MLB Player News

The Royals transferred Mears (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.

The right-hander has been on the shelf since late May due to a shoulder impingement and experienced soreness after throwing live batting practice last week, per MLB.com. Mears has now had his throwing program paused twice in the past month due to lingering soreness, and he's now awaiting the results of an MRI. He's not likely to be ready to be reinstated when first eligible in late July.

The Royals acquired McGee from the Brewers in exchange for cash considerations Tuesday and subsequently optioned him to Triple-A Omaha.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by Milwaukee on Friday, and Kansas City elected to trade for him rather than risk a waiver claim. McGee covered a scoreless frame in both of his appearances for the Brewers this season but struggled to a 5.62 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 43:17 K:BB across 41.2 innings at Triple-A.

Miles struck out a batter and allowed one hit and two walks over two scoreless innings of relief in Saturday's 8-7 loss to the Padres.

Miles made a four-inning start in his prior appearance July 7 in San Francisco, but he shifted back to the bullpen for the Blue Jays' final series of the first half while the team didn't have a need for a fifth starter. The fifth spot in the rotation will come up again July 21 versus Tampa Bay, but Max Scherzer (back) could be ready to return from the injured list by then to fill the void.

Garcia (elbow/neck/biceps) was cleared to throw a bullpen session late last week, MLB.com reports.

Garcia has taken the next step forward in his throwing progression and looks like he could be ready to resume facing hitters shortly after the All-Star break. The veteran righty opened the season on the injured list while completing his recovery from surgery last September to remove scar tissue around his right elbow, and he's since been pulled off rehab assignments on two occasions due to elbow soreness and nerve symptoms related to his biceps and neck. Once he's cleared to head back out on a rehab assignment, Garcia will likely require several appearances before the Blue Jays bring him back from the shelf.

The Orioles optioned Raquet to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Raquet made one appearance during his latest stint in the big leagues, tossing a scoreless inning Tuesday against the Cubs. He's posted a 3.04 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with 28 strikeouts over 26.2 innings this season at Triple-A, so he should have a chance to be back up with Baltimore later in the campaign.

Lovelady (triceps) began a throwing program shortly after landing on the injured list June 29 and had thrown off flat ground out to 60 feet as recently as July 3, MLB.com reports.

The Nationals haven't provided an update on Lovelady's status over the past week and a half, but assuming he hasn't suffered any setbacks since he began playing catch, he could be ready to get back on a mound following the All-Star break. Before being deactivated, Lovelady had been a key piece in the Washington bullpen, notching one wins, four saves and nine holds across his 22 relief appearances with the club.

The Pirates optioned Murdock to Triple-A Indianapolis prior to Sunday's 14-5 win over the Brewers.

Murdock was up with the Pirates as their 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader, but he went unused in both ends of the twin bill. The 27-year-old righty is still waiting to make his Pittsburgh debut after he signed a minor-league deal with the organization in the offseason before being added to the 40-man roster July 5.

Hanner informed the Yankees that he intends to exercise the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract Wednesday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

Unless the Yankees make a late decision to add Hanner to their 40-man roster, the right-handed reliever will head to the open market. Hanner won't have any trouble fetching a minor-league contract elsewhere and could even land a major-league deal after shining at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre so far this season. The 27-year-old has submitted a 1.99 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 50:16 K:BB across 40.2 innings.

Morejon (7-2) earned the win over Toronto on Sunday, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one batter over two innings.

Morejon entered in the seventh frame with the score tied 3-3. The lefty reliever retired the side in order in his first inning but allowed a run on two singles and a walk in the top of the eighth. However, the Padres rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of that frame to move Morejon into position for the victory. Despite being used strictly as a reliever this season, Morejon leads San Diego with seven wins, and he also ranks second on the club with 15 holds. He's compiled a 3.42 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 58:12 K:BB over 50 innings spanning a team-high 44 appearances.

The Astros optioned Santa to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Santa will open the second half in the minors after making two appearances out of the bullpen during his latest stint with the Astros. The young right-hander owns a 1.17 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over his first 15.1 innings in the big leagues, though a weak 5.1 K-BB% indicates that he hasn't been nearly as dominant as the other two ratios would suggest.