MLB Player News

Smith (lat) threw a 15-pitch bullpen session Sunday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The mound session was Smith's first since he was placed on the 15-day injured list July 28 with a right lat strain. He'll likely need to throw at least one more bullpen session before advancing to facing hitters in live batting practice, and then heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Smith still looks on pace to return from the IL at some point in the final three weeks of the regular season, at which point he'll likely step into a middle-relief or setup role out of the Mets bullpen.

Estevez threw a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out two Sunday against the Mets.

Estevez entered in the eighth inning with the Rockies up 1-0 and got Tyler Naquin to fly out to start the inning but surrendered a single to Brett Baty and allowed him to advance to second on a wild pitch. The righty worked out of the trouble by striking out the next two batters to secure his eighth hold of the campaign. He now owns a 3.66 ERA through 46.2 innings this season.

Nittoli informed the Blue Jays on Sunday that he intends to opt out of his minor-league contract, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The right-handed reliever will presumably be looking to join an organization that can present him with a clearer path to a spot in the big-league bullpen. Nittoli doesn't look like he has much left to prove at the Triple-A level; since May 17, he's produced a 1.72 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB across 36.2 innings with the Yankees' and Blue Jays' top affiliates.

Holmes (back) threw live batting practice Friday, per MLB.com.

This is another step toward a minimum stay on the IL for Holmes, who had previously played catch and tossed from a mound. The right-hander is eligible to be activated Monday and could very well return to the active roster on that day. Manager Aaron Boone was pleased with Holmes' live session, stating, "Today, it was just a live BP, but stuff-wise, it was there, velocity was there, movement quality was there, and he was strike-throwing."

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Saturday that Logue has been moved to the bullpen, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Logue had been lined up to start Sunday's game against the Yankees, but Adrian Martinez was instead recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to replace him in the rotation. The rookie lefty turned in poor results in his three starts since his Aug. 13 call-up from Las Vegas, going 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 15 innings. He'll likely work as a multi-inning option as he heads to the bullpen.

Banda signed a major-league contract with the Yankees on Sunday and was added to the 26-man roster.

The left-hander joined the Mariners on a minor-league deal in early August, but he recently elected free agency and has now landed a deal with the Yankees. Banda has appeared in 30 games between Pittsburgh and Toronto this year and has a 5.88 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB across 26 innings.

Duffey informed the Rangers on Sunday that he intends to opt out of his minor-league contract, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Duffey's stay with the Rangers organization lasted just over two weeks, with the right-hander making four relief appearances at Triple-A Round Rock while striking out five over five innings and allowing one unearned run on five hits and four walks. His decision to pursue free agency likely was a result of Duffey not getting the impression that he was in line for a call-up to the Rangers when the 26-man active roster expands to 28 on Thursday.

Fleming (oblique) was activated from the 15-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 26-year-old made two rehab appearances with Durham and will remain with the affiliate now that he's been fully cleared of the oblique strain. Fleming has a 6.84 ERA, 1.97 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB across 26.1 innings for Tampa Bay this year and could be a rotation option down the stretch.

The Pirates activated Stephenson on Sunday.

Since Stephenson doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, the Pirates were required to add him to the 26-man active roster after claiming him off waivers from the Rockies on Saturday. Pittsburgh cleared a spot on the roster for the reliever by placing starter JT Brubaker (personal) on the paternity list. Stephenson should be available out of the bullpen for Sunday's series finale in Philadelphia.

Martinez was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas and will start Sunday against the Yankees.

The 25-year-old was demoted to Las Vegas after giving up two runs over 4.1 innings against the Giants on Aug. 7, and he'll rejoin the A's to start in the series finale versus the Yankees. Martinez has a 6.08 ERA in the majors this year and surrendered eight runs across his two minor-league starts since facing San Francisco.