MLB Player News

The Giants designated Howard for assignment Sunday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The right-hander surrendered six runs over 2.2 innings Saturday against the Dodgers and has now lost his place on the Giants' 26-man active roster and 40-man roster. Howard has struggled to a 5.63 ERA and 21:11 K:BB over 24 frames in the big leagues this season.

Roupp (undisclosed) was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 25-year-old was on the injured list at Triple-A Sacramento with an unspecified injury, but he'll join the Giants after making three rehab starts in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Roupp has a 5.27 ERA and 12:8 K:BB across 13.2 innings for San Francisco this season. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Roupp is expected to cover about three innings behind opening pitcher Spencer Bivens against the Dodgers on Sunday.

Hjelle (3-2) allowed eight runs (six earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out one over two innings to take the extra-innings loss versus the Dodgers on Saturday.

Hjelle allowed a run in the 10th inning, but the Giants couldn't do anything more than pull even in their half of the frame. The Dodgers took over in the 11th, and Hjelle was left to take it on the chin, as he was seventh pitcher they used in the contest ahead of another likely bullpen game Sunday. Given the situation and opponent, it's understandable, but the poor outing still inflated Hjelle's ERA from 2.33 to 3.54. He's added a 1.03 WHIP and 40:6 K:BB with three holds over 40.2 innings as a multi-inning reliever this year.

Howard allowed six runs on six hits and two walks while failing to record a strikeout over 2.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Saturday.

Howard followed opener Erik Miller, though the Giants had the former enter the game in the second inning instead of waiting until the middle of the contest as they had in his previous two outings. Howard's had mixed results at best, with Saturday being his worst appearance of the campaign. He's at a 5.63 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB through 24 innings across seven outings (two starts). With Kyle Harrison (ankle) likely back next week and Blake Snell (groin) returning around mid-July, Howard's running out of time to make a positive impression. His chance of remaining a de facto member of the rotation will get slimmer if Hayden Birdsong turns in a strong performance in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Bivins will serve as the Giants' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The right-hander has made five appearances since he received his first call-up to the majors in mid-June, and he'll make his first big-league start Sunday versus Los Angeles. Bivens last pitched Thursday versus the Cubs and covered one inning, and he's topped out at 49 pitches since joining the Giants. He should be able to provide some length but likely won't handle a full starter's workload. Slusser suggests that Landen Roupp -- whom the Giants called up from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday -- will likely work multiple innings in relief behind Bivens.

The Cardinals optioned Graceffo to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday.

The 24-year-old was called up Friday and made his MLB debut Saturday versus Cincinnati, and he pitched well in long relief with just one run allowed across 4.1 innings. Graceffo won't be available for a few days following that appearance, so Jacob Bosiokovic will come up as a fresh bullpen arm.

The Mets transferred Raley (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.

One month ago, Raley underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery with an internal brace augmentation, so his move to the 60-day IL was merely procedural. As a result of the transaction, the Mets were able to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Matt Festa, who was called up from Triple-A Syracuse ahead of Sunday's game against the Astros.

The Mets optioned Young to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

The left-hander was recalled by the Mets last weekend and made four appearances during the brief stint in the majors, allowing six runs on six hits with a 4:2 K:BB over 3.1 innings. Young has a 5.11 ERA across 13 outings with the big club this year.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Bednar is making progress in his recovery from a left oblique strain, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Though Cherington struck an optimistic tone about Bednar's health, the two-time All-Star doesn't appear to have a concrete timeline to return from the 15-day injured list. Bednar is first eligible for activation next weekend, but because he has yet to resume throwing since landing on the shelf, he doesn't appear to be on track for a return in the minimum amount of time.

Banda issued one walk and struck out two batters over one scoreless frame in Saturday's extra-innings victory against San Francisco.

Banda entered in the seventh frame and preserved a 6-6 tie with his scoreless inning. The lefty reliever has been excellent since joining Los Angeles in mid-May, posting a 0.98 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB over 18.1 innings of mostly low-leverage work. Those numbers are a stark contrast to the 5.69 ERA and 1.64 WHIP he caried over 118.2 frames across his first seven major-league campaigns.