino out of the bullpen.

Yarbrough is expected to work out of the rotation once he joins the Blue Jays, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Acquired from the Dodgers on Tuesday in exchange for outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, Yarbrough has made all 32 of his appearances out of the bullpen this season, but he has extensive experience as a starter and bulk reliever from his time in Tampa Bay. He posted a 3.74 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 39:25 K:BB through 67.1 innings for the Dodgers in 2024, but he's unlikely to maintain those ratios in a larger role -- he has a 4.74 ERA over 68 career starts.

Hamilton (lat) is expected to be cleared to throw live batting practice soon, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Hamilton has been shelved since mid-June with a right lat strain but is almost ready to take the next step in his recovery. There's no timetable for the reliever's return yet, but he wouldn't appear far off from a rehab assignment if all goes well.

The Yankees recalled Marinaccio from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

Marinaccio holds a 2.84 ERA and 19:9 K:BB over 19 innings during his time in the majors this season. He'll operate in middle relief for the Yankees.

Harvey recorded his 28th hold of the season in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the White Sox, giving up a run on two hits over one inning while striking out two.

The right-hander left Sunday's game due to lower-back spasms, but Harvey was back in action a couple days later. The Royals added another high-leverage arm at the trade deadline in Lucas Erceg, which likely puts another reliever between Harvey and save chances, but he should remain in a setup role.