MLB Player News

The Royals transferred Avila (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Avila is likely to remain sidelined until 2028 after undergoing Tommy John surgery Wednesday, so the Royals will stash him away on the 60-day IL. The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for Luke Little, who was claimed off waivers from the Cubs on Thursday.

Painter said following Wednesday's 10-4 loss to to the Nationals in 11 innings that he's not worried about missing time due to the left hamstring injury that forced him out of the game after four innings, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports. "I felt like I could have gone out there and still competed. [The coaching staff] felt like they didn't want to risk that," Painter said.

Making a second straight turn through the Philadelphia rotation, Painter struck out four batters and limited the Nationals to one earned run on three hits and one walk in four innings prior to his departure. Painter appeared to first tweak the hamstring in the first inning when he slipped while delivering a 3-2 pitch to Daylen Lile, but the right-hander said the hamstring didn't tighten up on him until the fourth. The Phillies have no plans to send Painter in for imaging, and so long as he's able to complete a bullpen session over the weekend without issue, he'll tentatively line up to make his next start Monday in St. Louis.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that Yesavage has been diagnosed with meniscus damage in his left knee and will visit a specialist Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Yesavage had to be lifted from his start Tuesday against the Astros and was placed on the injured list Wednesday. Schneider noted that surgery for Yesavage "is always a possibility," but that determination will be made following his exam Monday. Even if an operation isn't required, Yesavage is likely to be sidelined for several weeks.

Reds manager Terry Francona said that Lodolo (finger) will return from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's road game against the White Sox, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Lodolo will be making his first appearance in the majors since he landed on the 15-day injured list shortly before the All-Star break due to a recurring blister issue on his left index finger. Since that IL move, Lodolo has been using a modified grip for his curveball as he aims to put his blister problems behind him. In his lone rehab start, the southpaw allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over 4.1 innings for Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday. He threw 65 pitches in the outing, so Lodolo won't be fully stretched out when he faces the Pale Hose.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Thursday that there's "probably a slim chance" Greene (elbow) pitches again this season, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Greene felt discomfort in his right elbow during a bullpen session Tuesday and was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. He will receive a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Thursday before more is known about the hurler's long-term prognosis. Greene didn't make his 2026 debut until early July following surgery in March to have bone chips removed from his right elbow, and he also had Tommy John surgery back in 2019. It's unclear whether another operation is possible, but even if Greene is prescribed rest, he can be dropped in redraft leagues.

Stone (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.

Excluding the lone Cactus League appearance he made this spring, Stone will be pitching in a sanctioned game Thursday for the first time since Aug. 31, 2024. The 27-year-old righty underwent shoulder surgery in October of that year and missed the entire 2025 campaign, then experienced a setback this spring that prolonged his recovery. He's apparently been able to ramp up at the Dodgers' complex in Arizona over the past month without any major issues and will now kick off what will presumably be an extended rehab assignment. Given the Dodgers' ample starting depth, Stone could be preparing for a return to the big club as a multi-inning reliever.

The Athletics outrighted Zhuang to Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Zhuang is no longer a member of the Athletics' 40-man roster after the Athletics designated him for assignment Friday, but he'll remain in the organization after going unclaimed off waivers. The 25-year-old righty has yet to make his MLB debut and has compiled a 6.42 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 63:33 K:BB in 82.2 innings between stops with Las Vegas and Double-A Midland.

Springs (hip) was able to restart a throwing program Wednesday after landing on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

The Athletics placed Springs on the shelf due to a fatigued right hip, an injury that's been plaguing him throughout the season. An MRI on the hip returned negative for an acute injury, and the fact that Springs is already throwing again seemingly indicates that he didn't suffer any sort of major setback coming out of his most recent start Friday and may have just been placed on the IL for the purpose of getting a reset. Though Springs could be physically ready to go when first eligible to return from the IL on Aug. 16, the Athletics won't have much incentive to rush him back or guarantee him a rotation spot once he returns. The veteran southpaw has posted a bloated 6.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP this season and will likely be headed for free agency this winter, as the Athletics hold a $15 million club option on his contract for 2027 that they will almost certainly decline.

Griffin is slated to start Thursday's game against the Mets in Cleveland, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Acquired from the Nationals on Monday, Griffin will make his Guardians debut three days later after getting some time to acclimate to his new team. After spending the previous three seasons pitching in Japan before signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Nationals in December, Griffin has emerged as an unlikely All-Star in his return to affiliated ball. While leaning on a seven-pitch mix, Griffin turned in a 12-3 record, 3.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 116:30 K:BB in 129.1 innings over his 22 starts with Washington. Though he's vastly outperformed his peripherals (4.09 FIP, 4.10 xERA, 3.80 SIERA), Griffin's change in home park from one of baseball's more hitter-friendly venues in Nationals Park to a more neutral environment in Progressive Field could help him stave off regression.

The Cubs recalled Garrett from Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Acquired from the Marlins at the trade deadline, Garrett's role with the Cubs for now appears to be as a long-relief option. The left-hander has been tagged for seven runs with a 5:8 K:BB over 4.1 innings in the majors this season, but he's collected a 2.90 ERA and 83:29 K:BB covering 77.2 frames in 2026 at the Triple-A level.