MLB Player News

Kelly (knee) gave up a run on one hit while pitching the eighth inning of Tuesday's 9-7 loss to the Royals.

Kelly was back on the mound after he was removed from his previous relief appearance three days earlier against the Diamondbacks due to a bruised right knee. He retired three of the four batters he faced, though the lone hit he allowed was a solo home run by Michael Taylor. Kelly now owns a 7.07 ERA and 1.68 WHIP over 28 innings on the season.

Mets manager Buck Showalter said Smith (lat) will begin a rehab assignment in the minors Sunday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith has been sidelined since late July with a right lat strain and will likely require at least two appearances in the minors before the Mets are comfortable bringing him back from the 15-day injured list. Prior to being deactivated, Smith collected 14 holds and posted a 3.51 ERA in 41 innings out of the New York bullpen.

Almonte (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Almonte threw off flat ground late last week, and Wednesday's throwing session marks the first time that he's been cleared for mound work since landing on the injured list Aug. 7. It's not yet clear when the right-hander will be able to begin a rehab assignment, but he's made good progress in his recovery over the last few days.

Morris (shoulder) joined the Guardians' taxi squad Wednesday and is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list Thursday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Morris has resided on Cleveland's 60-day injured list all season after suffering a right shoulder strain in spring training, but he's been healthy for quite some time. After resuming game action in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League in mid-July, Morris shifted his rehab assignment to Triple-A Columbus earlier this month. The 25-year-old right-hander is being developed as a starter, but he'll likely work as a multi-inning arm out of the Cleveland bullpen in September after recording no more than 10 outs in any of his six rehab outings with Columbus. He's been dominant across his 15.1 innings at Triple-A, allowing only 11 baserunners while striking out a whopping 30 batters.

The Orioles reinstated Lakins (elbow) from the 60-day injured list and outrighted him to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Lakins is healthy again after building up to three innings in his most recent rehab appearance for Norfolk on Sunday, but the Orioles didn't have a spot for him in their bullpen or on their 40-man roster. After clearing waivers following his activation, Lakins will stick around in the organization as relief depth at Norfolk. He turned in a 9.58 ERA and 1.94 WHIP in 10.1 innings with the big club before landing on the IL in late May with right elbow inflammation.

Vesia picked up a hold against the Mets on Tuesday as a result of pitching a scoreless inning. He struck out one batter and issued one walk.

After Los Angeles took the lead in the top of the seventh, Vesia was asked to keep the Mets at bay in the bottom of the frame. He was a bit wild, throwing only eight of 17 pitches for strikes, but worked around a two-out walk to protect the lead. Vesia hasn't allowed a run since July 21. Since that time, he's racked up two wins and six holds while posting a 22:4 K:BB over 14 innings spanning 16 appearances.

The White Sox optioned Banks to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday.

He'll cede his spot on the active roster to right-hander Lance Lynn (personal), who was reinstated from the bereavement list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Royals. During his week-long stay with the White Sox, Banks appeared in three games out of the bullpen and allowed two earned runs while striking out four over 4.1 innings.

The Nationals recalled Abbott from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.

Abbott was demoted to Triple-A last week to clear a spot in the rotation for Cade Cavalli, but Abbott will end up reclaiming a starting role after Cavalli was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right shoulder inflammation. Since the Nationals plan to shut Cavalli down for the next two weeks before he's even cleared to resume throwing, Abbott could be in line for multiple turns through the rotation. Abbott, who owns a 4.74 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 24.2 innings with the big club this season, will be available out of the bullpen Wednesday against the Athletics, but he's expected to slot into the rotation at some point during this weekend's series with the Mets, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com.

Vasquez was designated for assignment by the Giants on Wednesday, Amy Gutierrez of the Giants' official site reports.

Vasquez was claimed off waivers by the Giants on Aug. 17 after being DFA'd by the Phillies, but he will once again be placed on waivers. The left-hander appeared in four games with Triple-A Sacramento, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out six batters. The transaction freed a spot for Andrew Knapp on the Giants' 40-man roster and his contract was selected Wednesday.

The Yankees promoted Gomez from High-A Hudson Valley to Double-A Somerset on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his debut for Somerset on Thursday. After missing the first two months of the season while recovering from elbow surgery, Gomez was lights-out upon joining Hudson Valley in mid-June. Over 10 starts at High-A, Gomez turned in a 1.93 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB in 28 innings.