MLB Player News

Lovelady (elbow) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Sunday.

Lovelady landed on the shelf in mid-June with a left-elbow strain, but he spent just one day over the 15-day minimum on the IL. He's been a solid late-inning option for Oakland this year with four holds and a 3.86 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 20:10 K:BB across 21 innings.

The Astros optioned Blanco to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Since Blanco wasn't scheduled to make another start during the final week before the All-Star break, the Astros opted to swap him off the 26-man active roster in favor of a fresh bullpen arm in Parker Mushinski, who was recalled from Sugar Land in a corresponding move. While serving as a starter in each of his last five appearances for Houston, Blanco went 2-0 with a 4.82 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 23:15 K:BB across 28 innings. Unless Jose Urquidy (shoulder) is ready to return from the 60-day injured list coming out of the All-Star break, Blanco will likely rejoin the Astros once the team requires a fifth starter for the first time in the second half.

Barria will start Monday against the Padres in San Diego, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

As the holder of the final slot in a six-man rotation, Barria's role and routine tend to fluctuate. The right-hander didn't see action for 10 days between a relief appearance June 18 and a start June 28, and he's now being asked to pitch on four days of rest so that Shohei Ohtani, who's dealing with a cracked fingernail, can get an extra day before his next start. Of course, four days is typical rest in many big-league rotations, and Barria tossed just 59 pitches his last time out, so he should be fresh for Monday's start.

The Astros recalled Mushinski from Triple-A Sugar Land prior to Sunday's game against the Rangers, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Houston optioned Ronel Blanco to Triple-A in a corresponding move, with Mushinski set to provide the Astros with a fresh arm out of the bullpen since Blanco wasn't scheduled to make another turn through the rotation before the All-Star break anyway. Mushinski has previously made three appearances in the big leagues in 2023, covering 3.1 innings while striking out four and allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks.

The White Sox selected Shaw's contract from Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday.

Shaw is a veteran of 753 career regular-season appearances, but he has yet to pitch at the big-league level in 2023 after he was forced to settle for a minor-league deal with the White Sox this offseason coming off a poor season with the Guardians. The 35-year-old right-hander has pitched respectably at Charlotte this season, logging a 4.03 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 24:14 K:BB in 22.1 innings. Look for the White Sox to limit his usage to lower-leverage spots initially, but he could eventually work his way into a setup role if he excels early on.

Jansen picked up a save in Saturday's 7-6 victory over the Blue Jays. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out three over 1.1 innings.

It wasn't pretty, but Jansen managed to get the job done Saturday to record his 17th save of the season. The right-handed reliever entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and got Cavan Biggio to go down on strikes. He then struck out Kevin Kiermaier to open the ninth before giving up back-to-back hits and eventually allowing one run to come home for Toronto, making it a 7-6 ballgame. However, Bo Bichette was thrown out at home on a single from Vladimir Guerrero as Boston escaped with the win. Jansen has now allowed a run in each of his last three appearances, increasing his ERA to 3.45 on the season.

Duran picked up the save Saturday against the Orioles after he allowed a hit and no walks with no strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.

Duran surrendered a one-out single and allowed the tying run to get into scoring position on a stolen base, but he still needed just eight pitches to retire the side. The 25-year-old is 12-for-14 in save chances this year and has yet to allow more than a single run in any of his 29 appearances. He's again been one of the best relievers in the league this season with a 1.41 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 42:14 K:BB over 32 innings.

Smith retired the lone batter he faced in Saturday's 5-2 win over Houston.

Smith entered a non-save situation with two outs in the ninth inning after Joe Barlow gave up a two-run home run to Kyle Tucker. Smith needed the work after not pitching since June 23. Lots of fantasy eyes are on Smith, who emerged as Texas' closer but could lose save opportunities to the recently acquired Aroldis Chapman. Rangers general manager Chris Young told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that whether Chapman is used as a closer is up to manager Bruce Bochy, but the GM wouldn't rule out that possibility.

Fujinami (4-7) got the extra-inning win over the White Sox on Saturday, firing a scoreless 10th frame during which he recorded two strikeouts and hit a batter.

His plunking of Zach Remillard with two outs aside, it was a momentous 13-pitch outing for Fujinami overall. Not only did he secure his fourth win, he also recorded swinging strikeouts of Yasmani Grandal and Andrew Benintendi, posted a third consecutive scoreless appearance and was trusted in a high-leverage scenario with positive results. The big right-hander continues to find life as a reliever much more welcoming than as a member of the rotation, and he now carries a 2-1 record, 2.38 ERA and one hold over the 11.1 innings covering his last 10 appearances.

Barlow earned a save against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing one walk and striking out one batter over 1.1 innings.

Barlow blew his previous save opportunity against Cleveland on Tuesday, but he bounced back against the Dodgers. The right-hander entered in the eighth frame with two runners on, two outs and Kansas City up by two runs, and he walked Mookie Betts to load the bases before getting Freddie Freeman to end the inning with a groundout. Barlow followed with a 1-2-3 ninth to notch the save. The veteran now has 10 saves on the campaign after registering a career-high 24 last season.