MLB Player News

The Tigers placed Valdez on the bereavement list Sunday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Valdez finished the first half with a strong performance Thursday, when he struck out nine and allowed just one run over seven innings against the Athletics. The veteran left-hander will step away from the team for personal reasons just ahead of the All-Star break, and he may not rejoin the active roster until after next weekend's series against the Angels. The Tigers have already listed Troy Melton, Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize as their probable starters for the series versus the Angels.

The Blue Jays selected Van Eyk's contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.

Van Eyk will provide the Blue Jays with some extra coverage in the bullpen heading into Sunday's series finale in San Diego and will be making his MLB debut if/when he gets into a game. The 27-year-old righty has mostly served in a starting role at Buffalo this season, logging a 3.79 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 56:25 K:BB across 78.1 frames.

The Rangers recalled Teodo from Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Teodo will get his first look in the big leagues after producing a 3.76 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 52:35 K:BB across 40.2 innings out of the bullpen at Round Rock this season. He should fill a low-leverage relief role while he's up with the Rangers.

The Diamondbacks recalled Bratt from Triple-A Reno to start Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

The left-hander is coming up to start in place of Zac Gallen (elbow), who was placed on the injured list Sunday. Bratt made his major-league debut versus the Cardinals in late June and allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks over three innings. The 23-year-old has been an effective rotation piece at Triple-A this year with a 2.41 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 51:14 K:BB across 52.1 innings, and another quality showing Sunday could help him secure a longer look in the rotation.

The Diamondbacks placed Gallen (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Sunday.

The right-hander was scratched from his scheduled start Sunday against the Dodgers due to elbow inflammation and will be out for at least the next couple weeks. The severity of the injury hasn't been disclosed, so it's unclear if Gallen will be ready to return when first eligible in late July. Mitch Bratt was called up Sunday in a corresponding move.

Ritchie is slated to work in bulk relief behind opener Danny Young during Sunday's game in St. Louis, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Young is unlikely to work more than an inning or two before giving way to Ritchie, who has re-entered the Atlanta rotation following Hurston Waldrep's recent demotion to Triple-A Gwinnett. Ritchie's workload is still expected to be monitored carefully Sunday, as the young righty will be taking the hill on just two days' rest after covering 1.1 innings in a 35-pitch appearance Thursday.

Hancock was removed from Sunday's start against the Rays with an apparent hand injury, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

The right-hander remained in the game after being struck in the hand by a comebacker during the opening frame, but he was lifted after issuing a two-out walk in the second inning. The specifics of the injury aren't yet clear, but for now the 27-year-old should be considered day-to-day.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Sunday that Lowder will rejoin the starting rotation after the All-Star break, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

The right-hander was shifted to the bullpen last week after Hunter Greene was cleared to come off the injured list and will now re-enter the rotation following Nick Lodolo's (finger) placement on the injured list Sunday. Lowder -- who will be available out of the bullpen for Sunday's game against the Cubs -- has pitched well in his two relief outings with just one run allowed over five frames. He posted a 5.31 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over his 13 starts.

The Mets recalled Thornton from Triple-A Syracuse ahead of his start against the Red Sox on Sunday.

The left-hander went back to Syracuse after delivering a quality start against the Phillies on June 26, and he'll rejoin the Mets to start the final game before the All-Star break. In addition to that outing, Thornton made one previous start in the majors this season, giving up four runs across 4.1 innings at Washington on May 20.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Schlittler has elected not to pitch Tuesday in the All-Star Game, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

The All-Star nod was well deserved, as Schlittler finished the season's first half with a 2.05 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:25 K:BB across 118.2 innings. However, rather than making his first appearance in the Midsummer Classic, Schlittler doesn't want to exert himself too much Tuesday on what would be his between-starts throw day. The right-hander last pitched Saturday in Washington, so he may not get much extra rest built into his schedule if the Yankees want him to pitch against the Dodgers next weekend.