MLB Player News

Diekman finalized a one-year contract with the Rays on Wednesday.

Tampa Bay designated right-hander Chase Anderson for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster for Diekman. The 36-year-old will provide the Rays with another left-handed relief option in the wake of Garrett Cleavinger's (knee) season-ending injury. Diekman had posted a 7.94 ERA and 2.12 WHIP in 11.1 innings with the White Sox before being released over the weekend.

The Yankees recalled Garcia from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre prior to Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Once one of the Yankees' top starting pitching prospects, Garcia has transitioned to a full-time relief role this season at Triple-A. Over his 10 appearances out of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre bullpen, Garcia has logged a 4.50 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 18:16 K:BB in 20 innings. He'll likely be relegated to low-leverage spots or mop-up situations out of the New York bullpen while he's up with the parent club.

Pivetta (2-3) took the loss Tuesday, coughing up seven runs on eight hits and three walks over four innings as the Red Sox were downed 9-3 by Atlanta. He struck out two.

The right-hander also hit a batter and uncorked a wild pitch in an erratic outing that saw him throw only 52 of 90 pitches for strikes. Pivetta has served up at least one homer and given up at least three earned runs in five straight starts, leaving him with a 6.23 ERA and 1.47 WHIP on the season. With James Paxton (hamstring) set to join the rotation this weekend, someone from the group of Pivetta, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello figures to lose their spot, but it's not yet clear what Boston's plans are for its staff. Pivetta is the only one of the three who doesn't have minor-league options remaining, however, so despite his struggles he likely isn't going anywhere.

Lopez struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in a scoreless eighth inning Tuesday against the Royals.

Lopez protected a two-run lead while facing the heart of the Royals' lineup. It's unclear whether he was purposefully used in the highest-leverage situation in the game, or if he has been demoted to a setup role. The latter would certainly be justified, as Lopez has a 7.63 ERA with four blown saves across 16 appearances to start the season. Kendall Graveman picked up the save.

Graveman picked up the save with a perfect ninth inning in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over Kansas City.

Graveman needed just seven pitches to pick up his first save of 2023. Reynaldo Lopez, who pitched in the eighth, has been the primary option for saves, but his ERA sits at 7.63. Both Graveman and Lopez could be pushed out of save situations soon, as Liam Hendriks is nearing a return to majors.

Pressly picked up the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Angels. He struck out two in a perfect inning.

Pressly struck out Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon to open the ninth. The righty is perfect in his five save opportunities, but he is used almost exclusively in save situations. Pressly ranks sixth among Houston relievers in innings this season.

Weissert was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Athletics.

Weissert was with the Yankees for only one day after being called up from Triple-A on Tuesday, and he allowed two runs over an inning of relief with a walk and two strikeouts in his lone appearance. The Yankees will announce a corresponding move prior to Wednesday's series finale with Oakland.

Bautista picked up the save in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay, working around three walks over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Bautista entered with a runner on first and two outs in the eighth inning, walking Brandon Lowe before striking out Taylor Walls to end the frame. The 27-year-old Bautista would issue two more free passes to lead off the ninth but coaxed a double play off the bat of Yandy Diaz to get out of trouble. Bautista improves to 8-for-11 in save opportunities with a 1.59 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 30:13 K:BB over 17 innings. While his 14.7 percent walk rate has room for improvement, Bautista has certainly made up for it with a 42.6 percent strikeout rate.

Clase earned the save Tuesday against Detroit, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.

Clase picked up his league-leading 13th save of the year, closing out the Guardians' 2-0 shutout victory over the Tigers. The 25-year-old Clase has been dominant, allowing just one earned run over his last 14.1 innings. He's now 13-for-16 in save opportunities with a 1.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB in 19.1 innings this season. Despite a career-low 5.1 K/9, Clase has been effective thanks to a stellar 64.3 percent groundball rate.

Beeks will be the opener for Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Beeks will likely work the first inning or two for the series finale in Baltimore before giving way to Yonny Chirinos, who is expected to serve as a bulk reliever and cover the majority of the innings out of the bullpen.