MLB Player News

The Mariners optioned Kowar to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

The transaction frees a spot on the active roster for the return of right-hander Logan Gilbert (elbow) from the injured list. Kowar made seven appearances after being activated from the 60-day injured list late last month, yielding two runs with an 8:3 K:BB over 8.2 frames.

Thompson (elbow) will begin his rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Thompson has been cleared to embark on a rehab assignment after his lone outing in the Florida League Complex on Saturday, when he allowed two hits and struck out two batters in one inning. The 27-year-old right-hander is taking the final steps of his recovery from Tommy John surgery in March of 2024. How Thompson's throwing elbow reacts to extended work in Double-A will determine a timeline for his return to the majors.

Cousins will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Cousins has dealt with issues with his pitching arm since the beginning of spring training and recently experienced a setback that has prompted him to get season-ending surgery. He will be shelved at least until the middle of the 2026 season.

Tinoco (forearm) resumed a throwing program Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Tinoco has missed much of June with a right forearm strain but has been cleared to play catch. The right-handed reliever will likely require a rehab assignment before being activated from the 15-day injured list.

The Pirates activated Moreta (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Monday and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Moreta has made 18 rehab appearances as he comes back from Tommy John surgery, allowing five runs with a 21:12 K:BB over 16.2 innings. The 29-year-old will continue to knock some rust off at Triple-A Indianapolis while he awaits another opportunity at the big-league level.

The Astros recalled Alexander from Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Alexander will be joining the Astros as a replacement on the 26-man active roster for right-hander Lance McCullers (foot), whom Houston placed on the 15-day injured list. Ryan Gusto will be pushed up a day in the Astros' pitching schedule to start Monday's series opener in Sacramento, but Alexander could be called upon to start Tuesday's game against the Athletics while Houston looks to keep a six-man rotation intact during a stretch of 13 games in 13 days, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The 32-year-old Alexander hasn't made a start in the majors since 2022, but he made four appearances in the majors with the Athletics earlier this season and gave up 13 runs (12 earned) in six innings. Since being claimed off waivers by the Astros on May 18, Alexander has worked out of the Sugar Land rotation and has posted a 1.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB in 20.2 innings over four starts.

The Tigers claimed Hernandez off waivers from the Phillies on Monday.

Hernandez had been designated for assignment after logging a 5.26 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 23:13 K:BB in 25.2 innings for the Phillies. The hard-throwing right-hander does not have minor-league options remaining, so he will join the Tigers' active roster. Detroit will announce a corresponding transaction prior to Tuesday's game against the Pirates.

Raley (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Raley is ready to pitch in games again following Tommy John surgery with an internal brace augmentation he underwent last May. The southpaw's rehab assignment will likely last most, if not all, of the allotted 30 days, but Raley is on track to join the Mets bullpen sometime in July.

The Orioles recalled Selby from Triple-A Norfolk on Monday.

Selby has made three relief appearances for Baltimore this season, allowing two runs with a 5:1 K:BB over 3.2 innings. He'll give the bullpen a fresh arm.

Casparius is expected to pitch in bulk relief in Monday's game against the Padres behind starter Shohei Ohtani (elbow), who will serve as the Dodgers' opening pitcher, Jeff Spiegel of DodgerBlue.com reports.

After Casparius limited San Diego to one run over four innings in his second start of the season this past Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts said that the right-hander would be part of the rotation moving forward. Though Roberts implied that Casparius would be utilized as a traditional starter, the 26-year-old is instead on track to cover the bulk of the innings out of the bullpen Monday after the team elected to have Ohtani bypass another simulated game in order to make his 2025 debut as a pitcher. Ohtani is expected to be limited to 1-to-2 innings Monday and will likely need at least a couple more outings after that to get fully stretched out for a typical starter's workload, so it wouldn't be surprising if Casparius ended up piggybacking the two-way phenom the next time Ohtani's turn in the rotation comes up.