MLB Player News

The Mets recalled Brazoban from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

The right-hander was optioned to Syracuse on Friday, but he'll rejoin the Mets just a couple days later since Paul Blackburn (hand) was placed on the injured list. Brazoban has a 3.76 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 44:18 K:BB across 40.2 innings between the Mets and Marlins this season.

The Rays optioned Kuhnel to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

The right-hander was called up by Tampa Bay on Monday and will return to Triple-A after he allowed a run over four frames during his time in the majors. Kuhnel has made six appearances in the big leagues between the Rays and Astros this season, and he has a 4.50 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 1:5 K:BB across 10 innings.

The Rays recalled Lopez from Triple-A Durham to start Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

The left-hander will fill the rotation spot of Shane Baz, who was scratched from his scheduled start due to an illness. Lopez has made three appearances out of the bullpen for the Rays this season, and he'll now make his first MLB start of the campaign. The 26-year-old had a 4.08 ERA and 84:33 K:BB across 70.2 innings at Triple-A and has given up five earned runs over 5.1 frames in the big leagues.

The Marlins selected Bermudez's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday.

The 29-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Giants late in 2022 and is now on the cusp of making his MLB debut. Bermudez pitched well in 14 starts for Double-A Pensacola this season with a 2.53 ERA over 74.2 innings, but he's struggled to a 6.46 ERA in 23.2 frames for Jacksonville.

The Marlins optioned Ramirez to Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday.

Ramirez was called up from Jacksonville last week and will return to the affiliate after he surrendered five runs over 1.1 innings during Saturday's contest. Jonathan Bermudez was recalled in a corresponding move to fill out Miami's bullpen.

The Pirates selected Feigl's contract from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.

After more than a decade or toiling in the minors and the independent ranks upon going undrafted out of Mount St. Mary's University in 2012, Feigl has finally reached the big leagues at 33 years old. The lefty reliever will join the Pittsburgh bullpen as a replacement for right-hander Hunter Stratton, who was placed on the 60-day injured list after suffering a rupture of his left patella tendon in Saturday's loss to the Reds. Feigl compiled a 3.83 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 62:13 K:BB over 51.2 innings across his 33 appearances with Indianapolis this season.

The Pirates placed Stratton (knee) on the 60-day injured list Sunday.

Pittsburgh quickly moved Stratton off its 40-man roster after the reliever ruptured his left patella tendon during his appearance in Saturday's 10-2 loss to the Reds. Given the timing of his move to the 60-day IL, Stratton will miss the rest of the season, but the Pirates haven't indicated whether or not he'll require surgery. Pittsburgh selected lefty reliever Brady Feigl's contract from Triple-A Indianapolis to replace Stratton on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster.

Phillips blew a save opportunity against Tampa Bay on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out three batters over one inning.

Phillips entered in the ninth inning with the Dodgers up by one run and served up a game-tying solo shot to the first batter he faced (Junior Caminero). Though Phillips bounced back to strike out the next three hitters, it was nonetheless a missed opportunity for the All-Star reliever as he seeks to reestablish himself as the Dodgers' primary closer. The right-hander lost his ninth-inning role after a rough stretch from late June to late July during which he posted an 11.42 ERA and blew two saves over 11 appearances spanning 8.2 innings. Phillips has rebounded in August, as he entered Saturday with 8.1 scoreless frames and a 13:1 K:BB through 10 outings, and he notched his first save in nearly a month Aug. 19 versus Seattle. It's unclear how much Saturday's blown save will impact his opportunities for saves moving forward, but it's likely that Los Angeles will continue to distribute such chances to a variety of relievers, including Michael Kopech and Daniel Hudson in addition to Phillips.

The Yankees selected Bickford's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

He'll join the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster as a replacement in the bullpen for right-hander Michael Tonkin, who was designated for assignment. Bickford had previously made five relief appearances for New York earlier this season and was hit hard over five innings, yielding eight earned runs on eight hits and one walk.

The Yankees designated Tonkin for assignment Sunday.

For the fourth time this season, Tonkin has now been removed from an organization's 40-man roster, after the Mets (twice) and Twins previously designated him for assignment. The Yankees claimed Tonkin off waivers from the Mets in April, and he had generally pitched well during his time in The Bronx, logging a 3.37 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 57:21 K:BB in 56 innings. However, with the Yankees in need of a fresh relief arm for Sunday's series finale with the Rockies, Tonkin ended up being the odd man out to make room on the roster for Phil Bickford, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Given his strong body of work out of the New York bullpen, Tonkin stands a good chance of being claimed off waivers by another team.