MLB Player News

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Thursday that Melton will shift to a relief role, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Melton was called up from Triple-A Toledo on July 23 and has made two starts for Detroit. After coughing up six earned runs in five innings in a loss to the Pirates in his MLB debut, Melton bounced back nicely his last time out against the Diamondbacks on Monday, when he struck out five over seven shutout innings. Though he had been lined up to take the hill for his third start this Sunday against the Phillies, he'll instead head to the bullpen while trade-deadline pickup Charlie Morton steps into the fifth spot in the rotation. The Tigers likely still view Melton as a starter in the long term, but he may be stuck in the bullpen for the remainder of 2025 unless Detroit loses another rotation member to an injury.

Houck (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Houck is eligible to be activated from the injured list at any time and appeared to be nearing a return. However, he was shut down indefinitely July 21 after suffering a setback, so he's currently without an official recovery timeline. The move makes room for Dustin May on the Red Sox's 40-man roster.

The Twins acquired Mikulski from the Astros on Thursday in exchange for shortstop Carlos Correa (illness) and cash, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Mikulski has a 5.68 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 17:10 K:BB in 12.2 innings as a reliever this year at High-A Asheville. He's already 26 years old and on his third organization, as he was briefly drafted by the Giants in 2021 before being released in March and then joining Houston on a minor-league deal in May. He amounts to a throw-in for Minnesota as the Twins dump the remainder of Correa's salary.

President of baseball operations Nick Krall said Wednesday that Martinez will move to the bullpen after the Reds acquired Zack Littell from the Rays earlier in the day, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

The Reds aren't yet ready to remove prized rookie Chase Burns from the rotation, and the addition of Littell plus the pending return of Hunter Greene (groin) from the injured list at some point in August left Martinez on the outside looking in for a starting role. Aside from a disastrous outing July 8 against Miami in which he allowed 10 earned runs, Martinez had covered at least five innings while giving up no more than four runs in any of his last seven starts. The right-hander has ample experience working out of the bullpen, and he should be able to improve upon his 11.9 percent strikeout rate -- down more than five percentage points from 2024 -- as he transitions to relief. Martinez will likely handle a versatile role out of the bullpen that includes both multi-inning mop-up duty and higher-leverage late-inning work in front of closer Emilio Pagan.

The Reds transferred Miley (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Thursday.

The transaction frees up space on the 40-man roster for infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar, who was acquired from the Athletics on Thursday. According to MLB.com, Miley has been throwing long toss out to 120 feet and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday, but he's likely still at least a few weeks away from being ready for game action. Since he was first placed on the shelf June 20 due to a left flexor strain, Miley's move to the 60-day IL shouldn't affect his timeline for a return.

The Phillies acquired Manning from the Tigers on Thursday in exchange for minor league outfielder Josueth Quinonez.

Manning was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Thursday, and the Phillies elected to secure him via trade rather than risk a waiver claim. To make room on the 40-man roster for the right-hander, the Phillies designated Devin Sweet for assignment. Philadephia assigned Manning to Single-A Clearwater.

The Brewers acquired Montgomery (elbow) and right-hander Shelby Miller (forearm) from the Diamondbacks on Thursday in exchange for a player to be named later, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in late March, Montgomery will miss th rest of the season and likely a large chunk of the 2026 campaign. He's also set to become a free agent this winter, so the Brewers presumably agreed to pay at least some of the money remaining on his $22.5 million salary in order to acquire an impact relief arm in Miller at minimal cost in terms of prospect capital.

The White Sox acquired Peoples, infielder Curtis Mead and right-hander Duncan Davitt from the Rays on Thursday in exchange for right-hander Adrian Houser, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Peoples, 24, converted from the rotation to the bullpen this season in the Rays system. He had a 2.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 39:20 K:BB in 37.1 innings over 35 appearances at Triple-A Durham.

Pepiot (6-9) took the loss Thursday against the Yankees, allowing seven runs on six hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out four.

Pepiot struggled from the jump Thursday, giving up three runs in the first inning, capped by a 432-foot, two-run Giancarlo Stanton homer, before giving up a three-run blast to Ben Rice in the second. It's the first time in six starts that Pepiot's failed to make it through six innings, though he's posted a subpar 5.80 ERA over his last seven outings. Overall, the right-hander sports a 3.80 ERA through 23 starts (130.1 innings) with a 1.18 WHIP and 128:45 K:BB this year.

The Tigers acquired Morton from the Orioles on Thursday in exchange for left-hander Micah Ashman, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Orioles will unload Morton after he put up a 5.42 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 101.1 innings across 23 appearances (17 starts). Despite the overall struggles as a starter, the 41-year-old could stick in the rotation for Detroit since he has a 3.88 ERA in his past 11 outings.