MLB Player News

Castro was recalled from Double-A Bowie on Monday.

After a couple weeks in the minors, the lanky flamethrower will head back to the big leagues to provide more bullpen depth. His strikeout numbers are down, but his control has improved enough to warrant another shot in Baltimore. He'll replace Logan Verrett in the major-league bullpen after Verrett was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Lawrence was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.

Lawrence will rejoin the Mariners for the second time this season after a successful first stint with the big club; the 29-year-old posted a 3.29 ERA and 16:3 K:BB through 13.2 innings (five appearances) earlier in the season. He'll take the spot of Emilio Pagan in the Mariners' bullpen, where he'll likely serve as a long-relief option.

Pagan was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.

Pagan was sent back to Tacoma after making just one appearance for the big club, striking out five batters through four scoreless innings of relief Sunday. He's looked strong in his last two relief outings for the Mariners (eight innings of one-hit ball), so he'll likely be back in the majors once the big club needs another bullpen arm. In the meantime, fellow reliever Casey Lawrence was recalled from Triple-A.

De Leon (back) was placed on the minor-league disabled list Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

De Leon strained his lat during his most recent outing, and it seems that the ailment is bad enough to warrant a DL stint. The minor-league DL is shorter that the major-league one, however, so it's worth noting that the pitching prospect may still only miss one start as a result of this injury. More information on his return should become available once he ramps up his throwing again.

Pagan fired four scoreless innings in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Blue Jays, issuing one walk and striking out five.

After starter James Paxton faltered, Pagan ate up some valuable innings, posting his second straight scoreless four-inning effort at the big-league level. The 26-year-old rookie has made the trip up to the majors on multiple occasions this season, and despite his impressive showing, the length of his current stint remains up in the air.

Andriese was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday with a stress reaction in his hip, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It was originally thought that Andriese was dealing with a similar right groin strain that sidelined him earlier in the year, but an MRI on Sunday revealed something different. The good news is that doctors didn't detect a fracture in his hip, so it appears the 27-year-old won't require surgery. Instead, he'll need a few weeks off before he starts to build his strength back up, putting his likely return date sometime around the beginning of August. In the meantime, Jacob Faria was recalled from Triple-A to take his turn in the rotation Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

Coulombe (0-1) gave up an unearned run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Rays.

Coulombe surrendered a sacrifice fly to Corey Dickerson that proved to be the winning run, but a throwing error had enabled Mallex Smith to be in position to score after an inning-opening bunt single. That means Coulombe's streak of not allowing an earned run is now at seven appearances, a stretch that's lowered his ERA from 2.87 to 2.18. The 27-year-old proved particularly valuable during fellow southpaw Sean Doolittle's extended absence with a shoulder injury, and given his impressive body of work, he should continue seeing plenty of opportunities despite the latter's recent return.

Leclerc struck out the side during a perfect eighth inning in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Nationals.

Leclerc has looked solid in three appearances since returning from a bruised right index finger earlier this month, striking out six over three scoreless innings while conceding one hit and two walks. It looks as though Leclerc and Keone Kela will function as the primary setup men to closer Matt Bush for the foreseeable future.

Merritt was transferred from Triple-A Columbus to Low-A Lake County on Monday, potentially putting him in line to join the Indians on Saturday to start one game of a doubleheader with the Twins, Zach Meisel of Cleveland.com reports.

With six games in five days this week, the Indians will likely recall a pitcher from the minors to join the rotation on a temporary basis, and Merritt seems to have emerged as the leading candidate. Merritt is slated to make a tune-up start Monday for Lake County, but the move to the low minors shouldn't be viewed as a demotion; instead, it'll more easily facilitate the left-hander's potential call-up to the big club later in the week. The 25-year-old has been unremarkable for Columbus this season -- a 3.96 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 72.2 innings -- so he probably won't make for an appealing streaming option if he does indeed receive the nod for one game of Saturday's twin bill.

Smith (elbow) will throw a simulated game Tuesday, and the Red Sox hope the next step will be a rehab assignment, Stephen Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports.

Smith threw 25 pitches during a simulated game Saturday, facing live hitters for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2016. The plan calls for a similar pitch count Tuesday. Manager John Farrell indicated that Smith will be used in one-inning stints whenever he's eventually ready to pitch for Boston.