MLB Player News

Castro (shoulder) made his second rehab appearance in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Saturday, striking out four and allowing one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings.

Castro was placed on the Diamondbacks' 15-day injured list April 23 with right shoulder inflammation but looks to be closing in on a return after turning in a pair of scoreless appearances in the ACL. According to MLB.com, manager Torey Lovullo previously said that the Diamondbacks are targeting this upcoming Wednesday for Castro's return from the IL, but that date could be pushed back if the organization first wants him to get in some work with a higher-level affiliate.

The Blue Jays acquired Rodriguez from the Rangers on Sunday for minor-league pitcher Josh Mollerus, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez was designated for assignment by Texas on Wednesday, and Toronto elected to acquire him via trade rather than having another team with a higher waiver-wire priority scoop him up. The 26-year-old will head to Triple-A Buffalo and serve as organizational bullpen depth.

Triple-A Toledo placed Lange (lat) on its full-season injured list Friday.

The transaction confirms that the surgery Lange underwent this past week to address a right lat avulsion was indeed season-ending. Though the right-handed reliever is currently on the minor-league IL, the Tigers could recall him and place him on the major-league 60-day IL if the team needs to open up a spot on the 40-man roster at any point. Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Lange is optimistic that he'll be back to full health for the start of spring training in 2025.

Chapman gave up a run on two hits in the ninth inning but still managed to pick up his third save Sunday against Atlanta.

Chapman came in with a three-run lead in the ninth and worked in and out of trouble to grab his second save in his last four appearances. The veteran has taken over the Pirates' ninth-inning role since losing closer David Bednar to an oblique injury June 19th. There is still no timetable for Bednar's return, so Chapman is likely looking at a few more save opportunities in the meantime.

The Giants designated Howard for assignment Sunday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The right-hander surrendered six runs over 2.2 innings Saturday against the Dodgers and has now lost his place on the Giants' 26-man active roster and 40-man roster. Howard has struggled to a 5.63 ERA and 21:11 K:BB over 24 frames in the big leagues this season.

Roupp (undisclosed) was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 25-year-old was on the injured list at Triple-A Sacramento with an unspecified injury, but he'll join the Giants after making three rehab starts in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Roupp has a 5.27 ERA and 12:8 K:BB across 13.2 innings for San Francisco this season. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Roupp is expected to cover about three innings behind opening pitcher Spencer Bivens against the Dodgers on Sunday.

Hjelle (3-2) allowed eight runs (six earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out one over two innings to take the extra-innings loss versus the Dodgers on Saturday.

Hjelle allowed a run in the 10th inning, but the Giants couldn't do anything more than pull even in their half of the frame. The Dodgers took over in the 11th, and Hjelle was left to take it on the chin, as he was seventh pitcher they used in the contest ahead of another likely bullpen game Sunday. Given the situation and opponent, it's understandable, but the poor outing still inflated Hjelle's ERA from 2.33 to 3.54. He's added a 1.03 WHIP and 40:6 K:BB with three holds over 40.2 innings as a multi-inning reliever this year.

Howard allowed six runs on six hits and two walks while failing to record a strikeout over 2.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Saturday.

Howard followed opener Erik Miller, though the Giants had the former enter the game in the second inning instead of waiting until the middle of the contest as they had in his previous two outings. Howard's had mixed results at best, with Saturday being his worst appearance of the campaign. He's at a 5.63 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB through 24 innings across seven outings (two starts). With Kyle Harrison (ankle) likely back next week and Blake Snell (groin) returning around mid-July, Howard's running out of time to make a positive impression. His chance of remaining a de facto member of the rotation will get slimmer if Hayden Birdsong turns in a strong performance in Atlanta on Tuesday.

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

The left-hander was up in the big leagues for a few days in April but was quickly removed from the 40-man roster after one scoreless appearance. Maciejewski has a 4.28 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 27:9 K:BB across 27.1 innings at Triple-A this year and will now receive another look with the Yankees.

The Yankees designated Bickford for assignment Sunday.

New York selected Bickford's contract June 21, and he surrendered eight earned runs with a 4:1 K:BB over five innings. He was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Josh Maciejewski, who was added to the big-league roster Sunday.