MLB Player News

Kontos said he was dealing with groin tightness Sunday but is available to pitch Monday against the Dodgers, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Kontos was able to get through a pregame workout with no issues Monday, clearing the way for him to play in the series opener against the Dodgers. He owns a 1.80 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB through five innings with the Pirates, so he will be a welcome addition to the bullpen against a tough Dodgers team.

Manager Clint Hurdle said Kontos was unavailable Sunday due to lower-body discomfort, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Kontos will be reassessed in Pittsburgh on Monday, after which there should be a clearer idea of what he's dealing with. The 32-year-old owns a 1.80 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB through five innings with his new club.

Koch was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Koch will join the big-league bullpen in place of Braden Shipley, who was shipped back to the minors after tossing 5.2 innings of relief in Sunday's loss. He owns an unsightly 10.06 ERA and 19:13 K:BB through 34 innings with Reno this season, so he won't see any high-leverage innings with the Diamondbacks.

Avila struck out 13 batters and tossed seven innings of one-run ball for Low-A Fort Wayne on Sunday.

It's the fifth double-digit-strikeout outing of the season for Avila, who had racked up an incredible 17 whiffs two starts earlier. The 20-year-old was demoted from High-A Lake Elsinore in June after supplying a 5.14 ERA and 1.62 WHIP over 10 outings, but he's been utterly dominant over his last eight starts with the Low-A club and could be ready for another crack at the California League. During that eight-start stretch, Avila has gone 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 78:7 K:BB over 53 frames.

Brebbia fired a scoreless eighth inning in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Pirates, recording a strikeout.

Brebbia fired 12 of his 17 pitches for strikes on his way to his fourth straight scoreless outing. The 27-year-old right-hander has allowed just one hit and notched four strikeouts over the 3.1 innings encompassing that stretch, and the 10 appearances he's logged overall in August are a testament to the trust he's apparently earned from manager Mike Matheny. Factoring in Sunday's outing, Brebbia boasts an impressive 2.04 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 29:5 K:BB over 35.1 innings.

Wilson (4-4) recorded the win Sunday against the Blue Jays by retiring a single hitter. He walked two batters as well.

Wilson came on in the top of the 10th with two out and runners on second and third. He promptly walked two straight batters, which scored a run to make it 5-3 Toronto, before retiring the final hitter on a fly to center. Though he wasn't overly effective, Wilson grabbed the win when the Cubs scored three runs in the bottom of the inning. Wilson has a brutal 6.35 ERA and 3.18 WHIP in eight games (5.2 innings) with his new team.

Pivetta will be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Marlins, Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Pivetta was optioned to the minors after his last start only because the Phillies wanted to add another bench bat. He'll be back as the 26th man Tuesday, so Pivetta will head back to the minors after the game, but he's expected to return to the majors when his turn in the rotation comes up again.

Lamet (7-5) took the loss Sunday, allowing three earned runs on three hits over 4.2 innings against the Nationals.

It's worth mentioning that Lamet's eight strikeouts were the second most he's racked up in a contest this season, but he also allowed a whopping six walks -- which is ill-advised against the high-powered Nationals lineup. The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Dominican rookie, who will now look ahead to his next start Saturday in Miami.

Jankowski was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers on Sunday.

A 28-year-old right-handed reliever, Jankowski was designated for assignment by the Astros earlier this week, but the Dodgers deemed him worthy of a 40-man roster spot. He has always been able to miss bats int he minors but has struggled to throw strikes (12.4 percent walk rate) this year at Triple-A. Look for him to report to Triple-A Oklahoma City and be recalled when rosters expand in September.

Bickford has a 3.12 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and eight strikeouts in 8.2 innings in the Arizona League.

He is not officially on a rehab assignment, as the Brewers are keeping Bickford in Arizona to work on some things. This is amounting to a lost season for the 22-year-old righty, who missed the first 50 games serving a suspension for testing positive for a drug of abuse and then missed more time with a broken hand. After walking seven in his first three outings (5.2 innings), he only walked one while striking out three over three innings in his last start, so he is trending in the right direction.