MLB Player News

Gilbreath will start Wednesday's game against the Angels, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Scheduled starter Chi Chi Gonzalez (undisclosed) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list, so Gilbreath will be called upon to start a bullpen game. The 25-year-old has a 6.27 ERA over 18.2 innings this season and figures to cover a frame or two versus the Halos.

Mlodzinski (shoulder) is expected to throw off the slope of the mound this week, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Mlodzinski was removed from a game at High-A Greensboro on July 10 after he experienced stiffness in his right shoulder, and he was placed on the 7-day minor-league injured list July 12. However, the right-hander resumed throwing last week, and he'll take another step in his recovery once he resumes mound work.

Santiago (suspension) fired two innings in a loss to the Astros on Tuesday, allowing an earned run on four hits and a walk.

The veteran southpaw made his return after the completion of his 10-game MLB suspension. Santiago was put right back to work in the multi-inning role he's typically been deployed in this season and should be set for regular long-relief work again moving forward.

Howard (oblique) has increased his throwing distance to 90 feet, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Howard resumed playing catch last week, and he's been able to increase his volume and intensity since then. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that he's hopeful that the southpaw will be able to increase his throwing distance to 120 feet by the end of the week.

Akin (COVID-19 injured list) will throw a side session Wednesday after he cleared the league's health and safety protocols, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Akin spent a week on the COVID-19 IL and is now eligible to rejoin the Orioles, but they'll bring him along slowly since he wasn't able to do much recently. The young lefty posted an 8.19 ERA and 1.80 WHIP across his 13 appearances (eight starts) on the season, so he won't be a lock to reclaim a spot in Baltimore's rotation once reinstated from IL.

Anderson (elbow) will join Triple-A Durham for his next rehab appearance Thursday, the Associated Press reports.

The hard-throwing right-hander was unsurprisingly impressive over two rehab appearances with the Rays' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate, firing a pair of scoreless innings during which he recorded four strikeouts. Triple-A bats will therefore represent a nice bump in competition for the 31-year-old, who continues to track for activation some time in the first half of August.

Abreu was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

Abreu was sent down Tuesday, but he'll return to the major-league bullpen a day later. The right-hander has recorded a 1.88 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 14.1 innings across seven appearances this year, and he should be available mainly as a low-leverage reliever.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed that Kranick will start Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Kranick was fully expected to get the ball for the second game of the series after he was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day. With Tyler Anderson having been dealt away to Seattle and Chase De Jong (knee) on the injured list, the Pirates should have room in the rotation for both Kranick and Cody Ponce -- who tossed five scoreless innings in relief in Tuesday's loss -- for the foreseeable future. Over his three prior starts with Pittsburgh this season, Kranick has gone 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA (3.69 FIP) and 1.36 WHIP over 11 innings.

The Astros acquired Garcia from the Marlins on Wednesday in exchange for minor-league outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

De La Cruz isn't a top-tier prospect, but a 24-year-old with an .880 OPS at Triple-A is a decent return for a rental reliever in Garcia, who is signed to an affordable one-year, $1.9 million contract in his final year of arbitration. Prior to being dealt, the 30-year-old right-hander emerged as the Marlins' primary closer this season, converting 15 of 18 save attempts while posting a 3.47 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 8.7 K/9. Unfortunately for his fantasy managers, Garcia's value will take a significant hit moving forward, as he's unlikely to challenge All-Star closer Ryan Pressly for save opportunities in Houston. Instead, Garcia will become a key part of the bridge to the ninth inning.

The Astros designated Pruitt for assignment Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Houston cut Pruitt to make room on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster for reliever Rafael Montero, who was acquired along with Kendall Graveman from the Mariners on Tuesday. After missing the first three and a half months of the season while recovering from September surgery to repair a fractured elbow, Pruitt struggled to regain form upon being activated from the injured list. In his two appearances out of the Houston bullpen, Pruitt gave up a pair of runs on three hits, including two solo home runs.