MLB Player News

Banda was traded from the Pirates to the Blue Jays for cash considerations Saturday.

Banda was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh on Monday, but he'll land a spot on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster. If the southpaw joins the major-league roster at some point, he should serve as a middle reliever after he posted a 6.41 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in 19.2 innings over 23 relief appearances to begin the year.

Lopez (3-4) allowed two runs on two hits without recording an out, taking the loss and a blown save in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Twins.

Lopez entered Friday with an 11.1-inning scoreless streak, but that ended with a walkoff two-run home run to Byron Buxton. This was the third time all year Lopez has allowed multiple runs in an appearance. He's been steady as the Orioles' closer with a 1.22 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 39:14 K:BB across 37 innings. Manager Brandon Hyde gave Lopez a vote of confidence by saying a potential save situation Saturday would go to the 29-year-old, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Castillo struck out one and gave up one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings out of the bullpen Friday in the Blue Jays' 9-2 win over the Rays.

Since yielding two solo home runs in his MLB debut June 19, Castillo has been highly impressive in his subsequent two appearances out of the bullpen. Before blanking the Rays on Friday, Castillo struck out seven over four scoreless innings to save the Toronto bullpen in a 5-4 loss to Milwaukee on June 25. The Blue Jays are likely still planning on developing the 23-year-old right-hander as a starter in the long term.

Morris (shoulder) has been throwing bullpen sessions at Cleveland's spring training complex, Guardians Prospective reports.

He is reportedly progressing well in his rehab from the shoulder strain he suffered in spring training. Morris could return to game action at Triple-A in the coming weeks if everything goes smoothly, and he could even make his big-league debut sometime in the second half.

Lawrence was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to serve as the 27th man during Saturday's doubleheader against the Rays.

Lawrence was sent to the minors in mid-June, but he'll be available to provide length out of the Blue Jays' bullpen during Saturday's twin bill. Over his first three major-league appearances of the year, he's posted a 3.68 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 7.1 innings.

Karinchak (shoulder) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.

Karinchak has been dealing with a shoulder strain since spring training but has been pitching in Columbus over the last month. He posted a 5.73 ERA and 1.91 WHIP in 11 innings over 12 relief appearances during his rehab assignment and will remain in the minors now that he's deemed fully healthy. If he joins the Guardians at some point, he should be in the mix for setup duties.

Robles (1-3) allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out one, taking the loss against the Cubs on Friday.

This was another Red Sox bullpen special. What started as a potential Boston romp -- up 4-0 after two innings -- turned into a gut-punch loss. Robles was the culprit Friday, but it's not surprising given his recent performance. Over his last seven outings, Robles has allowed 10 runs, six walks and 12 hits over 4.2 innings. That includes three blown saves and two losses. Early in the season, the right-hander looked like a late-inning staple, but Robles has a 9.20 ERA and is 1-for-6 in save chances since April 29.

Graveman pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 1-0 win over the Giants.

Graveman had no trouble in the ninth inning of this low-scoring contest, picking up his second save since Liam Hendriks (forearm) landed on the IL. Graveman hasn't allowed an earned run in his last seven innings, though he has yielded three unearned runs. The 31-year-old has a 2.14 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 34:12 K:BB across 33.2 innings. He's added four saves, 13 holds and four blown saves, and he should continue to be the main option for saves in Hendriks' absence.

Trivino walked one and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-1 win over the Mariners.

Trivino has found a little stability lately, converting saves in each of his last three appearances. His scoreless streak is up to 5.2 innings, a span in which he's posted an 8:3 K:BB. Overall, he's at a 6.85 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 34:11 K:BB with five saves, a blown save, a hold and a 1-5 record across 22.1 innings. Trivino appears to be the favorite for saves among Athletics relievers, but this bullpen could continue to be tricky to predict, especially once Dany Jimenez (shoulder) is ready to return.

Pagan will move from the closer role to low-leverage appearances until he gets back on track, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "Yeah, he's going to pitch earlier in the games and potentially when we don't have the lead and things like that," said manager Rocco Baldelli.

Pagan had become the primary closer among a committee with the Twins amassing nine saves and a 2.45 ERA before June 13. He's struggled since June 21 with two blown saves and allowed nine runs and three walks in 3.2 innings. He was the primary culprit in four blown leads by the bullpen in the past week against Cleveland. Jhoan Duran, who picked up a save last weekend, seems to be the frontrunner for any Minnesota saves in the short term, though others could be in the mix.