MLB Player News

Lovelady (triceps) began a throwing program shortly after landing on the injured list June 29 and had thrown off flat ground out to 60 feet as recently as July 3, MLB.com reports.

The Nationals haven't provided an update on Lovelady's status over the past week and a half, but assuming he hasn't suffered any setbacks since he began playing catch, he could be ready to get back on a mound following the All-Star break. Before being deactivated, Lovelady had been a key piece in the Washington bullpen, notching one wins, four saves and nine holds across his 22 relief appearances with the club.

The Pirates optioned Murdock to Triple-A Indianapolis prior to Sunday's 14-5 win over the Brewers.

Murdock was up with the Pirates as their 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader, but he went unused in both ends of the twin bill. The 27-year-old righty is still waiting to make his Pittsburgh debut after he signed a minor-league deal with the organization in the offseason before being added to the 40-man roster July 5.

Hanner informed the Yankees that he intends to exercise the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract Wednesday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

Unless the Yankees make a late decision to add Hanner to their 40-man roster, the right-handed reliever will head to the open market. Hanner won't have any trouble fetching a minor-league contract elsewhere and could even land a major-league deal after shining at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre so far this season. The 27-year-old has submitted a 1.99 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 50:16 K:BB across 40.2 innings.

Morejon (7-2) earned the win over Toronto on Sunday, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one batter over two innings.

Morejon entered in the seventh frame with the score tied 3-3. The lefty reliever retired the side in order in his first inning but allowed a run on two singles and a walk in the top of the eighth. However, the Padres rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of that frame to move Morejon into position for the victory. Despite being used strictly as a reliever this season, Morejon leads San Diego with seven wins, and he also ranks second on the club with 15 holds. He's compiled a 3.42 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 58:12 K:BB over 50 innings spanning a team-high 44 appearances.

The Astros optioned Santa to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Santa will open the second half in the minors after making two appearances out of the bullpen during his latest stint with the Astros. The young right-hander owns a 1.17 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over his first 15.1 innings in the big leagues, though a weak 5.1 K-BB% indicates that he hasn't been nearly as dominant as the other two ratios would suggest.

The Orioles transferred Akin (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Akin landed on the IL on June 29 due to left elbow inflammation and is scheduled to meet with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday to receive a second opinion on his injury. The Orioles fear that Akin may have UCL damage that could require surgery, and their willingness to shift the southpaw to the 60-day IL less than three weeks after he landed on the shelf suggests that the club is bracing for bad news following his consultation with Dr. Meister. The transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Cam Sanders, whom the Orioles acquired in a trade with the Pirates.

The Orioles acquired Sanders from the Pirates on Monday in exchange for cash considerations, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Baltimore transferred Keegan Akin (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for Sanders, who was subsequently optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. The 29-year-old right-hander had made nine appearances out of the Pittsburgh bullpen this season, posting an 8.68 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and 13:10 K:BB in 9.1 innings.

Bradford (elbow) struck out a batter and allowed one run on no hits and two walks in a one-inning rehab start with Double-A Frisco on Sunday.

Bradford made his first appearance since April 2, as he was previously pulled off a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock after one start when he experienced a setback in his recovery from his June 2025 internal brace procedure. The southpaw needed 21 pitches to record his three outs and threw just seven strikes, with the lack of control not especially surprising coming off a lengthy layoff from game action. The Rangers are expected to allow Bradford to get stretched out for a starting role during his rehab assignment, but he'll need to improve his efficiency as he builds up his innings volume in his subsequent minor-league outings in order to stake a claim to a spot in the big-league rotation once his 30-day rehab window comes to a close.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Thursday that Crochet (shoulder/lat) has yet to resume a formal throwing program and is limited to playing catch with weighted plyometric balls, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Initially placed on the injured list April 29 due to shoulder inflammation, Crochet advanced to facing live hitters in late May, but after experiencing a setback and being diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain, he's essentially back to square one in the rehab process. While he hasn't been shut down from activity entirely, Crochet will need to eventually restart a throwing progression before the Red Sox have a better sense of when he might be ready to return. Even if he gets the green light to start playing catch with a baseball during the All-Star break, Crochet would likely need at least a month to check all the boxes in his throwing program and complete a rehab assignment, so a return in late August probably represents a best-case scenario for the 27-year-old.

The Brewers optioned Stallings to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

Milwaukee called up Stallings on Saturday, designating him as its 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates. Stallings wasn't needed out of the bullpen for either contest and wound up heading back to Nashville prior to the Brewers' series finale in Pittsburgh.