MLB Player News

Naughton was traded from the Reds to the Angels along with a player to be named later or cash in exchange for Brian Goodwin.

A 24-year-old lefty, Naughton registered impressive earned run averages at High-A (2.63) and Double-A (3.66) last season, but he struck out just 131 batters in 157 innings. He will give the Angels some organizational pitching depth and is likely to end up as a back-end starter or low-leverage reliever long term.

Barria was called up prior to his start Monday against the Mariners.

He has a 2.89 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 8:3 K:BB in 9.1 innings (two appearances) in the majors this season. Barria is not as good as those numbers indicate, but he has a pretty favorable matchup in this outing. He lines up to stat against the Astros in Saturday's doubleheader later this week.

The Tigers claimed Rodriguez off waivers Monday and optioned him to their alternate training site.

After being cast off the Giants' 40-man roster last week, Rodriguez will move on to the organization with whom his father -- Hall of Fame catcher Ivan -- played for from 2004 through 2008. The younger Rodriguez looked like he might become a mainstay in the San Francisco rotation after posting a 2.81 ERA over 21 outings (19 starts) as a rookie in 2018, but his effectiveness has waned over the past two seasons. Since that time, Rodriguez has submitted a 5.94 ERA (5.89 FIP) and a 7.3 K-BB% over 103 innings in the majors.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that Castro was unavailable out of the bullpen the past two days while recovering from a sinus infection, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Hyde didn't seem too concerned about the health of Castro, who could be ready to go for Monday's series finale against the Blue Jays. Assuming Castro quickly puts the illness behind him, he could emerge as the Orioles' primary end gamer, as Hyde announced that the struggling Cole Sulser would move into a low-leverage role for the time being after blowing his third save of the season in Sunday's loss. Along with Castro, Hunter Harvey -- who was activated from the 10-day injured list Sunday -- is another candidate to pick up saves for Baltimore.

Merryweather will likely serve as the Blue Jays' opening pitcher Tuesday against the Marlins, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Though Merryweather is technically available out of the bullpen for Monday's series finale with the Orioles, manager Charlie Montoyo will likely look to avoid using the right-hander. Merryweather shined in his first appearance as an opener back on Aug. 26, striking out three Red Sox over two shutout innings before giving way to bulk reliever Shun Yamaguchi. Expect Merryweather and Yamaguchi to once again work in tandem Tuesday.

Thornton (elbow) will visit Dr. James Andrews, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Andrews' name has become synonymous with Tommy John surgery, though previous reports indicated that Thornton wasn't expected to go under the knife to address his elbow injury, which has been described as inflammation. Whether or not that remains the case should become clear following his visit.

Sulser will not be the Orioles' closer going forward, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Sulser has saved five games for the Orioles this season but has blown three more opportunities. He's given up runs in each of his last four outings, walking eight batters in five innings over that stretch. His 4.70 ERA, 21.2 percent strikeout rate and 19.7 percent walk rate are all far from closer material. Hunter Harvey and Miguel Castro could be the primary ninth-inning options in Baltimore now, as Mychal Givens was traded to the Rockies on Sunday.

Akin will start Monday's game against the Blue Jays.

As Jon Heyman of MLB Network suggested would be the case when Akin was called up Sunday, the lefty will step into the rotation Monday as a replacement for Tommy Milone, who was traded to the Braves over the weekend. The 2016 second-round pick has struck out more than a batter per inning at each minor-league stop, but finding the zone was an issue for him at Triple-A Norfolk last season, when he walked 12.1 percent of the batters he faced. Akin made his first two big-league appearances in relief this season, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one in 3.1 innings. According to Joe Trezza of MLB.com, manager Brandon Hyde said Akin would be on an unspecified pitch count in his first start, and likely "for the rest of the year."

Giles (forearm) will throw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Giles has now been out for over a month with a strained flexor mass in his right forearm, but he continues to make good progress towards his return. It remains to be seen how many more times he'll have to throw before the Blue Jays feel ready to activate him, but when he does eventually return, he should reclaim his closer role.

Pitching coach Pete Walker said Monday that the Blue Jays are "definitely hopeful" that Romano (finger) will be ready to pitch again before the end of the regular season, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Romano will be on a no-throw program for the next week or two while he contends with a sprained middle finger on his pitching hand, so he won't realistically be ready to return from the injured list until the second half of September. While that timeline likely makes Romano a justifiable drop in most formats, the right-hander could quickly reclaim a prominent role in the Toronto bullpen once he's activated. Prior to being shut down with the injury, Romano had seemingly emerged as the team's top closing option, recording saves in two of his final three appearances. With Ken Giles (forearm) also on the shelf, Anthony Bass could re-emerge as Toronto's primary closer in the short term, if the Blue Jays don't add any other end-game options prior to Monday's trade deadline.