MLB Player News

Valdez's contract was selected by the Orioles on Thursday.

Valdez signed a minor-league deal with the Orioles in January and was part of the team's 60-man player pool to begin the season. He'll now join the major-league bullpen but likely won't play a prominent role for the team.

Seattle transferred Edwards (forearm) on the 45-day injured list Thursday.

While Edwards is expected to avoid Tommy John surgery after he was diagnosed earlier this month with a flexor mass strain in his elbow, his move to the 45-day IL indicates that his recovery timeline will extend through the end of the season. Edwards will be entering his third year of arbitration this winter, so the Mariners will likely monitor his recovery carefully before determining if he's worth keeping around on the 40-man roster into the 2021 campaign.

The Blue Jays transferred Thornton (elbow) to the 45-day injured list Thursday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Though Thornton is expected to avoid surgery after he exited his Aug. 23 start with right elbow inflammation, his move to the 45-day IL will nonetheless spell an early end to his season. Before being shut down, Thornton made three starts for the Blue Jays, giving up seven runs on 15 hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Taijuan Walker, whom the Blue Jays acquired from the Mariners on Thursday to bolster their rotation depth.

Green (2-1) took the loss and blown save against Atlanta in Game 2 of a doubleheader Wednesday, pitching one inning and allowing two runs on two hits while striking out two.

Green entered the game having yielded only one run in 12.2 frames, but he was unable to protect a one-run lead in the sixth inning Wednesday. The right-hander retired the first two batters he faced, but Dansby Swanson then reached on an infield single, and Freddie Freeman turned the game around with a home run to left field. Green has been extremely effective this season, so this performance is likely just a bump in an otherwise smooth road. He still holds a 1.98 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 19:4 K:BB through 10 appearances.

Merryweather tossed two scoreless innings Wednesday, allowing just one hit while striking out three against the Red Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

Merryweather looked sharp out of the bullpen following his Aug. 18 callup as he logged 3.1 scoreless innings while punching out six batters. His early success got him a look as Wednesday's opener, and after another favorable outing, Merryweather could receive another opportunity to open with the Blue Jays currently down three regular starters to the injured list.

Hendriks struck out two in a perfect ninth inning against the Rangers on Wednesday en route to his 10th save of the season.

With that, Hendriks is back in sole possession of the MLB saves lead. The right-hander blew a save in his first appearance of the 2020 season, but he has been unbelievable since with only one run and six hits allowed in his last 15 appearances (15.1 innings), going 10-for-10 in save chances and earning two wins along the way.

Junis did not factor into the decision during Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six across 3.2 innings.

Junis, making just his third start of the year after dealing with back spasms, faced a lighter work load in his return, though he still managed to strike out a season-high six batters in the process. The 27-year-old has given up two runs in each of his starts, bringing his ERA to 4.26 and WHIP to 1.58. He'll look to earn his first win Tuesday against Cleveland.

Cisnero could be in the mix for saves after Joe Jimenez lost his grip on the closer's role, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The Tigers don't plan on replacing Jimenez with another traditional closer, as Cisnero, Gregory Soto and Buck Farmer are expected to fill the role depending on matchups. Cisnero has been lights out in 2020, with a 1.62 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB through 16.2 innings.

Fulmer allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out one across three innings Wednesday against the Cubs. He did not factor into the decision.

Fulmer held the Cubs scoreless through two innings, but ran into trouble in his final frame. He surrendered a free pass to the leadoff hitter and then consecutive singles later in the inning that allowed both of his charged runs to cross the plate. Fulmer has yet to work more than three innings in any outing this season, and has amassed an ugly 8.79 ERA across 14.1 innings.

Soto is a likely candidate to see save opportunities after Joe Jimenez lost the closer's job, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The 25-year-old is unlikely to fully step into the role, as manager Ron Gardenhire indicated he plans to play matchups with Soto, Jose Cisnero and Buck Farmer. Soto has a 3.52 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB through 15.1 innings this season, and he's only allowed runs in two of his 16 appearances.