MLB Player News

The Cubs designated Little for assignment Monday.

Little ended up being an odd man out for a spot on the 40-man roster after the Cubs brought Braxton Garrett, Tyrone Taylor, Clay Holmes (fibula) and Ryan Zeferjahn aboard in trades Monday. The 25-year-old lefty was up in the big leagues with the Cubs for a week in April but has otherwise spent the entire season in the minors, logging a 5.03 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 39.1 innings between Triple-A Iowa and Double-A Knoxville.

Manager Craig Counsell said that Holmes (fibula) is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list to make his Cubs debut with a start this weekend in Kansas City, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Before the Mets traded him Monday, Holmes hadn't made an appearance at the big-league level since May 15, but the Cubs are confident that the right-hander is fully recovered from a fractured right fibula and sufficiently stretched out after completing a three-start minor-league rehab assignment. During his final rehab appearance this past Sunday at High-A Brooklyn, Holmes tossed 5.1 innings and 73 pitches, so he's not expected to have a major workload restriction as he slots into the Chicago rotation. For at least this week, the Cubs will skip Colin Rea's turn in the rotation to open up starting roles for Holmes and fellow trade-deadline pickup Kevin Gausman. Holmes posted a 2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 45:18 K:BB over 52.2 innings in his nine starts with the Mets prior to landing on the IL.

The Cubs transferred Brown (neck) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

The transaction removes Brown from the 40-man roster and clears a spot for one of the five players the Cubs acquired in the two days leading up to Monday's trade deadline. Brown was placed on the shelf June 24 due to a stress reaction in his neck and isn't projected to complete his rehab program until late August or early September, so the move to the 60-day IL shouldn't alter his timeline for a return. Per MLB.com, Brown rejoined the Cubs on Friday after conducting his rehab at the organization's facility in Arizona over the previous week, and he's currently pain-free and has commenced throwing daily. Brown opened the season in a relief role but had thrived after moving into the rotation in early May, turning in a 1.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 41:11 K:BB in 42.1 innings in eight starts before landing on the IL. The Chicago rotation is much more crowded following the deadline, so Brown may be ticketed for the bullpen upon his return from the IL, despite his prior success as a starter.

The Mets outrighted Herget to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.

The Mets designated Herget for assignment Sunday after he tossed a scoreless frame in the lone relief appearance with the club. After clearing waivers, Herget will stick around in the organization as bullpen depth at Syracuse rather than electing free agency.

The Cubs designated Woodford for assignment Tuesday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Woodford will cede his spot on the roster to right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn, who was acquired from the Angels on Monday. A journeyman at this stage of his career, Woodford has pitched to a 7.18 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB across 26.1 innings in the majors with the Brewers and Cubs this season.

The Rockies selected Mushinski from Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.

Mushinski re-signed with the Rockies on a minor-league contract in March after being released a few days before. He has notched a 3.38 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and a 46:17 K:BB through 48.0 innings at Triple-A during 2026. The lefty has not made an appearance in MLB since 2024, when he had a 6.55 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP across 11 innings.

Lord (side) began a rehab assignment Saturday at Triple-A Rochester, striking out two batters over a perfect inning.

Lord has been on the injured list since July 9 due to left side tightness, but he'll likely need just one or two more appearances in the minors before getting the green light to rejoin the Washington bullpen. Before getting hurt, the right reliever turned in a 3.88 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 58 innings while gathering five wins, one save and four holds.

The Phillies optioned Backhus to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The Phillies traded for fellow lefty reliever Brooks Raley on Monday, which has pushed Backhus off the active roster. Backhus has logged a 4.95 ERA and 20:6 K:BB over 20 innings with Philadelphia this season.

The Pirates optioned Murdock to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Murdock made two appearances for the Pirates after getting recalled July 29. He pitched a total of three innings and allowed no runs on three hits and a 4:3 K:BB. He's getting sent down to help make room for Lake Bachar, Luke Weaver and Kirby Yates, who were all acquired in trades Monday. Brandon Eisert was also optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

The Pirates optioned Eisert to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

The Pirates activated the trio of Lake Bachar, Luke Weaver and Kirby Yates, who were all acquired through trades Monday. Eisert was recalled Monday but did not make an appearance. The Pirates also optioned Noah Murdock on Tuesday.