MLB Player News

Borucki signed a minor-league contract Tuesday with the Pirates.

Borucki elected to become a free agent after getting pushed off the Cubs' 40-man roster earlier this month. He did not get into a major-league game during his short time with Chicago and will presumably be stationed at the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis. The 29-year-old lefty reliever struggled to a 5.68 ERA in 25.1 big-league innings last season between Toronto and Seattle.

Giles will throw live batting practice Friday for interested teams, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Giles staged multiple free-agent showcases during the winter and spring, but those workouts apparently didn't yield any offers to his liking. After spending the last five weeks working at Driveline in Phoenix, the 32-year-old reliever will attempt again to attract MLB interest. He's pitched sparingly over the last three years due to a range of arm injuries but is said to be fully healthy.

Fujinami fired 2.1 scoreless, hitless relief innings during which he allowed a walk and recorded two strikeouts in Wednesday's loss to the Yankees.

The nearly perfect multi-inning outing qualifies as one of Fujinami's most encouraging stints on the mound during his brief time in an Athletics uniform. The offseason acquisition has struggled considerably with control, yet he recorded his seven outs on an economical 35 pitches while facing a dangerous lineup Wednesday. Fujinami's 12.52 ERA and 2.04 WHIP are stark reminders of how far he has to go in completely righting the ship, but he should continue to receive regular opportunities to do so in low-leverage situations.

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

Weber has made seven starts for SWB this season, holding a 5.77 ERA and 26:6 K:BB over 34.1 frames. He'll provide the Yanks with a fresh arm in the bullpen capable of going multiple innings.

The Yankees transferred Loaisiga (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list Thursday.

This move clears out a 40-man roster spot for Ryan Weber, who is joining the Yankees' bullpen ahead of their four-game series against the AL East-leading Rays. Loaisiga underwent surgery earlier this month to remove a bone spur from his right elbow and is expected to be sidelined until late in the 2023 season.

Martinez (elbow) made a rehab appearance for Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, covering 1.2 innings while allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks.

The Athletics are likely planning to have Martinez work as a multi-inning reliever upon his return from the 15-day injured list, and the fact that he built up to 37 pitches Tuesday could mean that he won't require any further rehab appearances prior to being activated. Before landing on the IL with a right elbow strain in late May, Martinez logged a 6.75 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 17.1 innings out of the Oakland bullpen.

Neal will be called up from Triple-A Las Vegas by the Athletics to start Thursday's game versus the Rangers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Neal has been on quite a journey. The 34-year-old made 30 appearances for the A's from 2016-17 and last pitched in the majors in 2018 when he made one appearance for the Dodgers. He pitched in Japan from 2019-21 before spending last season at Triple-A Albuquerque in the Rockies organization. Neal held a 5.56 ERA and 11:5 K:BB over 11.1 innings with Vegas.

Soto is expected to split closing duties with Craig Kimbrel after Jose Alvarado (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The lefty-throwing Alvarado has been Philadelphia's top reliever and primary closing option this season with five saves, but he's now sidelined by elbow inflammation. Kimbrel has three saves but has struggled at times with a 7.62 ERA in 15 outings, which could allow Soto -- who tallied 30 saves for Detroit in 2022 -- to take a larger share of the closer role.

Hand (2-1) earned the win in Wednesday's 4-3 win over Pittsburgh, striking out two over 1.2 perfect innings.

Hand got the Rockies out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the seventh inning, inducing a double play off the bat of Rodolfo Castro. The lefty then set the Pirates down in order in the eighth after the Rockies took the lead in the top half of the frame. The 33-year-old has pitched well of late, posting three consecutive scoreless appearances. His ERA is down to 3.14 with a 1.26 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB through 14.1 innings. Hand is still behind Pierce Johnson and Daniel Bard in the closer pecking order, though he's continued to pitch in high-leverage situations for Colorado.

Pressly picked up the save during Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Angels, allowing two runs on four hits over one inning. He struck out one and did not walk a batter.

Pressly entered with a three-run lead but allowed four consecutive batters to reach to start the frame, including a two-run home run by Shohei Ohtani. However, the right-hander was able to settle down and retired three straight to end the inning, stranding the game-tying and go-ahead runs. Pressly is now 6-for-6 in save chances this season and remains Houston's top option in the ninth, but the Astros also trust Rafael Montero, Bryan Abreu and Hector Neris in high-leverage, late-inning situations, with the trio combining for four saves thus far.