The Red Sox designated Burdi for assignment Monday.

He will give up his spot on the 40-man roster to left-hander Jovani Moran, who was called up from Triple-A Worcester ahead of Monday's series opener in Houston. The 32-year-old Burdi had made just four relief appearances for Boston this season but has pitched well for Worcester, logging a 1.88 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB across 24 innings.

The Red Sox optioned Murphy to Triple-A Worcester on Monday.

Murphy spent the first three months on the injured list while completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery before being activated in late June. Over 14 appearances out of the Boston bullpen, Murphy submitted a 3.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB in 20.2 innings while being used mainly in lower-leverage spots. His demotion likely has less to do with his performance than it does Boston's desire to bring in a fresh arm, as Murphy had pitched three of the past five days while covering three innings in total. Boston called up left-hander Jovani Moran from Triple-A to replace Murphy in the bullpen.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Cruz (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Thursday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Cruz has already reported to Somerset and got through a 19-pitch live batting practice session Sunday, clearing the way for him to begin a rehab assignment. He's expected to make three appearances in the minors before being activated from the 15-day injured list, potentially by the end of next week. Cruz has been out since late June with a strained oblique.

The Orioles selected Espada's contract Monday and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.

Espada signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles in late July and has now been added to the 40-man roster, although he will remain at Norfolk for the time being. The 28-year-old holds a 3.74 ERA and 66:21 K:BB over 43.1 frames in the minors this season.

Gipson-Long (neck) struck out three and allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk over 4.1 innings in his latest rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Toledo.

Gipson-Long built up to 57 pitches in his second rehab start since he resumed his assignment earlier this month after a two-week layoff caused by a recurrence of neck stiffness. The Tigers appear committed to letting Gipson-Long get stretched out as a starter during his rehab assignment, but the right-hander may not have a spot in the big-league rotation waiting for him once he's ready to return from the 15-day injured list.

Morales did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing no hits and five walks over 2.2 scoreless innings against the Orioles. He struck out four.

Morales didn't allow a hit in his first MLB start Sunday, but five walks and just 25 strikes on 57 pitches limited him to recording only eight outs. The rookie debuted Aug. 1 against the Diamondbacks, giving up one run over two innings in relief, before earning his first start. Earlier this year, he regularly worked deep into games for Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas from mid-April to mid-June, but the right-hander hasn't gone beyond three innings in an outing since the start of July. With the pitching staff in flux and Luis Severino (oblique) now on the injured list, it remains to be seen what role Morales will fill moving forward.

Williams struck out the side in a perfect sixth inning against Houston on Sunday.

Williams had been struggling entering Sunday, taking two blown saves and two losses with a 15.43 ERA over his previous five appearances. While he was dominant in fanning all three batters he faced on a combined 11 pitches Sunday, it's perhaps even more notable that he came into the contest in the sixth frame with New York down 4-0. Of note as well is that his entrance was initiated by fill-in manager Brad Ausmus after manager Aaron Boone was ejected in the third inning. It's a complex situation, but Williams' usage Sunday could be an indication that the Yankees want to give him lower-leverage work at least temporarily in order to help him right the ship, as they did earlier in the campaign after the veteran reliever struggled out of the gate. If that is indeed the plan, a move out of the ninth-inning role not be temporary this time given that New York acquired an experienced closer at the trade deadline in David Bednar, who has gone 1-for-3 in save chances since joining the Yankees but has posted a strong 10:3 K:BB with a 3.00 ERA over six innings.

Fulmer allowed two earned runs on one hit and four walks while striking out three batters over five innings of long relief in Sunday's 9-5 loss to the Tigers.

Jack Kochanowicz started for the Angels and was roughed up, giving up seven runs (six earned) over three-plus frames to get stuck with the loss. Fulmer entered in the fourth and remained on the mound for the remainder of the contest, throwing 85 pitches to Kochanowicz's 84. While Fulmer was wild -- only 49 of his offerings were strikes, and he walked four batters -- the only hit he gave up was a two-run home run to Riley Greene. The right-hander's pitch count was his second-highest of the season, falling just shy of the 88 he tallied against Texas on July 10. Kochanowicz was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake following the poor start, and while Los Angeles has not yet announced how it plans to handle his spot in the rotation, Fulmer is a logical candidate to step into a starting role, given the hefty workload he handled Sunday.

The Red Sox will designate Burdi for assignment Monday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The transaction will free up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of left-hander Jovani Moran, who will be called up from Triple-A Worcester. Burdi has allowed two runs with a 4:3 K:BB over three innings at Worcester since returning from a hip injury. The righty reliever has pitched well this season when healthy, so he could receive interest via trade or waivers.

Alexander is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Elvis Peguero in Monday's game against the Tigers, Jack Ankony of SI.com reports.

Alexander made a 3.1-inning start versus the Phillies on July 30, but his last two appearances have come out of the Chicago bullpen. In his most recent outing last Wednesday against the Mariners, Alexander shined in long relief behind starter Jonathan Cannon, striking out five batters while allowing just two baserunners over 4.1 scoreless frames and 67 pitches. With Cannon having since been demoted to Triple-A Charlotte, Alexander will essentially be taking his spot in the rotation Monday, as Peguero is expected to work just one or two innings before Alexander likely steps in and covers multiple frames out of the bullpen.