MLB Player News

Cantillo (3-2) earned the win against the White Sox on Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three across 5.2 innings.

His three punchouts were his lowest since joining the Guardians rotation, but it was a strong outing from Cantillo, with his lone blemish coming in the second inning on a Michael Taylor solo homer. It was the second game in a row in which Cantillo pitched into the sixth inning, and in his seven games as a starter he has a 4.36 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 39:18 K:BB across 33 innings. He's slated to make his next start against Atlanta at home next weekend.

Pagan earned the save in Saturday' 2-1 win over the Pirates, allowing one walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He did not record a strikeout.

Pagan was summoned to protect a one-run lead in the ninth and worked around a leadoff walk to close it out. The 34-year-old has converted eight straight save chances since June 22, holding opponents scoreless in 14 of 18 appearances during that span. For the season, he's 25-for-28 in save opportunities with a 2.92 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 57:17 K:BB across 49.1 innings.

Morales will start Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Morales most recently logged two innings in his big-league debut Aug. 1, and prior to that, he had been logging between one and three innings per outing at Triple-A Las Vegas. With that in mind, Morales' first big-league start will likely be a short one. Morales has big-time stuff, with his fastball having touched triple digits in the past, but his control has been much better since he started pitching in shorter stints after giving up six runs in 2.1 innings in a June 21 start. After that, he had a 2.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB in 18 innings over nine appearances before getting the call to the majors. Osvaldo Bido could be an option to log multiple innings after Morales exits Sunday.

Stephenson threw a bullpen session Friday and "came through it fine," per interim manager Ray Montgomery, and the veteran reliever may next begin a minor-league rehab assignment, according to MLB.com.

Stephenson has had an injury-plagued campaign and has gotten into only two games so far for the Angels. His current injury is a stretched nerve in his right biceps and he's on the 60-day IL, so he isn't eligible to be activated until the final week of August. The positive news is that Stephenson has been able to deploy his full arsenal during recent bullpen sessions, and while he could be asked to toss more bullpens before he's deemed ready for game action, a minor-league rehab stint appears to be in the works in the near future.

Kopech (knee) tossed a bullpen session Friday and could be close to facing hitters, MLB.com reports.

Kopech has been shelved due to a torn meniscus in his right knee since late June. He's currently on the 60-day injured list and isn't eligible to be activated until the final week of the August. Nonetheless, he appears to be making progress in his recovery and may be ready for a minor-league rehab stint in the not-too-distant future.

Yates (back) threw a bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.

Yates landed on the injured list Aug. 1 due to lower-back pain, and his ability to resume throwing off a mound suggests he's feeling better. Manager Dave Roberts indicated Friday that Yates is closer to being activated than the team's other injured relievers (Michael Kopech (knee) and Tanner Scott (elbow)), though it's unclear if Yates will be ready to return when he's first eligible Aug. 13. Regardless, it's evident that the veteran right-hander isn't expected to face an extended absence.

Cruz (oblique) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session with Double-A Somerset on Sunday, Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News reports.

Cruz has been on the injured list since June 30 due to a severe left oblique strain. He began throwing bullpen sessions in late July and has shown enough progress to advance to facing hitters. Since Cruz's absence has already lasted over a month, he'll likely need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before he's ready to rejoin the Yankees. Nonetheless, a return before the end of August is feasible.

The Diamondbacks optioned Kelly to Triple-A Reno on Saturday.

Kelly pitched 1.2 scoreless innings over two appearances during his stint with the D-backs, but a need for fresh arms will cause him to head back to Triple-A in favor of Juan Burgos. Kelly owns a 5.82 ERA and 1.71 WHIP through 85 innings at Reno this season, but his strong MLB outings could keep him in consideration for a return to Arizona at some point.

The Diamondbacks recalled Burgos from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.

Since joining the Diamondbacks organization via the Eugenio Suarez trade, Burgos has given up two earned runs over 3.1 innings at Triple-A Reno. He'll now join Arizona's bullpen for the first time to provide a fresh middle-relief arm, taking the place of Casey Kelly.

The Athletics recalled Harris from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday.

With Luis Severino (oblique) headed for the IL, Harris will return to the big club to provide the team with extra bullpen depth while the A's work out who will take the open rotation spot. The 28-year-old southpaw owns a 4.35 ERA through 41.1 innings in the majors this season and will likely be limited to middle-relief duties.