MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Schmidt (elbow) is eyeing a return from the 60-day injured list in September, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

Schmidt, who is working his way back from the internal brace surgery he underwent July 11, 2025, resumed facing hitters shortly after the All-Star break and has built up to throwing 45 pitches in live sessions. Per Meredith Marakovits of YES Network, Schmidt will throw his next live BP on Tuesday, and he could head out on an extended rehab assignment soon thereafter. The Yankees will likely have Schmidt get stretched out as a starter while he's out on the farm, but he may represent more of an insurance policy for the rotation. The Yankees will have six high-quality starters once Carlos Rodon (elbow) returns from the injured list later this month, so barring an injury to another member of the rotation, Schmidt could be ticketed for a multi-inning relief role once he's activated.

The Red Sox acquired Rogers, catcher Adley Rutschman (wrist) and cash from the Orioles on Monday in exchange for catcher Carlos Narvaez, right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfielder Enddy Azocar and a player to be named later, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Rogers will be on the move for the second time in less than a week, after he played in just three games for the Orioles after being acquired from the Tigers last Thursday. While with Boston, he'll likely form a timeshare with Connor Wong at catcher in the short term, but Rogers could be in danger of being designated for assignment once Rutschman is ready to come off the injured list. Between his stops with Detroit and Baltimore, Rogers has posted an abysmal .163/.270/.296 batting line over 116 plate appearances, but he's valued mainly for his game-calling ability and defensive savvy more so than anything he does with the bat.

The Rays recalled Grove from Triple-A Durham on Monday.

Grove will give the Rays a fresh arm to round out their bullpen after Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment and Alex Cook was optioned to Triple-A earlier Monday to create room on the roster for the club's recent trade additions. The right-hander has been up with the Rays on two other occasions this season but made his lone appearance with the big club June 27, when he struck out four over three scoreless innings in a win over the Diamondbacks.

The Blue Jays acquired Arrighetti (foot) from the Astros on Monday in exchange for outfielder Daulton Varsho and cash considerations.

Arrighetti is currently on the shelf while he recovers from right foot nerve irritation, though he threw in the bullpen Sunday and and could be ready for activation by mid-to-late August, per MLB.com. The righty logged a 1.34 ERA in his first eight starts this season but had stumbled with an 8.34 ERA in his last nine outings prior to landing on the injured list. Arrighetti has a career 24.6 percent strikeout rate at the big-league level, though that impressive mark has also come with an 11.5 percent walk rate.

The Astros acquired Varsho and cash considerations from the Blue Jays on Monday in exchange for Spencer Arrighetti (foot).

The Astros have been desperate for outfield help and have landed on Varsho, who is slashing a disappointing .243/.307/.375 with seven home runs, nine stolen bases and a 29:71 BB:K over 99 games this season. The impending free agent had an .833 OPS with 20 home runs in just 71 games last season, and he's among the better defensive center fielders in the game.

The Angels acquired Ballesteros and right-hander Mason McGwire from the Cubs on Monday in exchange for right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ballesteros had been playing regularly at Triple-A Iowa over the past six weeks, but he may not have to wait long to receive another look in the majors with the Angels, either as a designated hitter or as an option at catcher. The 22-year-old is firmly a bat-first catching prospect, though the Angels will likely have more patience than the Cubs in overseeing his development behind the dish. After recently dealing away Logan O'Hoppe, the Angels are left with the underwhelming veteran duo of Travis d'Arnaud and Tyler Heineman as their catching tandem, and it wouldn't be surprising if Ballesteros was prioritized ahead of them down the stretch. Ballesteros has already demonstrated himself to be a big-league-caliber hitter, producing a .249/.328/.408 slash line with a 10.8 percent walk rate and 19.9 percent strikeout rate over 241 career plate appearances with the Cubs.

The Orioles acquired Narvaez, right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfielder Enddy Azocar and a player to be named later from the Red Sox on Monday in exchange for catchers Adley Rutschman (wrist), Jake Rogers and cash, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Though he had faded into a timeshare behind the plate in Boston with Connor Wong, Narvaez should settle in as the new No. 1 backstop for the Orioles, at least until Samuel Basallo (shoulder) makes his return from the injured list. Narvaez delivered a serviceable .725 OPS with 15 home runs over 118 games in his first full big-league campaign in 2025, but he's seen both his power and contact rate tail off dramatically in 2026. The 27-year-old slashed just .187/.260/.275 with a .088 ISO and 33.5 percent strikeout rate over 197 plate appearances with Boston this season.

The Yankees recalled Castro from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday.

Castro has allowed one run with a 4:0 K:BB in 2.2 innings out of the Yankees bullpen this season. He'll be used in middle relief.

The Yankees optioned Schuemann to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday.

New York needed to clear room on the 26-man active roster for trade-deadline acquisition Luis Garcia, and Schuemann ended up being the casuality. Schuemann has put up a .694 OPS in 40 games as a utility player for the Yankees this season.

The Orioles acquired Witherspoon, right-hander Anthony Eyanson, outfielder Enddy Azocar, catcher Carlos Narvaez and a player to be named later from the Red Sox on Monday in exchange for catchers Adley Rutschman, Jake Rogers and cash, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

A first-round draft pick in 2025, Witherspoon had been regarded as one of the top lower-level arms in Boston's farm system, even despite his uneven results during his first season of pro ball. The 21-year-old righty turned in a 4.78 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 78:34 K:BB while surrendering 10 home runs over 75.1 innings at High-A Greenville. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Witherspoon is regarded as a good athlete with a deep arsenal that includes multiple pitches with plus potential, making him an intriguing developmental prospect for the Orioles. He's expected to report to High-A Frederick to kick off his time in the Baltimore organization.