MLB Player News

The Cubs claimed Peralta off waivers from the Cardinals on Sunday and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Peralta was designated for assignment by the Cardinals on Friday but quickly found a home in a new organization willing to dedicate a 40-man roster spot to him. The southpaw never made an appearance in the Cardinals organization, but he posted an inflated 17.18 ERA and 3.24 WHIP with 14 strikeouts over 7.1 innings in six appearances with the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque this season. Peralta has the ability to punch out batters, but he'll need to greatly limit the damage against him at Iowa before receiving a look in Chicago's bullpen.

Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said Sunday that Duran (oblique) may not require a rehab assignment prior to being activated from the 15-day injured list, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Mattingly's comments came after Duran checked out fine following his bullpen session Saturday, during which the right-hander touched 100 miles per hour with his fastball. The Phillies are still deciding on the next steps for Duran, who is eligible to come off the IL at any point after missing more than 15 days due to a left oblique strain. Brad Keller has collected the Phillies' lone save since Duran hit the shelf, but the closer's role should be Duran's for the taking once he's activated.

Abreu (1-2) earned the win Sunday over the Red Sox, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one over two innings.

After Abreu worked around a one-out single in the ninth inning, the Astros tallied a pair of runs in the top of the 10th. Abreu came back out in the bottom half, and he coaxed a game-ending double play off the bat of Ceddanne Rafaela to close out his first win this year. It's certainly a step in the right direction for Abreu. The right-hander was expected to serve as Houston's closer in the absence of Josh Hader (biceps), though he got off to a brutal start this season, allowing at least one run in eight of his first 11 appearances. Abreu's ERA now sits at 10.32 with a 2.47 WHIP and 17:16 K:BB across 11.1 innings.

Manager Pat Murphy said Sunday that Zerpa (forearm) is deciding whether or not to undergo Tommy John surgery, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The left-hander landed on the injured list Wednesday due to forearm tightness, and he could end up being out for the season and beyond. Even if Zerpa doesn't end up needing Tommy John surgery, he seems likely to be sidelined for multiple months.

Okert will operate as the Astros' opening pitcher in Monday's series opener against the Dodgers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Okert will make his first start of the 2026 campaign, helping bridge the gap in Houston's rotation ahead of Peter Lambert's expected start Tuesday. The right-hander has appeared in 17 contests so far this season, posting a 4.20 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 10 strikeouts over 15 innings. The Astros haven't specified whether a pitcher will work in bulk relief behind Okert, but Ryan Weiss is the freshest arm in the bullpen who's capable of covering multiple innings.

Dubin signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Friday.

Dubin made his organizational debut Sunday with Triple-A Rochester, tossing a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. The right-handed reliever most recently saw action at the big-league level with Houston and Baltimore in 2025, when he turned in a 5.08 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 33.2 innings.

Atlanta outrighted Payamps to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday after he cleared waivers.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Friday, but he'll remain in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. Payamps has surrendered seven earned runs over 7.2 innings during his time in the big leagues this year.

Smith will be sidelined at least a couple weeks after the White Sox announced Sunday that he suffered a right rotator cuff strain, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Smith presumably sustained the injury during his previous start for Triple-A Charlotte last week, during which he fired two scoreless frames. The right-hander opened the campaign in the White Sox's rotation but was demoted in early April after surrendering 10 earned runs with a 11:9 K:BB through his first three starts.

The Tigers designated Holman for assignment Sunday.

Holman will be moved off an organization's 40-man roster for the fourth time in just under three months, as the Athletics, Diamondbacks and Dodgers had all previously designated him for assignment. Since Holman hasn't been previously outrighted, he'll have to accept an assignment to Triple-A Toledo if he clears waivers. The right-hander had made three appearances (one start) for Toledo since being claimed by the Tigers on April 11, logging a 6.75 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 3:2 K:BB over four innings.

Topa picked up the save in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays despite allowing two runs on four hits in the ninth inning.

It didn't come easy for Topa on Sunday after the right-hander entered with a three-run lead. He gave up four hits in the frame, including a two-run homer to Kazuma Okamoto, though he ultimately coaxed a double play off the bat of Lenyn Sosa to strand the tying and go-ahead runs on base. It's Topa's second save this season and his first since April 7. His ERA sits at 4.70 with a 1.63 WHIP and 9:6 K:BB across 15.1 innings.