MLB Player News

Junis covered 3.2 innings in relief in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Brewers in 11 innings, giving up one earned run on two hits and no walks. He struck out one batter.

Junis tossed four scoreless innings in his first start as a member of the Reds his last time out Tuesday against the Athletics, but he shifted back to the bullpen Sunday while the Reds added Brandon Williamson (shoulder) to the rotation. Since Williamson (66 pitches, 3.1 innings) wasn't fully stretched out in his return from the 60-day injured list, Junis (62) ended up taking on a similar workload while piggybacking him. Even with Williamson's return, the Reds still have only four healthy starters at the moment, so Junis could be needed for a spot start or bulk-relief appearance during next weekend's series with the Mets.

The Reds returned Zulueta to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Zulueta was sent back to Louisville one day after serving as the Reds' 27th man for a doubleheader with the Brewers. The right-handed reliever appeared in the Reds' 14-0 loss in the second game of the twin bill, punching out three batters in 1.1 innings but giving up four earned runs on four hits and one walk.

Urena gave up one run on eight hits and one walk while striking out two across 4.2 innings of relief in Sunday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Athletics.

For the sixth appearance in a row, Urena covered at least four innings, with each of the latter three outings coming out of the bullpen. With Walter Pennington serving as the Rangers' opening pitcher and recording the first five outs, Urena came on to spell him as a bulk reliever. Urena was on track for a win after departing with a 2-1 lead following the sixth inning, but the Athletics rallied for the tying run in the top of the eighth to deny him the victory.

The Rangers recalled White from Triple-A Round Rock ahead of Sunday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Athletics.

The right-hander is likely to fill a low-leverage role out of the Texas bullpen over the final four weeks of the season. White previously made a pair of relief appearances for the Rangers back in May, giving up six earned runs on six hits and one walk while retiring only three batters.

The Twins selected Castillo's contract from Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday.

Castillo had previously given up just two earned runs over seven innings over five appearances out of the Minnesota bullpen earlier this season, but the shiny 2.57 ERA came with an ugly 1.71 WHIP and 3:7 K:BB. He was bumped off the Twins' 40-man roster in June before he elected free agency, only to re-sign with the organization on a minor-league deal in early July. Castillo has continued to show spotty control at St. Paul this season (21 walks in 32.1 innings), so the Twins are unlikely to turn to him for high-leverage work during his latest stint in the big leagues.

The Mets recalled Young from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

The 30-year-old lefty has previously made 10 appearances in the big leagues this season between the Mets and Reds, logging a 1.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. He's expected to work mostly in the middle innings during his upcoming stint in the New York bullpen.

The Mariners recalled Bazardo from Triple-A Tacoma prior to Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Angels. He tossed a perfect inning of relief, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Bazardo's appearance Sunday was his 14th of the season for Seattle but his first since July 11, as he had largely toiled away with Tacoma since the All-Star break. He's shown the ability to miss bats between his stops in the majors and Triple-A this season, but an elevated walk rate could prevent him from taking hold of a high-leverage role in the Seattle bullpen down the stretch.

The Mariners recalled Diaz from Triple-A Tacoma prior to Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Angels.

Diaz had started in all but one of his 24 appearances for Tacoma this season, logging a 4.73 ERA and 120:54 K:BB in 118 innings. With all five of the Mariners' starting pitchers healthy at the moment and new manager Dan Wilson having yet to express a desire to move to a six-man rotation, Diaz looks like he'll serve as a long-relief option for now.

The Dodgers recalled Grove from Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of Sunday's 14-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. He was used out of the bullpen in the loss, covering 1.2 innings and striking out a batter while allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits.

Grove was summoned from the bullpen in the sixth inning while the Diamondbacks were already sitting on a 10-3 lead with one out and a runner on first. Though he induced an inning-ending double play and went on to complete the seventh inning, Grove's usage in a blowout indicates that the Dodgers don't envision him filling a high-leverage role out of the bullpen down the stretch.

The Rockies outrighted Davis off the 40-man roster Sunday.

The Rockies optioned Davis to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday, and though the team never made a formal announcement that he was designated for assignment, he must have been exposed to waivers at some point prior to Sunday. After going unclaimed, Davis will stick around in the organization as a member of the pitching staff at Albuquerque, where he'll most likely serve as a swingman. Davis had pitched out of the bullpen for Colorado prior to his recent demotion, logging a 5.75 ERA and 1.87 WHIP in 20.1 innings.