MLB Player News

The Pirates claimed Little off waivers from the Dodgers on Wednesday and assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Pittsburgh had two open spots on its 40-man roster, and Little had three minor-league options left, so putting in a waiver claim for the 27-year-old reliever amounted to a low-risk move for the organization to burnish its bullpen depth. Little made two appearances at the big-league level for the Dodgers but had otherwise spent the entire season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, with whom he logged a 4.64 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 39:19 K:BB in 42.2 innings.

The Athletics recalled Ferguson from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Ferguson was one of the club's better relievers last season, but he was sent down in June following a rough stretch in which he yielded 10 runs over four appearances. The 31-year-old seemed to get back on track at Las Vegas, permitting just one earned run with an 11:3 K:BB over 10 innings. Ferguson could pitch his way back into leveraged situations in an unsettled bullpen, though that probably won't happen right away.

The Athletics optioned Nunez to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Acquired from the Padres in the Mason Miller trade, Nunez was roughed up for five runs on six hits and four walks over 2.1 innings in his first two appearances with the Athletics. He will be replaced on the 26-man active roster by right-hander Tyler Ferguson, who was recalled from Las Vegas.

Waldrep will probably make another start for Atlanta during a doubleheader Saturday against the Marlins, Rick Farlow of MLB.com reports. "We have a doubleheader coming up at the end of the week," manager Brian Snitker said Tuesday. "We'll see how we get there. I think after [Waldrep's performance in the MLB Speedway Classic on Sunday], we will see him."

The first-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft gave Atlanta 5.2 strong innings in his season debut for the club Sunday, five days after tossing seven scoreless frames for Triple-A Gwinnett in his best outing of the minor-league campaign. Waldrep has been coming on strong for Gwinnett, posting a 1.99 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:16 K:BB over his last seven starts and 40.2 innings, and with Atlanta's pitching staff in tatters, another good effort against Miami this weekend could earn him a much longer look in the majors. At the moment, Atlanta is trying to get through the rest of the season with veteran retreads Carlos Carrasco (5.68 ERA) and Erick Fedde (5.32 ERA) rounding out the rotation, but that duo has no place in the team's future plans.

The Mets recalled Hagenman from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

Hagenman has made three starts and one relief appearance for the Mets this season, allowing eight runs (seven earned) with a 13:1 K:BB over 12.1 frames. The right-hander will provide the Mets bullpen with some length during his latest stint in the majors.

The Mets optioned Hamel to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

Hamel was up with the Mets for two days but didn't make his MLB debut. He'll be replaced on the 26-man active roster and in the bullpen by right-hander Justin Hagenman, who was recalled from Syracuse.

Hader walked one and struck out two across a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday against the Marlins.

Hader hadn't appeared in a game since Friday, so he made an appearance despite Houston holding a four-run lead. He walked the second batter he faced but ran into little trouble and has now turned in seven consecutive scoreless appearances since the All-Star break.

Wentz (2-3) took the loss Tuesday as Atlanta fell 7-2 to the Brewers, coughing up five runs on seven hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out three.

Most of the damage off the southpaw came in the third inning, when Milwaukee strung together four singles -- two of which didn't leave the infield -- along with a walk, a stolen base and a wild pitch to cross the plate four times. Despite the stumble, Wentz has a 3.09 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB over his first 23.1 innings with Atlanta, and the team's injury-ravaged rotation has no better options to take a turn every fifth day. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against the Marlins.

Smith worked a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his fourth save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Mets. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

The right-hander fired 14 of 17 pitches for strikes and leaned on his defense to get the job done. This was Smith's first save since Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary leave, with his other three coming back in late April, but he remains the favorite to handle closing duties for Cleveland for the rest of the season with Clase's future uncertain. Over his last 12 appearances, Smith has posted a 1.98 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB over 13.2 innings.

Molina (0-1) took the loss Tuesday, allowing seven runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out two.

Molina made it through five innings Tuesday, but surrendering five home runs proved costly in the Rockies' loss. It was the right-hander's first MLB appearance since June 25, and his struggles have extended to Triple-A Albuquerque, where he's posted a 6.59 ERA and 1.89 WHIP across 69.2 innings this season.