MLB Player News

An MRI revealed no structural damage to Giles' elbow Tuesday, but the closer was given a cortisone shot, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Giles won't throw for another two days. He's one of the more obvious trade candidates out there, but the elbow issues could certainly give other teams pause. There haven't been any suggestions that the injury is a particularly worrisome one, but teams are always wise to be wary when it comes to pitchers' elbows. There remains a chance that the injury lowers Giles' price to the point that the Blue Jays elect to wait until the offseason to move him.

Fulmer was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

Fulmer has struggled in 15.2 big-league innings this season, posting a 6.32 ERA, though that's technically an upgrade on his 6.61 career mark. His 16.9 percent walk rate has been his primary issue. Dylan Covey was optioned in a corresponding move.

Hatch was traded from the Cubs to the Blue Jays on Tuesday in exchange for David Phelps, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

In his second season at Double-A, Hatch has posted a 4.59 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with a 93:37 K:BB across 100 innings. He's served as a starting pitcher during his first three seasons of minor-league action. Following Tuesday's deal, he'll likely report to Double-A New Hampshire.

Heller (forearm) has been cleared to resume baseball activities after being pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier this month, Conor Foley of The Scranton Times-Tribune reports.

Making his way back from April 2018 Tommy John surgery, Heller made five rehab appearances between two affiliates before being shelved for around two weeks with a right forearm strain. Fortunately for Heller, the setback only proved to be a minor one, as he expects to be ready to go through a throwing progression within the next few days. That would set Heller up to resume the rehab assignment before mid-August, keeping hope alive for the right-hander to return from the 60-day injured list to join the Yankees as a September callup.

Barria (4-4) took the loss against the Tigers on Monday, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits over five innings, striking out five with no walks in a 7-2 defeat for the Angels.

It was a decent outing for the right-hander, but he didn't receive much run support and saw his bullpen get tagged for four runs after he exited, sending him to his fourth loss of the season. Barria has settled down in his two starts since getting scorched for ten earned by the Mariners on July 19, but he's still sporting an ugly 6.28 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP over 43 innings on the season.

Giles was unavailable to pitch Monday night against the Royals due to elbow inflammation, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

With the trade deadline approaching later in the week, the Blue Jays will likely exercise caution with Giles, especially considering the amount of interest he's drawing from other teams around the league. However, there's certainly a chance the injury could scare away possible suitors. Skipper Charlie Montoyo said he's not sure if Giles will be available to pitch Tuesday evening, per Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca. Daniel Hudson, who is likely to be traded before the deadline, and Joe Biagini would be options to close if Giles remains unavailable.

Phillips was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday.

Phillips spent just three days on the big-league roster, allowing a run in one inning of work in his only appearance. David Hess was recalled in a corresponding move.

Alexander (0-1) was the pitcher of record in Saturday's 8-1 loss to the Mariners after surrendering four runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out nine over 4.1 innings.

Though his ERA and WHIP climbed significantly during the outing, Alexander's underlying numbers painted a rosier picture for his performance. Among the 22 batters he faced, Alexander generated 10 swinging strikes and 10 groundballs, but he was largely undone by the Mariners running up a .727 BABIP. Since serving up two home runs in his MLB debut July 3, Alexander has kept the ball in the yard over his subsequent two starts, which offers encouragement for his prospects moving forward.

Graterol threw a scoreless inning for Minnesota's Gulf Coast League team in a rehab outing Sunday. He reached 101 on the radar guy, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Graterol was placed on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Pensacola with a shoulder impingement in May. The good news is that this outing shows he's not dealing with a more serious injury.

Hendriks was charged with his third blown save in Sunday's win over the Rangers, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning. He also recorded a strikeout.

Hendriks got the call early Sunday, inheriting a one-on, one-out scenario in the eighth and the Athletics clinging to a two-run lead. The normally reliable closer proceeded to surrender run-scoring hits to Nomar Mazara and Willie Calhoun, as well as an RBI groundout to Asdrubal Cabrera. Two of Hendriks' three blown saves for the season have come in his last three appearances, and with former closer Blake Treinen, who earned the win Sunday, having generated five straight scoreless appearances, it remains to be seen whether manager Bob Melvin will begin to afford the latter more ninth-inning work moving forward.