MLB Player News

Pop (hamstring) is scheduled to make another rehab appearance Friday with Low-A Dunedin, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Pop worked around a walk and a hit-by-pitch to deliver a scoreless inning Tuesday in his rehab debut with Dunedin. He should be a consideration for the Blue Jays' bullpen sometime next week, assuming all continues to go well on his rehab stint. The right-hander has been out since May 5 due to a right hamstring strain.

Zimmermann was called up from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, Cordell Woodland of 105.7 The Fan Baltimore reports.

Zimmermann will head to the big leagues for the first time this season after opening the 2023 campaign in Triple-A. The left-hander has produced a 4.05 ERA and 1.47 WHIP with 50 punchouts over 46.2 innings in nine starts with Norfolk this season. Zimmermann will take the spot of Mychal Givens, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. It's unclear whether Zimmermann will operate as a bullpen arm or get a chance to bump Austin Voth from the Orioles rotation.

Kansas City recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

The 26-year-old right-hander will replace Amir Garrett, who is headed to the 15-day injured list with a left elbow injury. A former top prospect, Kowar projects to operate in long relief as he joins the Royals' major-league roster for the second time this season.

Soriano was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Soriano has pitched well during his brief time in the majors this season, allowing three runs (two earned) over seven innings. He did some starting in the minors, so he could provide the bullpen with a little length.

Barnes was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left hip impingement, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Barnes was rocked for five runs while recording just one out during Thursday's loss to the Padres, but it appears he might have been pitching hurt. The veteran reliever will be replaced in the bullpen by George Soriano.

Underwood cleared waivers and accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Underwood was designated for assignment last Saturday. The right-hander has produced an inflated 5.18 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with 14 punchouts over 24.1 innings in 20 appearances with the Pirates this season and will look to use his time with Indianapolis to reset after he allowed 10 earned runs over 10.2 innings in May.

The Rays designated Heller for assignment Friday, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Just over a week after being selected from Triple-A Durham, the 31-year-old righty will lose his spot on the Rays' 40-man roster following the acquisition of Robert Stephenson from Pittsburgh. Heller holds a 3.95 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in Triple-A this season through 27.1 innings and could be claimed by another team in need of organizational bullpen depth.

Armstrong (neck) is expected to be activated from the injured list sometime this weekend, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Armstrong has been out all season with a neck injury, but he's looked ready on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham, holding a 2.00 ERA and 8:2 K:BB over nine innings of work. The 32-year-old is on the 60-day IL, so the Rays will have to clear a spot on the 40-man roster in addition to the 26-man roster.

Morgan (2-1) allowed one run on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning Thursday, taking the loss versus the Twins.

After a rough May in which Morgan was scored upon in five of his nine appearances, his June didn't get off to a better start. He loaded the bases with no outs before allowing a sacrifice fly by Willi Castro to bring in the decisive run. In addition to allowing too many runs in May, Morgan failed to record a save or a hold during the month, which suggests he's on the verge of losing what little high-leverage work he had. For the season, he still has a solid 1.93 ERA, but a 1.29 WHIP and a 3.58 FIP are both indicators that his numbers could regress further.

The Rays acquired Stephenson from the Pirates on Friday in exchange for minor-league infielder Alika Williams, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Stephenson has a 5.14 ERA for the Pirates this season and a 5.38 ERA over 76 relief appearances since the beginning of 2022. However, the 2011 first-round pick still has pretty good stuff and can miss bats, particularly with his slider. It's the kind of profile the Rays usually get the most out of, but Stephenson can be expected to work in low-leverage situations initially.