MLB Player News

Brown is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Rays, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Brown has yet to start a game against a left-hander all season, so it's no surprise to see him out of the lineup versus lefty Jeffrey Springs. Tyler Nevin will play first base and bat seventh for the Athletics.

Bleday is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Rays, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Southpaw Jeffrey Springs will take the hill for the Rays, so the left-handed-hitting Bleday will begin the contest on the bench. Daz Cameron will draw the start in center field for the Athletics.

The Orioles optioned Soto to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

He's clearing out to make room on the roster for Emmanuel Rivera, who has officially reported to the club after being claimed off waivers. Soto has had two brief stints with the Orioles this season but has yet to appear in a game.

The Orioles selected Bowman's contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

The journeyman right-hander will be pitching for the seventh MLB team of his career and his fourth in 2024 alone if and when he gets into a game for the Orioles. Baltimore brought Bowman aboard on a minor-league deal last week, and he was quickly advanced to the big-league roster after striking out six batters in three scoreless innings between his two relief outings with Norfolk. Bowman will likely begin his time in Baltimore in a low-leverage role out of the bullpen.

The Orioles optioned Selby to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Selby tossed three scoreless frames over two appearances during his brief time with Baltimore. He could get another look later this season but for now will be replaced with fresh bullpen help.

The Orioles optioned Rogers to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Baltimore obviously saw something in Rogers to the point that it surrendered a surprisingly hefty trade package to acquire him at the deadline, but the club has been unable to fix him. In fact, Rogers has been much worse for the Orioles than he had been with the Marlins this season, collecting a 7.11 ERA and 12:10 K:BB over 19 innings covering four starts since joining his new team. With Rogers out of the picture, Cole Irvin and Cade Povich will continue getting starts for the Orioles, at least until Zach Eflin (shoulder) and/or Grayson Rodriguez (lat) return from the injured list.

The Orioles recalled Vespi from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Vespi will kick off his sixth stint in the big leagues this season, as he's been a popular option for a call-up whenever the Orioles have needed a fresh bullpen arm. Over his 11.1 innings spanning 10 appearances with Baltimore, Vespi has given up four earned runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out seven.

The Orioles designated Zimmermann for assignment Thursday.

Zimmermann was pushed off the 40-man roster with the Orioles needing to clear a spot for infielder Emmanuel Rivera, who was claimed off waivers from the Marlins. The 29-year-old southpaw made 38 appearances (27 starts) with the Orioles over the previous four seasons, but even with injuries testing the big club's rotation depth in recent weeks, Zimmermann had yet to receive a call-up from Triple-A Norfolk in 2024. He's mostly served as a member of Norfolk's rotation when healthy this season, logging a 4.64 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 60:25 K:BB across 66 innings.

Blanco logged a stolen base as a pinch runner in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

Blanco took advantage of his playing time during a road series in Cincinnati last weekend, going 5-for-8 with three homers and eight RBI across three contests. While it was an impressive showing, he remains in a short-side platoon role, primarily sharing left field with MJ Melendez. Blanco is up to 23 steals on 28 attempts this season while adding four homers, 13 RBI, 31 runs scored and a .257/.293/.394 slash line through 117 plate appearances. While he has excellent speed, his lack of a path to at-bats versus right-handed pitching continues to limit his fantasy value.

Soderstrom (wrist) played catch before Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, the Associated Press reports.

Soderstrom began his strengthening program earlier this week and Wednesday's activity was part of his progression. There's still no word on when the rookie might be able to get some swings in rehab games, but he still seems to be well on track to return to the big-league roster before the end of the regular season.