MLB Player News

Rodriguez (0-1) took the loss in relief Sunday against the Nationals after allowing one run on one hit.

Rodriguez entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a 5-5 tie but only lasted one batter, as Yadiel Hernandez greeted him with a blast to left center field that gave the Nationals a walkoff win. This was Rodriguez's second appearance of the season after being called up in late July following the trade deadline, and there's not a lot of clarity regarding his role going forward considering all the trades the Cubs made over the last few days.

Cleveland promoted Morgan from Triple-A Columbus ahead of his scheduled start Monday against the Blue Jays, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Though Cleveland recalled another starting candidate in Sam Hentges from Triple-A Columbus when Morgan was optioned to the minors July 22, the former wasn't needed at any point over the last week and a half while the team got by with a four-man rotation. Hentges remains on the roster, but Cleveland will bring back Morgan to fill the opening in the rotation with the club requiring a fifth starter. Morgan has been roughed up to the tune of a 7.47 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 31.1 innings with the big club, but a strong 20.4 K-BB% rate offers some hope of a turnaround for the right-hander once his sky-high 22.4 HR/FB% normalizes a bit.

The Brewers acquired Axford from the Blue Jays on Monday in exchange for cash considerations.

Per Will Sammon of The Athletic, Axford will be active for Milwaukee's series opener against Pittsburgh on Monday, so the Brewers will clear room on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster for the 38-year-old reliever. Axford -- who hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2018 -- enjoyed the best years of his career in Milwaukee, most notably setting the franchise single-season record for saves (46) in 2011. After linking up with the Blue Jays on a minor-league deal in late June, Axford proved he still had something left in the tank, as he posted a 0.84 ERA, 0.49 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB across 10.2 innings at Triple-A Buffalo. He'll provide aid to a Brewers bullpen that recently lost three members to the COVID-19 injured list.

The Orioles released Phillips on Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Acquired by Baltimore in June 2018 in the deal that sent Kevin Gausman to Atlanta, Phillips saw limited big-league action in parts of each of the past three seasons. He's pitched exclusively in a relief role at Triple-A Norfolk in 2021, posting a 5.04 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 25 innings.

Lopez allowed one hit and struck out four over three scoreless relief innings in Sunday's 2-1 win over Cleveland.

It was a modified bullpen day for the White Sox, who called up Jimmy Lambert to start and got by with a string of relievers after that. Lopez has been an innings eater for the pale hose since his call up from Triple-A, pitching more than an inning in five of seven appearances. He has a 1.29 ERA over 14 innings and should be a prime candidate for a spot start or as a piggy-back starter when manager Tony La Russa wants to give the established rotation members a break.

Frias pitched a seven-inning no-hitter for Double-A Amarillo on Sunday. He walked one batter and struck out six.

Frias faced one batter over the minimum in the first game of a doubleheader for the Sod Poodles, setting down the first 16 batters before issuing the lone walk. The 23-year-old right-hander with the big fastball has a 5.27 ERA (3.90 FIP) over 14 games for the Soddies.

Staumont gave up a run on one hit and a walk with one strikeout in one inning versus Toronto on Sunday.

The 27-year-old was the first reliever in the game after Brad Keller (back) exited after three innings. Staumont wasn't great, giving up a solo home run to Santiago Espinal, which ended his three-inning scoreless streak. The right-hander has seen less high-leverage work lately, with two holds and a win in 10 appearances since the start of the July. He has a 3.54 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 45:20 K:BB in 40.2 innings overall.

Wittgren (2-4) allowed a run on one hit and struck out two in 1.1 innings, taking the loss versus the White Sox on Sunday.

The right-hander pitched a clean eighth inning in a tied game, but he allowed a walkoff solo home run to Brian Goodwin in the ninth. This was Wittgren's second loss in his last four outings. The 30-year-old now has a 5.55 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 43:8 K:BB through 35.2 innings, mainly working in a medium-leverage role that's seen him collect a save and seven holds.

Knehr allowed one earned run on two hits while striking out two across three innings in the win over the Rockies on Sunday. He did not factor into the decision.

Knehr replaced Chris Paddack (oblique) in the starting rotation, making his second start of the season Sunday. Although he only made it through three innings, his only blemish came on a second-inning solo home run by Sam Hilliard. It was his third appearance; however, his 1.2 innings and three runs against Atlanta on July 21 aren't official yet as the game was rained out and has yet to be completed. The 24-year-old has allowed runs in each of his appearances and will likely continue to serve as a temporary option until Paddack returns.

Hand allowed one unearned run on two hits and no walks in one inning during Friday's win over the Royals.

Hand made his team debut with the Blue Jays holding a four-run lead Friday, and he gave up a pair of singles to lead off the eighth inning. However, a throwing error allowed Nicky Lopez to score with no outs in the inning before the southpaw retired the next three batters he faced. Although Hand was relatively effective against Kansas City, he currently appears to be the setup man behind right-hander Jordan Romano.