MLB Player News

Tapia was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.

Tapia was sent down by the Athletics on July 22 but will rejoin the major-league bullpen after Adrian Martinez was optioned to Triple-A. Over six relief appearances for Oakland this year, Tapia has posted a 10.80 ERA and 2.28 WHIP in 8.1 innings.

The Yankees outrighted Espinal to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

After having his contract selected from Triple-A on Aug. 1, Espinal was up with the Yankees for one day and didn't make an appearance before being cast off the 40-man roster a day later. With Espinal going unclaimed off waivers, he'll stick around as organizational bullpen depth at the Triple-A level.

The Tigers are expected to activate Brieske (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to start Thursday's series finale with the Guardians, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Brieske had previously looked to be on track to return to the rotation as early as Wednesday, but the Tigers will instead have Tyler Alexander and Drew Hutchison take the mound for the first two games of the series with Cleveland to afford the rookie right-hander one additional day of rest. In his most recent rehab start Friday at Triple-A Toledo, Brieske struck out eight over 4.1 innings of one-run ball and built up to 66 pitches.

The Rays plan to deploy Yarbrough as a bulk reliever behind opener Jimmy Yacabonis in Tuesday's game in Milwaukee, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Yarbrough will follow an opener for his second straight outing after the arrangement paid dividends his last time out Wednesday, when he came on behind lefty Jalen Beeks. Though he didn't factor into the decision, Yarbrough delivered four innings of one-run ball while allowing just two baserunners and striking out one. The southpaw will follow the right-handed Yacabonis this time around, with the righty/lefty combination to begin the game perhaps deterring the Brewers from fielding a righty-heavy lineup that might have more success against Yarbrough.

The Rays will deploy Yacabonis as an opener in front of bulk reliever Ryan Yarbrough in Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The arrangement could deter the Brewers from fielding a righty-heavy lineup Tuesday, as the right-handed Yacabonis will likely work an inning or two before giving way to the left-handed Yarbrough. The Rays will be hoping for better results in Yacabonis' second appearance with the team, as he was lit up for three earned runs while recording just two outs in his debut Saturday in Detroit after he had recently been scooped up off waivers from the Marlins.

Hughes has collected one win while providing an 0.69 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB in 13 innings over his 14 appearances out of the Cubs bullpen since July 1.

Though Hughes hasn't yet been asked to handle a high-leverage role out of the bullpen, that could be in the forecast for the left-hander in the aftermath of Tuesday's trade deadline, which saw the Cubs ship out closer David Robertson and key setup men Scott Effross, Mychal Givens and Chris Martin. Manager David Ross hasn't outlined his plans for the bullpen since the deadline, and no save chances have opened up over the Cubs' last six games, but Hughes' recent form makes him a candidate to at least factor into the late-inning mix. Rowan Wick, who has recorded 15 career saves and has turned in eight straight scoreless appearances, is the likely the Cubs' top choice to handle closing duties if Ross doesn't choose to take a committee approach.

Mayza (shoulder) is expected to return this season, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Mayza suffered a dislocated right shoulder in Saturday's game, but it appears as if the injury will not sideline him for the remainder of the season. The Blue Jays are hopeful that the left-hander will be able to return as soon as the end of August.

The Rockies optioned Smith to Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday.

Smith's latest stint in the big leagues lasted all of three days. He made one appearance out of the bullpen for Colorado, striking out three over two scoreless frames in a game Wednesday against the Padres.

The Mariners returned Bernardino to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.

Bernardino's stay with Seattle lasted just one day, as the Mariners designated him as their 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader with the Angels. The lefty reliever appeared out of the bullpen in the Mariners' 7-1 loss in Game 1, covering two innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk.

The Twins granted Duffey his release Monday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Duffey cleared waivers after the Twins designated him for assignment Friday, but rather than reporting to Triple-A St. Paul, he'll attempt to find work in another organization. Though none of baseball's other 29 teams were willing to put in a waiver claim on Duffey and take on the money remaining on his $3.8 million contract for 2022 while he had struggled to the tune of a 4.91 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 44 innings this season, his prior success in the majors should be enough for him to quickly catch on elsewhere at a more affordable price. After moving to a full-time relief role following the 2016 season, the 31-year-old Duffey produced a 3.99 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 18.0 K-BB% in 284 innings with Minnesota.