MLB Player News

Lambert will be called up from Triple-A Albuquerque to start Friday at Miami, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Saunders adds that Connor Seabold has been demoted to the Rockies' bullpen. Lambert holds an ugly 6.29 ERA in 34.1 innings of work this season at the major-league level, but he pitched pretty well in his last two starts with Albuquerque, scattering three earned runs while tallying eight strikeouts across 8.1 frames.

Lawrence signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Thursday.

After opting out of his deal with Toronto on Sunday, Lawrence will remain on a minor-league deal with the Cardinals. The 35-year-old righty hasn't been anything special in Triple-A this season, putting up a 4.67 ERA and 1.39 WHIP through 90.2 frames. Subpar minor-league stats and a poor MLB track record make it unlikely Lawrence sees the majors in 2023.

Castillo was designated for assignment Thursday.

With Robert Suarez (elbow) coming off the 60-day injured list, Castillo was deemed the odd man out. He gave up four runs while recording one out in his lone MLB appearance and has a 9.82 ERA over 18.1 frames in the minors.

Suarez (elbow) was activated from the 60-day injured list prior to Thursday's game in Toronto.

The 32-year-old righty gave up six earned runs in five innings with more walks (five) than strikeouts (four) during his rehab assignment. Suarez could eventually start working in a setup role, but he will probably be eased back in low-leverage situations.

Crowe (shoulder) was activated from the 60-day injured list and designated for assignment Thursday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Crowe had a 1.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings during his rehab assignment. The 28-year-old righty is down from 95.3 mph on his fastball in 2022 to 94.0 mph this season, and he walked nine batters in 9.2 innings in the majors this year.

Ramirez was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Ramirez has given up two earned runs in three straight outings (six earned runs in 4.2 innings) dating back to July 7. A corresponding move is expected before Friday's game against the Angels.

Avila made his first appearance Wednesday for Triple-A El Paso since being optioned to the affiliate July 3, working a scoreless inning in relief while allowing one hit and one walk in an 11-10 extra-inning win over Oklahoma City.

Avila had made 15 of his previous 18 appearances with El Paso as a starter, but he ended up working behind Aaron Brooks on Wednesday as the Triple-A club treated the game as a bullpen day. The Padres haven't provided an explanation behind the decision, but it's possible that Avila worked in relief in an effort to keep him fresh ahead of a possible spot start this weekend in Detroit. The Padres will need a starter Saturday to fill in for the injured Michael Wacha (shoulder), and Avila could be a logical choice to step in, given that he has a spot on the 40-man roster and has been starting in the minors. Ryan Weathers is another candidate to get the call-up from Triple-A to fill in for Wacha.

Gibaut struck out two over one inning in Wednesday's 3-2 win over San Francisco.

Gibaut, who entered after starter Graham Ashcraft gave up a leadoff home run in the seventh inning, retired all three batters faced. He was the first of three relievers to maintain the Reds' 3-2 lead and snap the team's six-game losing streak. Gibaut has been a dependable middle-relief arm and has pitched to a 1.08 ERA with nine strikeouts and one walk over 8.1 innings during July. For the season, the right-hander sports a 3.21 ERA with 11 holds, one save, 41 strikeouts, 19 walks and six home runs over 47.2 innings.

Hader struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 23rd save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Blue Jays.

He did hit a batter, but Hader then fanned Alejandro Kirk and George Springer to stifle any chance at a Toronto rally. Hader has converted 10 of 11 save chances since the beginning of June while not allowing an earned run during that stretch, posting a 1.17 WHIP and 22:9 K:BB in his last 13.2 innings.

Alvarado (elbow) played catch from 60 feet Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Alvarado went on the injured list on July 9 with left elbow inflammation but has felt better since being given a cortisone shot. The reliever missed a month earlier this season with the same injury, but it's unclear at this point whether a similar timetable is expected.