MLB Player News

The Royals designated Richards for assignment Wednesday.

Kansas City will swap Richards out of its bullpen for a fresh right-handed arm in Jonathan Bowlan, who was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. After receiving a promotion to the big club Saturday, Richards appeared in three contests and gave up four earned runs on seven hits and two walks over three innings. If he goes unclaimed off waivers, Richards will have the option of electing free agency if he doesn't wish to report back to Omaha.

The Royals activated Erceg (back) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Erceg has been shelved since late May with a lower-back strain but is ready to go after making one scoreless rehab appearance. He will slide back into a setup role for Kansas City.

The Royals placed Ragans on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left rotator cuff strain.

Ragans last pitched Thursday, getting knocked around for five runs over three innings in St. Louis in his first start back from a groin injury. It's not clear whether he suffered the rotator cuff injury during that outing or sometime since then, but either way, it's an injury that will likely sideline him longer than the minimum 15 days. Ragans' move to the IL should extend rookie Noah Cameron's stay in the rotation.

High-A Greenville placed Valera on its 7-day injured list May 27 due to an unspecified injury.

Valera landed on the IL two days after he made his eighth start of the season for Greenville. Over his 33.1 innings at High-A, the 19-year-old righty has logged a 5.40 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 37:9 K:BB.

The Red Sox outrighted Stock to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Stock is off the 40-man roster but will remain in the organization in a depth capacity. The righty has yielded three runs over 2.2 innings covering two appearances with Boston this season.

The Twins transferred Lopez (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for lefty Joey Wentz, whom the Twins claimed off waivers from the Pirates. The transaction has no bearing on Lopez's timeline for a return, as the right-hander was already expected to miss two months at a minimum after he was diagnosed last week with a Grade 2 right teres major muscle strain.

The Twins claimed Wentz off waivers from the Pirates on Wednesday.

Wentz is out of minor-league options and will be added to the Twins' active roster prior to Thursday's game against the Rangers. He's posted a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 22:11 K:BB over 26 innings at the big-league level in 2025.

The Rays recalled Sulser from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Sulser has pitched well in 11.2 relief innings with the big club, allowing four runs with a 9:3 K:BB. He's taking the roster spot vacated by Manuel Rodriguez (forearm), who has landed on the 15-day injured list.

The Rays placed Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right forearm strain, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's not clear when Rodriguez was hurt, but he last made an appearance Monday in Boston, tossing a scoreless frame despite giving up two hits and a walk. He will be eligible for activation June 25, but given the nature of the injury, it's possible Rodriguez will need more time than that.

Bader is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Bader is on the bench for the second time in three games while he's in the midst of an extended rough spell at the plate; dating back to May 25, he's slashing just .129/.243/.290 with a 29.7 percent strikeout rate. Though Bader is a strong defender in the outfield, the Twins could transition him into more of a part-time role if they want to move super-utility man Willi Castro to the corner outfield on a more regular basis in order to open up more opportunities for Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens in the infield.