MLB Player News

The Twins optioned Orze to Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.

Orze will end up as the odd man out of Minnesota's bullpen to make room for Tommy Nance, who was acquired in a trade with Toronto on Friday. Orze has turned in a 5.66 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 41.1 innings with the Twins, and he'll likely need to show signs of improvement in the minors before getting another invitation to the big club.

Poulin will serve as the opening pitcher in Saturday's game against the Yankees, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Poulin will receive his 11th opening assignment of the season and will likely remain in the game for an inning or two before turning the game over to bulk reliever Miles Mikolas. Poulin has given up just two runs in 10.1 innings since coming up from the minors in mid-June and carries a 2.83 ERA through 35 frames on the year.

Bednar (3-3) picked up the win Friday, firing two scoreless, no-hit relief innings in a 5-3 victory over the Nationals. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

The veteran closer did plunk Daylen Lile with a pitch and watched him get to third after a steal and a throwing error by Austin Wells, but Bednar was otherwise flawless and got rewarded when the Yankees broke through with three runs in the top of the ninth inning. Bednar hasn't given up an earned run since May 18, delivering a 0.50 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB over his last 18 innings while converting all six of his save chances and collecting two wins.

The White Sox recalled Schweitzer from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday.

Schweitzer will join the big-league bullpen as the replacement for Brandon Eisert, who was traded to Pittsburgh on Friday. Schweitzer, 25, has allowed four earned runs in eight frames with the White Sox but owns a 5.08 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 44.1 innings at Charlotte. He'll likely slot in as a middle reliever.

Quantrill didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 7-3 win over Houston, allowing one earned run on five hits and a walk while striking out one batter across six innings.

The 31-year-old's lone run allowed came courtesy of Yordan Alvarez's homer in the sixth. Quantrill otherwise did a great job keeping the Astros' offense in check while allowing just two batters to reach base between the third and sixth innings. He left the game with a 3-1 lead but was forced to settle for a no-decision after the Rangers' bullpen allowed Houston to tie the game in the seventh, leaving the righty still in search of his first win since June 3. Quantrill now owns a 2.12 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 17 innings in four starts since joining the rotation.

Hudson will serve as the White Sox's opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Athletics, Brooke Fletcher of Chicago Sports Network reports.

The left-hander will be making his sixth start of the season but is expected to be capped at 1-to-2 innings before exiting the contest. Right-hander Erick Fedde is likely to work in bulk relief once Hudson leaves the game.

The Pirates designated Sanders for assignment Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

A day after losing his place on the active roster, Sanders will now also be removed from the 40-man to help create space for new acquisitions Brandon Eisert and Jacob Gonzalez. Sanders has struggled in the big leagues up to this point but owns a 2.96 ERA through 24.1 innings in the minors, which could draw interest on the waiver wire from bullpen-needy teams.

The Red Sox are expected to recall Rivera from Triple-A Worcester ahead of Saturday's game against the Mets, Hector Gomez of Z101Digital.com reports.

Boston has an opening in its rotation for Saturday, and Rivera is likely to cover multiple innings as an opener or bulk reliever. Rivera tossed 3.1 scoreless innings in relief against the Yankees in his MLB debut back on April 22, but he's otherwise pitched exclusively at Triple-A this season while working primarily out of the bullpen. He owns a 3.08 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 46:21 K:BB in 38 innings over 20 appearances with Worcester. Since Rivera tossed 29 pitches in his most recent outing Wednesday, he'll be available on three days' rest Saturday and may not be asked to cover more than 3-to-4 frames.

O'Brien retired all three batters he faced with two strikeouts to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win against Atlanta.

O'Brien needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order and convert his 10th consecutive save opportunity. That brings the right-hander up to 23 saves on the season, moving him back into a three-way tie with Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran for the National League lead. While he has not blown a save since mid-May, O'Brien surrendered six runs with a 7:7 K:BB across 10 appearances in June. He finished the month with three straight scoreless outings and has followed up with three more clean appearances to begin July.

Kilian (2-5) allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while failing to record an out, taking the loss and a blown save in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Rockies.

Kilian has three blown saves this season, and two have come during a six-appearance stretch in which he's allowed nine runs over 4.2 innings. The reliever's hold on the closing job for the Giants is likely weakening with each poor performance. He's now at a 4.74 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 47:18 K:BB through 38 innings this season while converting eight of 11 save chances and adding three holds. Given the Giants' poor placement in the standings, trusting Kilian or other relievers on the team for steady save chances is a risky fantasy strategy.