MLB Player News

The Brewers acquired Mears from the Rockies on Saturday in exchange for right-handers Bradley Blalock and Yujanyer Herrera, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Mears will provide depth to a Brewers bullpen that has recently lost two key relievers in Rob Zastryzny (elbow) and Bryan Hudson (oblique) to injuries. The 27-year-old right-hander logged a 5.56 ERA in 45.1 innings with Colorado this season but has some encouraging underlying metrics, including a 3.00 xERA. The Brewers have a knack for getting the most out of underperforming pitchers, and it looks like they'll attempt to do the same with Mears.

The Marlins acquired Seran, catcher Agustin Ramirez and infielder Abrahan Ramirez from the Yankees on Saturday in exchange for infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The trade boosts the dynasty value of all the position players heading to Miami, and both Ramirez and Serna in particular have better chances of eventually carving out everyday playing time down the road with the Marlins than if they had remained with the Yankees. Serna, a 22-year-old second baseman, packs a lot of pull-side pop in a small 5-foot-7 frame. He was 20 percent better than the average South Atlantic League hitter and slashed .253/.341/.444 with 13 home runs, 11 steals and a 15.3 percent strikeout rate in 88 games for High-A Hudson Valley.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates.

Pederson will dodge a matchup with southpaw Marco Gonzales, leaving DH duties to Randal Grichuk. Pederson has homered in back-to-back games and has 15 long balls on the year.

Thomas is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates.

The lefty-hitting Thomas will be on the bench for Saturday's contest, yielding to Jake McCarthy in center field with southpaw Marco Gonzales on the bump for Pittsburgh. Thomas is slashing .206/.254/.413 in 68 plate appearances this season.

The Dodgers placed Freeman (personal) on the family emergency list Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

By rule, Freeman will miss between three and seven days, making Tuesday's series opener against the Padres his next opportunity to return to the Dodgers lineup. Cavan Biggio should see most of the work at first base while Freeman is away from the team. Catcher Hunter Feduccia was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma in a corresponding move.

The Giants designated Baumann for assignment Saturday.

Baumann was acquired by San Francisco via trade Sunday after being designated for assignment by the Mariners on July 19. He surrendered two runs in two-thirds of an inning for the Giants. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, Baumann should be expected to remain in the Giants organization. Spencer Bivens was called up in a corresponding move.

San Francisco recalled Bivens from Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday.

Bivens will join the Giants ahead of their twin bill Saturday against the Rockies. The 30-year-old holds a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings with the Giants this season and is capable of pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen. Mike Baumann was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Birdsong has been appointed the Giants' 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Rockies. He'll start Game 2.

Birdsong will temporarily join the Giants' active roster to make his sixth big-league start of the year. Birdsong has a 2-0 record with a 3.55 ERA and 30:12 K:BB in 25.1 innings with San Francisco and will likely return to the minors after Saturday's start.

Manager Rob Thomson said Saturday that Marsh and Johan Rojas will split center field work but won't be in a straight platoon, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Marsh had been the Phillies' starting left fielder against right-handed pitching but the team is opting to deploy Austin Hays in left every day. Instead, Marsh will slide to center field. The lefty-hitting Marsh is expected to start most games against right-handed pitching while Rojas starts against lefties. Still, Rojas could see some work against right-handers. Marsh is slashing .247/.325/.410 with nine homers and 12 stolen bases this season.

The Yankees acquired Ramirez and infielders Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramirez from the Marlins on Saturday in exchange for Jazz Chisholm, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Ramirez is viewed as the headliner of the Marlins' three-player return package. The 22-year-old catcher slashed .224/.328/.364 with four home runs and five stolen bases in 125 plate appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since getting promoted from Double-A Somerset in June. With Austin Wells, Jose Trevino and Carlos Narvaez ahead of him on the organizational catching depth chart in New York, Ramirez wasn't on track to make his MLB debut in the near future, but the move to Miami could expedite his arrival to the big leagues. Nick Fortes and Ali Sanchez have been sharing catching duties for the Marlins, but both have OPSes under .500 for the season.