MLB Player News

Cubs manager David Ross said Alzolay is available to pitch Wednesday versus the Giants after overcoming an undisclosed minor injury, Ryan Herrera of AllCHGO.com reports.

Ross declined to offer any specifics on Alzolay's injury, but whatever it was appears to have abated enough for the closer to be ready to pitch. "When guys are dealing with stuff, you've just got to give a little bit of a rest," Ross said. "Sometimes, four days is better than 15."

Patton was designated for assignment Wednesday.

The Athletics needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Mason Miller's return from the 60-day injured list. Patton has put up a 5.11 ERA over 12 relief appearances for the A's this season and seems likely to clear waivers.

Neal was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Neal gave up three runs while retiring just one batter in Tuesday's loss to Toronto. He's one of a few moves the Athletics made Wednesday as they reshape their pitching staff.

Long was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Long was knocked around for four runs (three earned) over 1.2 relief innings in Tuesday's loss to the Blue Jays. He'll be replaced by a fresh bullpen arm.

Sweet was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Sweet was claimed off waivers from the Mariners over the weekend and is now poised to make his Athletics debut. The 26-year-old reliever has yielded two runs in two innings over two appearances in the majors this season but boasts a 2.30 ERA and 56:11 K:BB across 43 frames this year in the minors.

Fujinami struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Angels.

Fujinami has maintained scoreless outings in 13 of his 20 appearances with the Orioles, though they haven't all been as crisp as Tuesday's nine-pitch inning. The save was his second of the year, and he's added a hold in his time with Baltimore to get to four holds on the year. The right-hander is at a 7.42 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 77:39 K:BB through 70.1 innings overall, but he's been noticeably better with the Orioles, pitching to a 4.71 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 21 innings since he was dealt from the Athletics.

Crawford has a 1.13 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and a 14:6 K:BB in eight innings across six appearances since getting promoted to High-A Eugene on July 14.

In theory, the Giants may still be developing Crawford as a two-way player, but he only has one plate appearance (a strikeout) at High-A after getting 18 plate appearances while with Single-A San Jose earlier this season. It seems likely that his future will be on the mound, where the 22-year-old has an electric power arsenal from the left side, although the Giants have been very careful with his workload this year. He has huge raw power, but Crawford will struggle to develop a strong enough hit tool, especially while also working on his craft as a pitcher.

Krehbiel (1-0) retired the only batter he faced and earned the win in Tuesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Angels.

DL Hall failed to convert a save opportunity, allowing the tying run to score, but Krehbiel prevented the Orioles from getting walked off. They took the lead in the 10th, and Shintaro Fujinami was able to preserve it. Krehbiel has given up one run over 2.1 innings across three appearances since he was called up when rosters expanded Friday. He will likely continue to feature mostly in a low-leverage role.

Junis allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings during Tuesday's 11-8 loss to the Cubs. He did not factor in the decision.

Junis led the Giants' staff in both innings pitched and pitches (44; 27 strikes), though it was far from a true bulk assignment. The right-hander remains a versatile option out of the bullpen, but he has been pitching roughly every fifth day for a few weeks. Junis has a 3.97 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 88:20 K:BB across 79.1 innings over 37 appearances (four starts). Given the length of Tuesday's outing, he could be available some time over the weekend against the Rockies, though he would line up to make his next outing versus the Guardians.

Munoz (3-7) took the loss against the Reds on Tuesday, allowing an earned run on two hits without retiring a batter in the ninth inning.

Called on to preserve a 6-6 tie, Munoz got his frame off on the wrong foot when Elly De La Cruz legged out an infield single and subsequently swiped second base. That put the rookie phenom in position to race home on Christian Encarnacion-Strand's single to right, handing Munoz his seventh loss in quick fashion. The right-hander has had some bumps in the road since taking over the primary closer role following the trade of Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks at the deadline, blowing two of his 11 save opportunities, taking three losses and posting a bloated 1.60 WHIP across the 15 innings he's logged since Aug. 2.