MLB Player News

Garcia was optioned to the Giants' alternate training site Thursday.

He has a 14.73 ERA and 2.73 WHIP in 3.2 innings over the last week, so he was an obvious candidate to get sent down with Drew Smyly coming off the injured list.

Johnson was added to the Rays' 60-man player pool Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Johnson is a very intriguing pitching prospect, as he is very new to pitching but has already displayed mid-rotation upside. He displays four useable pitches and two or three of them could become plus offerings. As a converted position player, there may be even more untapped potential with Johnson in the coming years.

Puk (shoulder) could begin throwing again this weekend, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

He was scheduled to see noted surgeon Dr. Neil ElAttrache again after getting shut down for the second time earlier this week. Puk is highly unlikely to be built up and ready to return to game action during the regular season, but Slusser notes the southpaw could potentially return for the postseason, although even that seems like a long shot.

Alzolay was recalled by the Cubs ahead of his scheduled start Thursday against the Reds, Maddie Lee of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

With Jose Quintana (lat) and Tyler Chatwood (forearm) on the shelf, a rotation spot is there for the taking if Alzolay can impress in this outing. The Cubs won't need a fifth starter again until Sept. 22 in Pittsburgh, so if Alzolay struggles, or perhaps even if he doesn't, he will likely be sent back down after this start. He has a 2.08 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB in 8.2 innings (three appearances).

Yacabonis fired a clean ninth inning in a loss to the Giants in his Mariners debut Wednesday.

The 28-year-old had his contract selected earlier in the day after spending the first three weeks of his tenure with the organization at the alternate training site in Tacoma. Yacabonis doesn't exactly arrive with an encouraging career arc in tow, as he's seen his ERA balloon from a 4.35 figure during his 2017 rookie season in Baltimore to 6.80 in 2019. He'll likely be deployed in low-leverage scenarios such as Wednesday's for what remains of the regular season.

Chapman pitched a perfect ninth inning against Toronto on Wednesday, striking out all three batters he faced in a non-save situation.

Chapman has struggled at times to shake the rust from a late start to the season, but he looked dominant on the mound Wednesday, needing 12 pitches to retire the Blue Jays on a trio of strikeouts. The veteran has converted only one of three save opportunities this season, but he has struck out 10 batters in six innings and has a firm hold on the closer job in New York.

Lopez was recalled from Chicago's alternate training site Thursday and could start Saturday's game against the Tigers, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Dallas Keuchel (back spasms) was placed on the 10-day injured list and the thinking is that Lopez could make a start this weekend in order to push Chicago's better starters to the more important series next week against the Twins. Lopez has supposedly looked good at the alternate camp, but he has an 8.38 ERA in 9.2 innings this season and should not be trusted in mixed leagues, even in a good matchup against Detroit.

Yamamoto served up 13 runs (12 earned) over 2.2 innings out of the bullpen in Wednesday's 29-9 loss to the Braves. He struck out three and gave up 11 hits and walked two.

After striking out more than a batter per inning and posting a 1.14 WHIP over 15 starts as a rookie in 2019, Yamamoto looked like he might be a potential long-term piece at the back end of the Miami rotation. The 24-year-old's outlook has taken a significant hit since then, with a big dip in velocity and a complete loss of command and control proving to be his undoing. Yamamoto needed 94 pitches just to record his eight outs, with the Braves bludgeoning him for four home runs along the way. Since Yamamoto likely won't be available out of the bullpen for at least four days after the taxing relief appearance, expect Miami to send him to its alternate training site in short order.

Wilson allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out a batter across four innings Wednesday as he picked up the save over the Marlins.

This was not any ordinary save opportunity for Wilson as he came into the game in the sixth with the Braves already leading 22-8. He gave up his only run on a Jorge Alfaro single in the seventh and got Jazz Chisholm to pop out out the very next at-bat to escape a bases-loaded jam. Wilson has now made two appearances since being recalled Sept. 6 and has given up three runs on eight hits and two walks while only managing two strikeouts in five innings.

Graterol felt something in his knee on a pitch in Wednesday's game in Arizona, but tests came back negative, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

It sounds like he avoided anything major, but it would not be surprising if he was not used again over the next few days. Graterol, who has the stuff to be the Dodgers' next closer whenever Kenley Jansen is over the hill, strangely only has two strikeouts while hitting three batters in 10 innings over his last 10 appearances, although he still has a pristine 1.80 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over that stretch.