MLB Player News

The Dodgers recalled Bickford from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Despite being optioned to Triple-A just two days ago, Bickford is eligible to rejoin the big club after the Dodgers placed fellow reliever Brusdar Graterol (elbow) on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Bickford is likely to see most of his work in low-leverage spots during his upcoming stint in the majors.

The Dodgers placed Graterol on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right elbow inflammation, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Phil Bickford was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to join the bullpen as a replacement for Graterol, who hadn't pitched in any of the past three days while managing the elbow issue. According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Graterol had been scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, but the Dodgers elected to deactivate him a day later after he apparently didn't look as sharp in the workout as the team had hoped. With Craig Kimbrel's job security as the Dodgers' closer on shaky ground, Graterol would have been a candidate to factor into the mix for saves, but Evan Phillips now looks to be the clear next man up for the job if manager Dave Roberts elects to make a change at the back end of the bullpen. It's unclear when Graterol might be ready to return from the IL, but he'll undergo an MRI on Friday that could shed more light on his outlook moving forward, per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.

The Reds transferred Hoffman (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Thursday.

Since Hoffman hadn't pitched for the Reds since July 23, he'll be eligible to return from the IL in late September, though it's unclear if he's on track to make a full recovery from his right forearm injury before the season ends in the first week of October. Hoffman's move to the 60-day IL clears a spot on the 40-man roster for right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Louisville.

The Reds selected Cruz's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Perhaps no September call-up has had a more interesting path to the big leagues than Cruz, who was drafted by the Royals as an infielder in 2007. He transitioned to a full-time pitching role in 2011 and bounced around between affiliated ball, the independent ranks and foreign leagues over the last decade before finally getting his first promotion to the majors at 32 years old. The right-hander will likely be ticketed for a low-leverage role out of the Cincinnati bullpen after compiling a 2.89 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 66:19 K:BB in 56 innings at Louisville.

The Royals selected Mengden's contract from Triple-A Omaha ahead of his scheduled start Thursday against the White Sox in Chicago.

Kansas City had a spot on the 40-man roster already open, so no corresponding transaction was needed to add Mengden, who is one of the Royals' two September call-ups. The 29-year-old southpaw has previously made 48 big-league starts, though his last one came in 2020 with Oakland. While pitching primarily for Omaha this season, Mengden has produced a 4.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 76:50 K:BB across 91 frames. He could hold down a spot in the rotation until the Royals return Zack Greinke (forearm) from the 15-day injured list.

White (1-5) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up six runs on eight hits and a walk over 4.2 innings as the Blue Jays fell 7-5 to the Cubs. He struck out five.

The right-hander continues to struggle for Toronto since coming over from the Dodgers. White has been rocked for 13 runs over his last two starts, sending his ERA on the season soaring from 3.63 to 4.67. The Jays don't have any clear alternatives to fill his rotation spot, however, so the 27-year-old may get a chance to work through his issues in the middle of a playoff race.

The White Sox recalled Foster from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

Foster will give the White Sox an extra right-handed arm out of the bullpen for the final five weeks of the season. He's previously made 47 appearances for Chicago this season, logging a 4.50 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 44 innings.

Beeks struck out one in a perfect 10th inning Wednesday to record his second save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Marlins.

Pete Fairbanks, Colin Poche and Jason Adam worked the late innings in regulation, so when the Rays took their first lead of the game in the top of the 10th, Beeks got the call to close things out. The southpaw is now the seventh Tampa Bay pitcher this season to record multiple saves, and he's earned his high-leverage opportunities with a 2.65 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 28.1 percent strikeout rate on the year.

Barnes allowed one hit and one walk over one scoreless inning to record a save against the Twins on Wednesday.

Barnes got the ball in the ninth inning with Boston holding a one-run lead and made things interesting, allowing the first two batters he faced to reach base. However, he rebounded to induce a flyout and a double play to successfully convert the save. It was his first opportunity to close in over two weeks, so Barnes is probably still behind Garrett Whitlock and John Schreiber in the pecking order. He pitched relatively well in August, posting a 2.92 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB over 12.1 innings.

Jansen notched a save against the Rockies on Wednesday, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one inning.

Jansen came on in the ninth inning with Atlanta holding a 3-0 lead. The veteran closer made things interesting by serving up a two-out walk followed by Michael Toglia's first major-league homer, but he was able to get the final out to seal the save. Jansen began August by allowing only one run over his first eight innings, but he finished the month by yielding four runs over his final 1.1 frames. Despite the recent rough outings, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker indicated faith in Jansen following the game, saying, "I'm not worried about him. He bounced back after a tough outing and got a save," per David O'Brien of The Athletic.