MLB Player News

McHugh (arm) will throw live batting practice Wednesday and, barring any setbacks, is expected to be activated for the weekend series in Baltimore, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The slider-spinning righty landed on the IL on July 25 with a dead arm, but he appears very close to rejoining the Rays. McHugh has established himself as a huge asset in Tampa Bay's bullpen, posting a 1.51 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 41.2 innings this season after not pitching in 2020.

Hudson (elbow) continues to throw bullpens off a mound and face live hitters at the Cardinals' extended spring training facility in Florida, and manager Mike Shildt is holding out hope for a possible late-season return, the Cardinals' official site reports.

Hudson has been consistent in his optimism that he could potentially make a 2021 appearance on a big-league mound following the Tommy John surgery he underwent in September of 2020. He appears to be increasingly willing that possibility into existence, although there are no guarantees at this stage. Nevertheless, the fact that Hudson has now been throwing for multiple weeks without setbacks is encouraging, and if all parties ultimately opt to play it safe with respect to this season, Hudson certainly appears to be a proverbial lock to open the 2022 campaign at full strength.

Hartlieb was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.

He gave up three runs in one inning during his lone appearance during this brief stay with the big club. Miguel Castro was activated from the COVID-19 IL in a corresponding move.

Castro was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list prior to Tuesday's game against the Marlins.

He was on the IL due to contact tracing but tested negative, so Castro will be available after missing just one game. The veteran righty has a 3.97 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 11.1 innings since the start of July.

Barnes was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. He has not tested positive for the virus yet.

The righty's initial test came back negative, but he's expecting another result Tuesday night. How long Barnes is sidelined depends on whether he tests positive, as a positive test would keep him out for at least 10 days. An update on his status figures to come out Tuesday night or whenever his test results are determined.

Boxberger picked up his fourth save of the season Monday against the Pirates after tossing a scoreless outing, allowing one walk and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.

Boxberger entered the game after John Axford allowed two runs on two hits and a walk across one-third of an inning to begin the ninth, and while he walked Wilmer Difo, he closed things out by striking out Phillip Evans. This was Boxberger's fourth save of the season, but he only got the nod since Josh Hader is out due to the COVID-19 protocols.

Suero was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Suero's month of July was disastrous, as the right-hander allowed 11 earned runs on 13 hits across 10.2 innings. Things didn't get better to begin August, with the 29-year-old allowing five earned runs across his first two appearances of the month. Now holding a subpar 6.29 ERA on the campaign, Suero will look to right the ship in Rochester in hopes of returning to the big leagues before too long.

Wilson (2-4) was tagged with the loss Monday against the Brewers despite allowing one run on two hits and two walks across five innings.

Wilson now owns a 2-4 record with a 5.35 ERA on the season, but this performance wasn't poor by any means; in fact, it could very well be classified as one of the 23-year-old right-hander's strongest performances of the campaign. He certainly made a good impression in his first start with his new club and should remain a fixture in the team's rotation as long as he remains healthy.

The White Sox recalled Foster from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

Foster will fill the spot on the White Sox's 26-man active roster that opened up when Jimmy Lambert was optioned to Triple-A on Monday. Through 27 appearances out of the Chicago bullpen this season, Foster has delivered a 6.04 ERA and 1.45 WHIP.

Rodriguez (2-1) took the loss in his first MLB start against Texas on Tuesday after allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman across six innings. He struck out seven.

All things equal, it was a promising first start for the young hurler, who made 13 appearances out of the Angels' bullpen earlier this year. Rodriguez wasn't exactly lighting up the minor leagues -- he gave up four runs in 4.2 innings in his most recent start and posted a 4.87 ERA across two levels -- but the 23-year-old has electric stuff and the sub-.500 Angels have nothing to lose by letting him spend the rest of the season in the rotation.