MLB Player News

Triple-A Durham placed Sterner on its 7-day injured list Saturday with an unspecified injury.

Sterner hasn't pitched since Aug. 3 due to an unspecified injury or illness. The right-hander made appearances out of the Tampa Bay bullpen on May 31 and June 4 but has otherwise spent the 2024 season at Durham, producing a 3.76 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 45:16 K:BB in 40.2 innings.

Foley did not appear in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants, with Will Vest earning the save instead.

Foley last pitched Friday and before that Wednesday, so he seemingly should have been available for the save opportunity Sunday. Instead, Vest was used and earned his first save of the season. Foley leads the Tigers with 15 saves, but he's also struggled a bit recently, as he has a 5.68 ERA and 1.74 WHIP since the beginning of July. Foley has a tenuous hold on the closer role, and with six Detroit relievers now having saves this year, it's a fairly murky bullpen situation at this point.

Vest worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and secure the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants. He struck out one.

Vest blew a save in his last appearance Thursday when he allowed two runs while retiring only two batters. The veteran righty bounced back with a better performance Sunday to earn his first save of the season. Jason Foley leads Detroit with 15 saves, but he wasn't used in Sunday's game after last pitching on Friday. Six players on the Tigers now have saves this year after Vest recorded his first, making this a murky bullpen at best currently.

Clase allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Twins.

Clase allowed multiple baserunners for the first time since July 9. He loaded the bases with no outs, then got Willi Castro to strike out and Trevor Larnach to ground into a double play to end the threat. The save was Clase's 35th of the season, keeping him comfortably in second in the majors behind only St. Louis' Ryan Helsley (37). Clase doesn't often give up much either -- he has a 0.66 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 47:7 K:BB through 54.1 innings this season. Since he's pitched consecutive days, he may not be available for a save opportunity Monday versus the Cubs, which could lead to a rare chance for Cade Smith, Scott Barlow or Hunter Gaddis.

Bernardino was optioned to Triple-A Worcester after Sunday's game against the Astros, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Bernardino allowed four runs across 1.1 innings during Sunday's loss and is being sent down in favor of a fresh arm. The left-hander has a 3.83 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with 40 strikeouts over 40 innings in 43 appearances with Boston this season and could rejoin the big club down the stretch.

The Rays optioned Alexander to Tripel-A Durham on Sunday.

The lefty pitched well in bulk relief in Saturday's loss to the Orioles with one run allowed over 4.2 innings and has a 1.26 ERA in his past four appearances, but he'll head to the minors with Ryan Pepiot (knee) nearing a return from the 15-day injured list to fill an opening in the rotation. Cole Sulser was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move to bolster Tampa Bay's bullpen depth.

The Rays recalled Sulser from Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

The right-hander was acquired from the Mets in late July after being designated for assignment. Sulser allowed five earned runs over 4.2 frames for New York but has a 1.49 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 41:16 K:BB across 36.1 innings at Triple-A this season.

The Blue Jays optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.

He'll head back to the minors to reopen a spot in the bullpen for right-hander Genesis Cabrera (personal), who was reinstated from the paternity list. After being called up from Triple-A on July 30, Rodriguez made three relief appearances for Toronto, giving up six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings.

The Blue Jays activated Cabrera (personal) from the paternity list Sunday.

Right-hander Yerry Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to make room on the 26-man active roster and in the bullpen for Cabrera. Before he was away from the team over the past three days welcoming a new addition into his family, Cabrera had compiled a 3.50 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 37:23 K:BB across 46.1 innings over 50 appearances for Toronto.

The Rangers designated Burke for assignment Sunday.

The transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster and in the big-league bullpen for right-hander Matt Festa, who was called up from Triple-A Round Rock. Since breaking his right hand in April and missing two months of action, Burke struggled to bounce back upon returning from the shelf. Over his eight appearances with Texas since being activated, Burke posted a 7.59 ERA and 1.88 WHIP across 10.2 innings.