MLB Player News

Alexander (5-4) took the loss Wednesday as the Rays were downed 6-2 by the Mariners, coughing up five runs on five hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over 4.1 innings of relief. He struck out four.

The southpaw was the third pitcher into the game for Tampa Bay, taking the mound with two outs in the fourth inning of a 1-1 tie, but Alexander quickly fell apart and served up homers to Victor Robles, Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena in the fifth frame. Alexander has been taken deep six times in his last four outings and 19 innings, a stretch in which he's stumbled to a 5.68 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 13:7 K:BB. It's not clear when Zack Littell (shoulder) will be ready to rejoin the rotation, but if Alexander gets another turn as a starter or bulk reliever, he would line up for an appearance at home early next week against the Twins.

Hodge (3-1) tossed two scoreless innings to earn the win in Wednesday's 14-10 victory over the Pirates. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three.

Hodge has all three of his wins this season in the last 18 days, and he's been stellar this month with a 1.50 ERA and 0.92 WHIP across 12 innings in August. For the season, he has an outstanding 1.85 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over 34 innings to go along with 43 strikeouts. With Hector Neris gone, Hodge has ascended to the top of the pecking order in Chicago's bullpen, and the young righty has certainly been up to the task so far.

Booser (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Booser has been on the injured list since mid-August due to left elbow inflammation, and he has now been given the green light to return to a competitive setting. There's been no word yet on how long the Red Sox plan to keep the 32-year-old in the minors, though an early-September return seems plausible.

The Giants placed Matzek (elbow) on waivers Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chroniclereports.

Matzek has been on the shelf since early May due to elbow inflammation, and he's given up three earned runs over 4.2 innings with Triple-A Sacramento since beginning a rehab assignment Aug. 13. He's trending toward a return from the 60-day injured list sometime in September and can now be picked up by another team that is willing to pay the remainder of his salary for the season. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, the 33-year-old southpaw will remain with the Giants.

The Giants placed Rogers on waivers Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Rogers has been a valuable piece of San Francisco's bullpen this season, posting a 2.45 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 51.1 innings. However, in an effort to shed payroll, the Giants will now allow any other team to take him in, as long as they are willing to pay the remaining $2 million left on his salary this year and the $12 million he's owed in 2025. If no other club is willing to take on the additional salary, Rogers will simply remain with the Giants.

Foster was added to the White Sox's roster as the 27th man ahead of the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Texas.

Foster will also serve as the opening pitcher for the White Sox, as they plan on relying on their bullpen to get them through Wednesday's nightcap. The 29-year-old righty threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen during his season debut Aug. 16, and he owns a 2.40 ERA through 15 innings at Triple-A Charlotte.

Graterol (hamstring) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Graterol threw his first bullpen session Saturday, and he appears to have already built up to a proper reliever's workload. The 26-year-old remains on track to begin a rehab assignment over the weekend, though it's still unclear how many minor-league innings he'll need to pitch before returning to Los Angeles' bullpen.

Triple-A Round reinstated Robert (undisclosed) from its 7-day injured list Saturday.

Robert was put to work out of the bullpen later that day, recorded two outs while allowing an unearned run on one hit and two walks. The right-hander was on the shelf for about two and a half weeks with the undisclosed injury.

The Marlins optioned Bermudez to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Miami selected the left-hander's contract from Jacksonville over the weekend, and he'll return to Triple-A after giving up two runs over 3.2 frames of long relief during Tuesday's contest. Bermudez had a 6.46 ERA over 23.2 innings for Jacksonville this season, and he's unlikely to see anything more than low-leverage opportunities down the stretch for the Marlins, if he even rejoins the MLB roster.

The Marlins recalled Kitchen from Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old was sent to Jacksonville in early August and will rejoin the major-league bullpen for the final stretch of the month. Kitchen has made just one appearance in the big leagues and has a 2.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 31:13 K:BB over 48.2 innings across three minor-league levels this season.