MLB Player News

Atlanta selected Luetge's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Atlanta is in need of a fresh bullpen arm after their pitching staff was bludgeoned for 36 runs over the weekend in Miami in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Marlins. Luetge holds an 8.49 ERA over 11 relief appearances in the big leagues this season.

Anderson (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Gwinnett, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Anderson, who has been on the injured list since mid-July with a strained right shoulder, will likely make two or three appearances with Gwinnett before its season comes to an end Sunday. After that, Atlanta will have to decide whether or not to make room on the 28-man active roster for Anderson during the final week of the season, in what could serve as an audition for a spot on the big club's postseason roster. Anderson gathered four wins, one save and 15 holds while pitching to a 3.06 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 36:9 K:BB in 35.1 innings before landing on the shelf.

Rodriguez was designated for assignment Monday.

Rodriguez was torched for eight runs over two innings in a relief appearance Sunday in Miami and will now move off Atlanta's 40-man roster and 28-man active rosters. Atlanta selected left-hander Lucas Luetge's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.

Fried isn't expected to make his next turn through the Atlanta rotation until the team's four-game series in Washington over the weekend after he developed a hot spot on one of his fingers in his most recent start this past Tuesday in Philadelphia, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Atlanta isn't overly concerned about the issue, and with the National League East division crown already secured, the team can afford to proceed cautiously with one of its top starters. Even if Fried is cleared to pitch later this week as anticipated, he could still have his workload managed to some degree as Atlanta looks to ensure that he's not too overworked heading into what the team anticipates will be a long postseason run.

Olson's home run during Saturday's win over the Marlins was his 52nd of the season, setting a new franchise record for Atlanta, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Andruw Jones held the old record of 51, which he set in 2005. Olson leads the majors this season in both homers and RBI (129), and the biggest obstacle to him winning the NL MVP Award in 2023 could be the historic numbers put up by teammate Ronald Acuna (calf), who sits three long balls short of the first 40-60 season in baseball history.

The Reds plan to call up Phillips from Triple-A Louisville to start Monday's game against the Twins, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Though Phillips was sent back to Louisville on Thursday, he'll be eligible to return to the Reds without spending the minimum 15 days in the minors because he had initially joined Cincinnati earlier this month as a replacement for a player placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. The Reds have four other healthy starting pitchers and three more off days over the final two weeks of the season, so Phillips may just be making a spot start Monday if manager David Bell chooses to get by with a four-man rotation the rest of the way. Phillips has been one of the Reds' top pitchers in the upper levels of the minors this season but labored in his first two big-league starts, striking out 10 over 8.2 innings while allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits and six walks.

Marte (groin) will accompany the Mets on their road trip to Miami this week, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

While there's still no guarantee the outfielder will play again in 2023, the Mets remain optimistic Marte will be cleared before the end of September. The 34-year-old has been sidelined since early August due to a groin strain that could be connected to the core muscle surgery he underwent in November 2022, and his career-worst .625 OPS through 86 games this season also suggests he hasn't been fully healthy all year. With two years and over $40 million left on his contract, the Mets have to be hoping he's able to rebound in 2024.

Diaz (knee) will throw at least one bullpen session at Port St. Lucie this week, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

While the Mets haven't provided a specific reason why the right-hander will take the mound in Florida rather than New York, the team's pitching lab is located at the Port St. Lucie complex. Time is running out for Diaz to make an appearance in the majors before the end of the regular season, but the team has yet to rule it out.

Garcia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Sunday's extra-innings win over the Brewers.

He drove a Brandon Woodruff fastball out of the park to center field in the second inning, the only run the Nationals managed until they scored the game-winner in the top of the 11th. Garcia has gone yard in back-to-back games, but since rejoining the big-league roster Sept. 8 he's batting just .207 (6-for-29), and the 23-year-old's future as a starting-caliber player in the majors remains in doubt.

Garcia (1-2) picked up the win in Sunday's extra-innings victory over the Brewers, allowing one hit and two walks over two scoreless innings. He struck out one.

Working the 10th and 11th frames, Garcia kept the phantom runner from crossing the plate each time and got rewarded with his first MLB win. The rookie left-hander has been a solid addition to the Nationals' bullpen since being picked up from the Marlins on waivers, posting a 4.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB through 27 innings.