MLB Player News

Garcia's $6 million option for 2024 vested Sunday during his relief appearance in Toronto's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Angels, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Though Garcia took his fourth loss of the season while allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit in the outing, he was at least able to earn himself a guaranteed contract for 2024 in the process. Per the terms of the two-year deal Garcia signed with Toronto in November 2021, Garcia triggered the $6 million option since the relief appearance was his 110th between the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The 32-year-old right-hander will remain locked into a key late-inning role for the Blue Jays for the foreseeable future, though his path to picking up saves in the short-term became more challenging after Toronto acquired hard-throwing righty Jordan Hicks from St. Louis on Sunday to bolster the back end of the bullpen while All-Star closer Jordan Romano (back) is on the injured list.

Anderson will likely be optioned back to the minors when the Rangers' trade acquisitions arrive for Tuesday's homestand opener against the White Sox, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Anderson was called up to the majors Sunday after the Rangers placed starter Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) on the injured list. Once Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton arrive, Anderson could be headed back to Triple-A Round Rock.

Littell (1-2) earned the win Sunday, allowing two runs on eight hits over five innings against the Astros. He struck out four.

Though Sunday's game was expected to be a bullpen day for the Rays, Littell managed to last five innings and was stretched out to 82 pitches after having thrown fewer than three innings in all but one of his appearances this season. Despite allowing eight hits, Littell held the Astros scoreless heading into the fifth, where he allowed back-to-back singles and a double during a two-run inning. Considering the Rays are battling a multitude of injuries in their starting rotation, they may continue to stretch Littell out if he proves to be a reliable innings eater.

Hernandez secured his first-career save Sunday in a 2-1 win over the Twins. He did not allow a hit, but did walk a batter and struck out two.

Hernandez was called upon to close out the game in the ninth with Scott Barlow presumably unavailable after throwing 41 pitches over the last two days. Hernandez has now recorded three holds and a save while tossing four shutout innings in his last four appearances. He's a prime candidate to take over the Royals' closing duties if Barlow were to get dealt to a contending team before the deadline. Hernandez is putting up career-best numbers thus far, posting a 3.57 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 63:15 K:BB in 53 innings.

Yarbrough (4-5) earned the win over the Twins on Sunday after allowing one run on seven hits while striking out five over seven innings.

Yarbrough's five strikeouts tied his season high, and the seven innings was the longest he's gone this year. He generated 12 whiffs and a 32 percent CSW (called strikes plus whiffs) and has continued to be a pleasant surprise for the Royals since returning from the IL on July 9. In four starts since then, Yarbrough's posted a 2.19 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB in 24.2 innings. The southpaw currently lines up for a tough test against the Phillies on the road next weekend.

Bradford allowed one run on four hits and three walks over three innings in Sunday's loss to San Diego. He struck out five and did not factor in the decision.

Bradford limited the damage to just one run despite finding himself in a couple of jams in his short outing. He's been a solid bulk-innings option for Texas lately; he registered a 3.48 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over 20.2 innings in July. Bradford will likely move back to a more traditional bullpen role after the Rangers' recent acquisitions of Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery.

Baumann (8-0) allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the win Sunday over the Yankees.

Dean Kremer allowed three runs over four innings and needed 90 pitches to get that far, allowing Baumann to step up to vulture a win. This was Baumann's 10th appearance in July, and he's allowed three runs (two earned) over 11.1 innings with a 10:5 K:BB for the month. Overall, he's at a 3.48 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 53:28 K:BB through 51.2 innings while filling a versatile role in the Orioles' bullpen.

Pivetta will start Monday's game against the Mariners, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Pivetta was an option to pitch behind opener Brennan Bernardino during Sunday's game against the Giants, but he didn't enter the game and will instead serve as the starter for Monday's series opener in Seattle. Over his last three outings, the right-hander has struck out 19 in 12 scoreless innings.

Murphy allowed an unearned run on four hits and struck out one without walking a batter over 3.1 innings Sunday versus the Giants. He did not factor in the decision.

Murphy was ultimately the bulk reliever in the Red Sox's bullpen game, rather than Nick Pivetta. The 25-year-old Murphy didn't enter the game until the fourth inning, but he still delivered solid pitching, though he was never in line for the win. The southpaw is now at a 1.59 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 27:11 K:BB over 28.1 innings through nine relief appearances in the majors this season. Boston's rotation remains something of an enigma to project, but Murphy should be next be available for a bulk-relief outing over the upcoming weekend series at home versus the Blue Jays.

Rodriguez will be placed on the 15-day injured list with right hip tightness Monday, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Rodriguez has missed significant time with injuries this year, as he was unavailable for the start of the regular season due to an oblique strain before missing just over a month with a shoulder issue. He returned to action in early July and tossed seven scoreless innings over six appearances, but he'll now head back to the injured list due to a hip injury. However, manager Alex Cora downplayed the severity of Rodriguez's current injury and said he might be able to return after missing the minimum of 15 days.