MLB Player News

Richards appears on track to join the Rays for Sunday's game against the Tigers and work as a bulk reliever in that contest, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richards had transitioned to the bullpen with the Marlins before he was dealt to the Rays on July 31, so his new organization is having him get stretched back out in the minors in preparation for an eventual starting/bulk-relief role with the big club. In his last outing with Triple-A Durham on Aug. 10, Richards built up to 49 pitches, working 2.1 innings in the appearance and giving up one run on three hits and a walk.

Yacabonis was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Wednesday.

Yacabonis pitched a scoreless inning for the Orioles on Monday as their 26th man, but he now finds himself off the 40-man roster. The 27-year-old carries an ERA of 6.80 over 41 innings at the big-league level this season. Ryan Eades was claimed off waivers by the Orioles in a corresponding move.

Perez (forearm) made his first rehab appearance Tuesday with the Astros' rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate. He tossed a scoreless inning in the outing, striking out two and working around a pair of base hits.

Currently on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Round Rock, Perez hadn't pitched since June 28 due to a forearm issue. He'll likely make a few more appearances with the Astros' lower-level affiliates before rejoining the Round Rock roster.

Eades was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Wednesday and optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

After pitching 3.2 scoreless frames for the Twins in mid-June, Eades finds himself in the Orioles organization. In 50.2 innings at the Triple-A level this season, the 27-year-old carries an ERA of 5.51 with a 63:16 K:BB. Right-handed pitcher Jimmy Yacabonis was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

The Rays will deploy Beeks in a traditional starting role in Wednesday's game against the Padres, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Though he's typically entered contests behind an opening pitcher throughout the season, Beeks was used as a normal starter in his most recent outing Aug. 9 in Seattle. He performed acceptably while limiting the opposition to two runs (one earned) over 3.2 innings, so Beeks will be given another chance to work right at the beginning of the game. Since Beeks has cleared the 90-pitch mark just once this season, expect him to have a fairly short leash Wednesday if he ends up running into trouble.

Alvarado (oblique) was credited with his seventh hold in a win over the Padres on Tuesday, allowing an unearned run on a hit and a walk over two-thirds of an inning. He also recorded a strikeout.

Alvarado ended up laboring through a 28-pitch appearance right out of the gate in his return from the injured list, with some of the control issues he'd experienced prior to his layoff quickly resurfacing. The left-hander was used in a setup capacity behind Emilio Pagan on Tuesday, but he could naturally start to see some save opportunities in coming games as he gets back into the swing of things. More consistent control will likely be one of the prerequisites to earning manager Kevin Cash's trust, with Alvarado now having issued four walks in his last two innings of work (three appearances) dating back to before his injured-list stint.

De Leon was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

De Leon returns to the major-league bullpen after being sent down Aug. 1. The right-hander hasn't made a big-league appearance since May 2017, but he owns an ERA of 3.65 with a 64:24 K:BB in 44.1 innings pitched for Triple-A Durham this season. Avisail Garcia (oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Anderson (2-0) notched a win over the Padres on Tuesday, firing a perfect sixth inning during which he struck out the side.

The trade-deadline acquisition turned in another brilliant effort, needing just 15 pitches, 12 of which found the strike zone, to get his three outs. Anderson has allowed all of one hit across six scoreless innings over six appearances since arriving from the Marlins on July 31, generating a 14:0 K:BB along the way. While there's no shortage of closing candidates in Tampa with Emilio Pagan and Jose Alvarado now both healthy and available, Anderson is certainly looking like an elite backup option in that regard with his body of work thus far.

The Indians optioned Smith to Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.

Smith covered 2.1 innings in long relief in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Red Sox and likely wouldn't have been available out of the bullpen for at least the next couple days, prompting Cleveland to ship him out to the farm. Logan Allen was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move to provide the Indians with a fresh relief arm.

Devenski (2-1) took the loss in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits over two innings.

Pressed into emergency starting duty when Gerrit Cole strained his hamstring in the bullpen while warming up, Devenski got tagged for all three runs in the second inning and got stuck with the decision when the Astros couldn't solve Ivan Nova. Devenski should return to middle-relief work after this due to his pedestrian 4.33 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 60:17 K:BB through 54 innings on the year.