MLB Player News

Axford agreed to sign with the Blue Jays on Sunday, Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet reports.

Axford's deal is pending a physical, but the 38-year-old could be on track to return to the mound in the near future. He underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in his throwing elbow in August of 2019 and failed to land a contract in 2020. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, the right-hander's deal is a minor-league agreement. As a result, Axford will likely report to Triple-A Buffalo to begin his time with the organization.

Chapman allowed no hits and two walks in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save against the Athletics on Sunday.

Chapman revealed after Sunday's game that he recently broke the fingernail on his middle finger, and it hasn't yet fully healed, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports. The issue has mostly impacted the release on his fastball, but he's been able to pitch on each of the last two days, and he's earned a pair of saves in those appearances. The southpaw has posted a 1.98 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 16 saves in 27.1 innings this season.

Loaisiga (7-2) allowed no hits and one walk while striking out one in 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the win against the Athletics on Sunday.

Loaisiga now hasn't given up a run in any of his last 11 relief appearances, and he was rewarded with his seventh win of the year Sunday. The right-hander has posted a 1.63 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with two saves and eight holds in 38.2 innings this season.

Manaea (6-3) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out 11 in 5.1 innings to take the loss against the Yankees on Sunday.

Manaea had earned wins in each of his last three starts, and he allowed one run in 20.2 innings during that time. Although he racked up a season-high 11 strikeouts Sunday, he couldn't get enough run support from the Athletics in the low-scoring contest. The southpaw has now posted a 3.01 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 86.2 innings this year. He tentatively lines up to make his next start on the road against San Francisco on Friday.

Karinchak earned the save Sunday against the Pirates after tossing a scoreless ninth inning, walking one and striking out one.

Karinchak has gone 8-for-9 in save chances this season. He had to work to get the job done Sunday, as he needed 23 pitches to close things out, and only 13 of those were strikes. The right-hander owns a 2.84 ERA on the season.

Maton (2-0) gave up one run on three hits while fanning three in one inning Sunday against Pittsburgh. He earned the win.

Maton allowed Pittsburgh's lone run of the game, but he also struck out the three batters he retired en route to his second win of the campaign. The right-hander ended a streak of three scoreless outings and has given up runs in three of his seven appearances this month. He owns a 5.86 ERA across 24 appearances (27.2 innings) on the campaign.

Hentges didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Pirates after tossing five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk while fanning four.

Hentges has shifted between the rotation and the bullpen and has pitched well of late. He has not allowed a run in any of his last three outings while posting an 11:1 K:BB across that span (eight innings). The left-hander has pitched at least five frames just twice this season, and it remains to be seen whether he'll remain in the rotation moving forward or if he'll return to the bullpen.

Barraclough signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Sunday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

The right-hander was released by the Yankees on Friday and didn't take long to latch on with a new organization. Barraclough worked at Triple-A before being let go and posted a 3.21 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB across 14 innings.

Campbell underwent a cleanup procedure on his right elbow and is on the 7-day injured list at High-A Everett, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old is receiving his first taste of professional baseball in 2021 and has a 2.33 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB over 19.1 innings at High-A, but he's now on the injured list. It's unclear how long Campbell is expected to be sidelined.

Merryweather (oblique) is expected to begin throwing off a mound this week, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The right-hander is eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list since he's been on the shelf with the oblique strain since mid-April, but he still has significant work to do in his throwing program. Merryweather will need to complete bullpen sessions and eventually a rehab assignment before rejoining the active roster, so he may not return until after the All-Star break.