The Twins designated Irvin for assignment Wednesday.

Irvin allowed five earned runs over just 3.2 innings during his brief time with the Twins, and he's now been DFA'd by two teams within the last 10 days. The left-hander carries a 5.11 ERA and 1.45 WHIP through 111 innings on the year and would not be eligible for the postseason if a contender claims him.

The Twins optioned Headrick to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.

Headrick logged one appearance during his four-day stint in the big leagues, giving up one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out five batters over three innings. He'll now be sent back across the Mississippi River in favor of Jorge Alcala, who was recalled from Triple-A.

The Twins recalled Alcala from Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.

Alcala owns a 6.75 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 20 innings in the majors since the All-Star break, but he'll be called upon to give the Twins a fresh bullpen arm as they fight to secure a wild-card spot. He'll take the place of Brent Headrick, who was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

The Twins reinstated Topa (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Topa has been on the injured list all season while working his way back from a torn patellar tendon he suffered during spring training and an elbow issue that appeared during a rehab assignment in August. He surrendered three earned runs over two innings after restarting his minor-league assignment Friday, and he's now been given the green light to return to Minnesota's bullpen for the team's final playoff push. Given the amount of time he's missed, the 33-year-old righty will likely be limited to middle relief. Cole Irvin was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

The Blue Jays recalled de Geus from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

De Geus was claimed off waivers earlier this month and will be making his Blue Jays debut whenhe gets into a game. He's collected a 5.00 ERA over 11 relief appearances in the majors this season between stints with the Mariners and Marlins.

The Blue Jays optioned Nance to the minors Wednesday.

Nance pitched both of the last two days and three of the last four, so the Blue Jays are replacing him with a fresh bullpen arm in Brett de Geus, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo. Unless the Blue Jays bring him back by placing another player on the injured list in a corresponding move, Nance will close the 2024 season with a 4.09 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 19:9 K:BB across 22 innings over his 20 relief appearances for Toronto.

The Royals optioned Cruz to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

He'll give up his spot on the 28-man active roster with Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) returning from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's game versus the Nationals. Cruz has spun 5.2 scoreless frames during his time with the big club in 2024.

Walters will serve as the Guardians' opening pitcher in Wednesday's contest versus the Reds, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The Guardians are altering their final-week pitching plans after locking up a first-round bye in the playoffs. Walters will serve as the Guardians' first pitcher in what's expected to be a bullpen game in the series finale Wednesday, with Joey Cantillo's next start being pushed back to Friday against the Astros as a result.

Strickland (3-2) took the loss against the White Sox on Tuesday, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk while retiring one batter.

Strickland entered in the eighth inning following seven scoreless frames by starter Jack Kochanowicz. Strickland was able to retire the first batter he faced but then gave up a pair of doubles and a walk to result in a run. Brock Burke came on in relief for the veteran hurler and gave up two more hits, which allowed another pair of runners to cross the plate. Though he wasn't charged with a blown save, the outing didn't help Strickland's case for grabbing any remaining save opportunities in an Angels bullpen that doesn't have a clear closer following Ben Joyce's shoulder injury and subsequent placement on the injured list.

Anderson walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his first save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Angels.

The 31-year-old righty had five previous career saves, all of them coming with the Halos in 2018-19. Anderson hasn't exactly been sharp of late, posting a 4.15 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB through 8.2 innings in September, but he misses bats with his fastball-slider combo and can be an effective high-leverage arm when he maintains a semblance of control. If the White Sox have any more late leads to protect over the final handful of games this season, Anderson could get the call again.