MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Bird to Triple-A Rochester following Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Rockies.

Bird pitched a scoreless inning Tuesday, bringing his ERA down to 5.35 through 38.2 innings on the season, but the Nationals will send him down to Rochester to make room in the bullpen for right-hander Luis Perales, who will be recalled from Triple-A on Wednesday. Bird could still return to Washington later in the season to provide the parent club with a fresh arm, but he would likely be limited to middle-relief duty.

Iglesias recorded a save Tuesday against the Dodgers, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless ninth inning.

Iglesias was called upon in the ninth to protect a one-run lead but immediately found himself in trouble after allowing a leadoff triple to Shohei Ohtani. After retiring the next two batters, Atlanta elected to intentionally walk Max Muncy before Iglesias put away the final batter to escape the threat. The veteran closer has now recorded a save in each of his last four appearances and owns 28 total on the year. Despite the recent production, Iglesias has struggled to a 4.32 ERA in the second half after posting a 2.23 mark before the All-Star break.

Waldron will serve as the opening pitcher in Wednesday's game against Colorado, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Waldron was claimed off waivers from Toronto on Saturday, and he's now set to make his Nationals debut in the first inning of Wednesday's contest. The 29-year-old righty owns an unsightly 7.54 ERA and 1.62 WHIP through 37 innings in the majors this season and will likely pitch just an inning or two before coming out of the game.

The Pirates optioned Curtis to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Curtis threw three shutout innings out of the bullpen during Sunday's contest to remain unscored upon through eight frames to begin his MLB career. Despite his success, he'll move back to the minors to make room for a fresh bullpen arm in the form of Noah Murdock.

The Pirates recalled Murdock from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Murdock owns a 4.21 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 25.2 innings at Triple-A this season, and he's fired three shutout frames in the majors. He'll rejoin Pittsburgh's bullpen to provide the team with another fresh arm, replacing Khristian Curtis.

The Giants recalled Bivens from Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bivens will come up for his second stint in the majors this season. With Sacramento, the 32-year-old owns a 5-3 record with a 5.16 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 63:25 K:BB over 68 innings this season. The Giants added Bivens to the active roster with Carson Whisenhunt (elbow) sidelined for the rest of the year.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Tuesday that Suarez (elbow) could begin throwing bullpen sessions soon, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.

He will likely need a handful of bullpen sessions, and if those go well the reliever would then be cleared for a rehab assignment. Atlanta remains hopeful of Suarez returning sometime in September, but he can't afford any bumps in the road. Suarez has been sidelined for more than two months with right elbow inflammation.

The Reds sent Ashcraft (elbow) to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment.

Ashcraft is finally ready to test things out in games after being sidelined since late May with a sprained UCL in his right elbow. Given the length of his layoff, the reliever will likely need a handful of rehab outings before being reinstated.

The Marlins recalled Fulton from Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday.

In six appearances out of the Marlins' bullpen this season, Fulton has permitted seven runs with a 12:10 K:BB over 14 frames. The big left-hander will provide Miami's relief corps with some length.

The Marlins placed Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right medial nerve irritation.

Fairbanks had to be removed from Monday's appearance versus the Red Sox after just one batter due to the issue. He is scheduled to see a specialist Tuesday, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com, and more could be known regarding a timeline for the reliever following that visit. While Fairbanks is sidelined, any of Michael Petersen, Calvin Faucher and Josh Ekness could see closing opportunities.