MLB Player News

The Guardians selected Norris' contract from Triple-A Columbus on Monday.

He'll be joining the Guardians as a replacement on the 40-man and 26-man active rosters for right-hander Noah Syndergaard, who was designated for assignment following Sunday's 10-7 win over the Blue Jays. The 30-year-old lefty reliever is set to begin his third stint of the season with the Guardians after pitching to a 3.38 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 10:11 K:BB in 10.2 innings between his previous two terms.

Helsley (forearm) said he's expecting to be activated from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Helsley was recently pulled off his minor-league assignment for about a week after experiencing pain in his forearm during his Aug. 18 outing with Double-A Springfield, but he rejoined the affiliate over the weekend and made a one-inning appearance Sunday, giving up two earned runs on three hits while striking out a batter. Though he wasn't at his sharpest Sunday, Helsey indicated that so long as he bounces back well from that rehab outing when he's re-evaluated Monday and Tuesday, he'll be on track to rejoin the St. Louis bullpen by the middle of the week. Helsley logged seven saves in 11 chances before landing on the IL in June, but the Cardinals could elect to ease him back into the closer role coming off the lengthy absence.

Green (elbow) will make a rehab appearance with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Green appeared in games with Buffalo on both Saturday and Sunday, but despite pitching on consecutive days, the Blue Jays want to see the right-hander make one more tune-up appearance before clearing him for a return from the 60-day injured list. Since the Blue Jays' active roster will expand from 26 to 28 men Friday, the team may be inclined to wait until that day to reinstate Green, who has been on the shelf all season while recovering from June 2022 Tommy John surgery. Since shifting his rehab assignment to Buffalo at the beginning of August, Green has compiled a 2.16 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 11:1 K:BB in 8.1 innings over eight appearances.

The Brewers recalled Bukauskas from Triple-A Nashville on Monday.

Bukauskas will provide the Brewers with a fresh arm out of the bullpen heading into Monday's series opener with the Cubs after the team needed four relievers to cover the final seven innings of Sunday's 10-6 win over the Padres. The Brewers required extra work from their bullpen because starter Adrian Houser (elbow) exited the contest after recording just two outs. Houser was moved to the 15-day injured list Monday to clear a spot on the active roster for Bukauskas.

The Cardinals optioned Naile to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

With St. Louis bringing right-hander Drew VerHagen (personal) back from the bereavement list, Naile will return to the minors after a one-day stint with the Cardinals. Naile appeared out of the bullpen in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Phillies, tossing 1.1 scoreless frames.

The Cardinals reinstated VerHagen (personal) from the bereavement list Monday.

He'll be available out of the bullpen for Monday's series opener versus the Padres after he was away from the team for the past three days while tending to a personal matter. The Cardinals optioned James Naile to Triple-A Memphis to open up a spot on the 26-man active roster for VerHagen.

Murphy was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Monday.

Murphy covered four innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's loss to the Dodgers, and with that kind of workload presumably making him unavailable for at least a couple days, the Red Sox decided to remove him from the roster and replace him with fellow reliever Kyle Barraclough, who was called up from Triple-A. Now that he's back with Worcester, Murphy should slide back into the rotation.

Diaz (knee) threw a bullpen session Sunday and sported a fastball that sat around 93-to-95 miles per hour, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

Diaz averaged 99 mph with his heater during the 2022 season, but Ragazzo notes that the right-hander didn't appear to be throwing at 100 percent effort. In any case, Diaz has reached a major milestone in his recovery from patellar tendon surgery by completing a bullpen session for the first time since suffering the knee injury in mid-March while playing for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. As has been the case since he underwent surgery, Diaz remained adamant Monday that his goal is to pitch again for the Mets in 2023. Even though the club isn't in playoff contention, Diaz could still get the green light to pitch for the big club in the closing weeks of the season if he navigates his throwing progression without any complications.

Barraclough was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Monday.

Barraclough will assume the 26-man active roster spot of lefty Chris Murphy, who was optioned to Worcester in a corresponding move. The 33-year-old right-hander appeared in two games with the Red Sox earlier this month and recorded a win, a 2.70 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP while working 3.1 innings. He had slotted back into the Triple-A rotation after being optioned Aug. 13 and should provide the Red Sox with some extra length out of the bullpen upon rejoining the big club.

The Nationals transferred Edwards (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

Edwards had been on the 15-day IL since June 21, so his move to the 60-day IL won't affect his timeline for a return but will open up a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Drew Millas, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Rochester. Though Edwards began a rehab assignment two weeks ago, he made three appearances before suffering a setback with his right shoulder. He's since been diagnosed with a stress fracture, and it's unclear if he'll be able to pitch again at any point in 2023.