MLB Player News

The Pirates recalled Jefferies from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Jefferies will serve as Pittsburgh's 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader in Detroit. The righty was acquired from the Giants earlier this month and has allowed six runs with a 4:4 K:BB over six innings covering two starts with Indianapolis since the trade. Jefferies will give the Pirates bullpen some length during the doubleheader.

Irvin came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 2-0 loss to Atlanta, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out 10.

Matched up against Atlanta ace Max Fried, Irvin rose to the occasion and set a new career high in Ks while locked in a scoreless pitchers' duel. The quality start was Irvin's sixth of the season, but he hasn't picked up a win in five straight outings despite a 2.45 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB through 29.1 innings. The 27-year-old right-hander will look for more support in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in Cleveland.

Littell (2-3) took the loss Tuesday as the Rays fell 3-0 to the A's, allowing three unearned runs on five hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out nine.

The right-hander set a new career high in strikeouts, generating 30 called or swinging strikes among his 95 pitches, but a Brandon Lowe error helped prolong the sixth inning and set the stage for a three-run homer by Miguel Andujar. Littell had to settle for his fourth quality start of the year, and he'll take a 3.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 64:10 K:BB through 62.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road this weekend in Baltimore.

Quintana (1-5) took the loss in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, giving up three runs on eight hits over six innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The veteran lefty didn't pitch badly, but a lack of run support and homers by Will Smith and Miguel Vargas doomed him to defeat as the Mets fell, 3-0. The quality start was Quintana's third of the season, and he'll carry a 5.06 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 39:18 K:BB through 58.2 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week against the Nationals.

Eflin (back) will throw a bullpen session Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Eflin has played catch twice since Sunday and will now advance to more intense work. His progress has been steady since he was placed on the injured list retroactive to May 19, though a firm target for his return has yet to be set.

Atlanta selected Schwellenbach's contract from Double-A Mississippi on Wednesday.

Schwellenbach is set to make his major-league debut Wednesday versus the Nationals. The young right-hander has made eight starts between Single-A Rome and Mississippi this season, posting a 1.80 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 51:10 K:BB over 45 innings. Just two of those starts came at the Double-A level and Schwellenbach will be skipping over Triple-A Gwinnett, but Atlanta felt the 23-year-old was ready to join its rotation. He should be in line for additional starts if he performs well.

Megill came away with a no-decision in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, allowing three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings. He struck out nine.

The Mets wound up getting swept in the twin bill, but that was no fault of Megill's. The right-hander generated 32 called or swinging strikes among his 98 pitches in his best performance of the season, and he left the mound with the Mets ahead 2-0 only to watch the bullpen blow the lead and lose the game in 10 innings. Megill has an impressive 16:3 K:BB through 12 innings since returning from a shoulder strain, and he'll look for his first win of 2024 when he makes his next start, which is likely to come at home this weekend against the Diamondbacks.

Woodford (0-1) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks across 4.1 innings. He struck out four.

Woodford was brought up from Triple-A Charlotte to replace Mike Clevinger (elbow) on the back end of the White Sox rotation. The 27-year-old yielded all three runs in the second frame, allowing a single, a walk and two doubles to consecutive batters with two outs. Although it's unclear if the White Sox plan on keeping Woodford around for the duration of Clevinger's IL stint, he's currently in line for a start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.

Wheeler did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's loss to the Giants, throwing six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and two walks. He struck out nine.

Wheeler's excellent start got wasted after the Phillies were shut out in Tuesday's loss. The Giants scattered just two hits against him, and his most dominant inning came in the third when he struck out the side. Tuesday was Wheeler's third start this season tossing a shutout while allowing two or fewer hits and striking out at least eight. He now has nine quality starts in 12 tries and will carry a 2.32 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 85:23 K:BB (73.2 innings) into a projected outing against the Brewers to begin next week.

Gausman (4-3) picked up the win Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out three.

Gausman was sharp Tuesday, yielding one run and fewer than five hits for a second straight start to tally his fourth win in his last six outings. However, he snapped a streak of four consecutive outings with six or more Ks and yielded three extra-base hits. Gausman has allowed one or fewer earned runs in six of his last eight starts but owns a 4.14 ERA on the year. He's tentatively scheduled for a start against Baltimore on Monday.