MLB Player News

The Diamondbacks recalled Koch from Triple-A Reno on Tuesday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Koch was optioned to Reno on March 22 but returns to Arizona with third baseman Jake Lamb (shoulder) heading to the disabled list. The 27-year-old brings immediate value to the Diamondbacks' bullpen in desperate need of depth following Monday's 15-inning win over the Dodgers. Koch should typically be utilized in a low-leverage role while he remains in the majors.

Morris was acquired by the Angels on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.

To make room for Morris on the 40-man roster, the Angels designated Troy Scribner for assignment. Morris spent most of the 2017 season at Triple-A Gwinnett, where he logged a 3.09 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 30 games (46.2 innings). Although he struggled with control and walked 23 batters in that time, the 25-year-old righty managed to log 53 strikeouts as well. Following his acquisition, the Angels assigned Morris to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Neal had his contract purchased from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Neal will provide a fresh arm out of the Dodgers' bullpen after the team used all eight of their relievers during Monday's 15-inning affair. The 29-year-old is being stretched out as a starter in the minors, so he should be able to go multiple innings if needed. In order to clear room on the 40-man roster, Jesus Liranzo was designated for assignment.

Fields was placed on the paternity list Tuesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Fields will be away from the Dodgers for the next few days as he attends the birth of his child. Zach Neal was promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City and will provide an extra bullpen arm until Fields is back, which should be over the weekend.

McGrath was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.

The Padres needed to open up a spot on their active roster for Tuesday's starter, Tyson Ross, and McGrath was the corresponding roster move. The southpaw, who posted a 2.84 ERA across 19 innings of relief last season, should be back with the big club when additional bullpen depth is required.

Fields gave up one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning while picking up his first hold of the season in Monday's extra-inning loss to Arizona.

The reason this game went 15 innings was due to Kenley Jansen's three-run implosion in the ninth. The Dodgers' normally-dominant closer has begun this year with lowered velocity and uncharacteristically poor outings. While this could just be a bad blip on the radar, Fields and fellow setup man Pedro Baez are maybe worth handcuffing to Jansen in the event the closer's issues continue.

Leiter (forearm) will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Leiter opened the season on the disabled list after suffering a flexor strain near the end of camp. While manager Gabe Kapler said Leiter hasn't suffered a setback in his recovery, his lack of progress prompted the Phillies to send him for some additional testing. He was originally expected to miss most, if not all of April while recovering, but a more concrete timetable will hopefully emerge once his test results are known. In the meantime, Ben Lively should continue to fill in as the Phillies' fifth starter until Leiter or Jerad Eickhoff return from the DL.

Manager Don Mattingly said Richards will remain in the Marlins' rotation, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Richards allowed five runs across 4.1 innings in his major-league debut against the Red Sox on Monday, but he apparently impressed Mattingly enough to stick in the Marlins' thin rotation for the time being. The 24-year-old hadn't pitched above Double-A prior to Monday's outing, though he posted a solid 2.87 ERA and 77 strikeouts across 75.1 innings with Double-A Jacksonville in 2017. It's best to wait and see if he settles in against major-league hitters before considering him for fantasy purposes.

Estevez (oblique) hopes to partake in simulated games this week, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

It seems like the right-hander is ramping up his activity at a good pace. The plan is for Estevez to embark on a minor-league rehab assignment shortly after the sim games, though no firm timetable for that has been announced yet.

Rusin allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in Monday's win against the Padres.

The southpaw was handed the ball for the ninth inning in a 7-2 ballgame, but he proceeded to turn the game into a save situation following a homer by Cory Spangenberg and an RBI triple by Jose Pirela. Rusin is off to a rough start to the season, as he also allowed three runs in his first outing against the Diamondbacks. He was an integral part of last year's bullpen and should have a decent leash, but it's hard to trust him right now in NL-only leagues.