MLB Player News

The Phillies officially signed Buehler to a minor-league contract Sunday and assigned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Though Buehler's contract is a minor-league deal, it's likely just a formality so that the Phillies can avoid a move when the active roster expands from 26 to 28 men Monday. Since the veteran hurler officially joined the organization before the end of Sunday, he'll still be eligible for the postseason roster. Buehler will likely serve in a swingman role down the stretch while offering the Phillies an experienced arm with past postseason success.

O'Brien has dealt with fatigue in his right shoulder area in recent days and is set to be examined by a doctor Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

According to Goold, the Cardinals are weighing whether to place O'Brien on the injured list, and the results of his upcoming exam will likely be vital in that decision. With the active roster expanding to 28 players Monday, the Cardinals are likely to call up at least one pitcher from the minors, and the team could bring another relief arm aboard if O'Brien heads to the IL in a corresponding move. Since the beginning of June, O'Brien has performed as one of the Cardinals' top relievers, logging two wins, two saves and five holds while pitching to a 1.04 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 34.2 innings.

Baldwin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

Baldwin went 2-for-4 in Saturday's 3-2 loss, which ended a stretch of 11 straight starts without a multi-hit performance. Sean Murphy will catch for rookie righty Hurston Waldrep in Sunday's series finale.

Buehler agreed to a one-year contract with the Phillies on Sunday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Cut loose by the Red Sox earlier in the weekend, Buehler was able to quickly find work with another playoff-contending organization that was looking to bolster its starting depth. Though he owns a lifetime 3.56 ERA over parts of eight big-league seasons, Buehler languished during his time in Boston, submitting a 5.45 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 84:55 K:BB in 112.1 innings over 23 appearances (22 starts) before losing his spot on the roster. The 31-year-old boasts extensive playoff experience dating back to his time with the Dodgers, and the Phillies are hopeful that the right-hander can provide the pitching staff with a lift in September as the team potentially gears up for a deep postseason run. With Zack Wheeler (shoulder) recently getting shut down for the season, the Phillies have kept Taijuan Walker in the fold as their fifth starter and have received decent results from him, so Buehler won't necessarily be in store for a rotation spot right away with Philadelphia. Instead, he could head to the bullpen and serve as a long-relief option initially once the Phillies formally add him to their roster Monday.

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

It's the second straight lineup absence for Ozuna, who is batting .108 (4-for-37) over his past 12 games and is without a homer since Aug. 13. Ronald Acuna is resting his legs as the designated hitter Sunday, which opens up right field for Eli White.

Kepler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

Before taking a seat for Saturday's 3-2 win while southpaw Chris Sale was on the mound for Atlanta, the left-handed-hitting Kepler started in each of the previous three contests and went 2-for-11 with a home run and a walk. Atlanta is sending a righty (Hurston Waldrep) to the hill for the series finale, but Kepler will remain on the bench while Harrison Bader picks up a start in the outfield in his place.

The Phillies transferred Wheeler (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.

The transaction was merely a formality, as Wheeler has already been ruled out for the season after recently having a procedure to remove a blood clot near his right shoulder as well as a more significant thoracic outlet decompression surgery. The latter surgery carries an estimated recovery timeline of 6-to-8 months, which could put Wheeler at risk of missing the start of the 2026 season. With Wheeler shifting to the 60-day injured list, the Phillies were able to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for left-hander Tim Mayza (lat), who was claimed off waivers from the Pirates.

Susana was diagnosed with right triceps soreness after being removed from his start Saturday with Double-A Harrisburg, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The 21-year-old allowed three runs over 1.2 frames prior to exiting the contest, which ended a stretch of five consecutive starts in which he surrendered one or fewer runs. The severity of the injury isn't yet known, leaving Susana's availability for his next turn through Harrisburg's rotation up in the air.

The Reds plan to call up Stewart from Triple-A Louisville on Monday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Regarded as one of the top position prospects in the organization, Stewart began the season at Double-A Chattanooga, with whom he posted an .850 OPS en route to earning a promotion to Louisville following the All-Star break. The 21-year-old has been unfazed by the jump in competition, as he's slashed a sizzling .315/.394/.629 with 10 home runs and four stolen bases in 38 games with Louisville to make his way to the big leagues. During his time at Triple-A, Stewart has mostly played third base, but he's also gotten some exposure to first base and second base. The keystone could prove to be Stewart's primary avenue to playing time to begin his big-league career, as Matt McLain has been serving as the Reds' main option at that position but has provided a middling .222/.302/.343 slash line over 122 games.

Keller (6-13) took the loss Sunday against the Red Sox, allowing four runs (none earned) on four hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out seven.

After blanking the Red Sox through four innings, Keller fell victim to some poor defense behind him in the fifth -- Romy Gonzalez reached via error to start the frame before Jarren Duran legged out a three-run, inside-the-park home run with two outs. While he wasn't charged with an earned run Sunday, Keller has been shaky of late, posting a 7.59 ERA across seven starts coming into the day. Overall, the right-hander sports a 4.21 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP and 132:44 K:BB across 28 starts (156 innings) this season.