MLB Player News

Lopez will start Wednesday's game against the Cardinals in Atlanta.

Lopez will be making his second straight appearance as a starter, though Mark Bowman of MLB.com previously reported that Atlanta could once again have Hurston Waldrep piggyback the veteran right-hander. In his last appearance Friday in San Francisco, Lopez threw three innings of one-run ball before Waldrep followed with two scoreless frames in relief. Lopez tossed 57 pitches in that outing, but even if he gets piggybacked agin, he could still push up his pitch count a bit more Wednesday.

The Royals placed Seabold on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right lat strain.

Seabold had to be pulled from an appearance Tuesday against the Rays because of the injury. The severity of the strain is unclear, but even a mild one could result in an absence beyond the 15-day minimum. Seabold has pitched for three different teams this season, collecting a 5.25 ERA and 20:11 K:BB across 24 frames.

The Royals optioned Cerantola to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Cerantola had a disastrous outing Tuesday versus the Rays, walking six of the nine batters he faced while surrendering a pair of runs. He'll head back to Omaha as the Royals replace him with a fresh bullpen arm.

The Royals recalled Dobnak from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Dobnak previously saw big-league action with the Twins over parts of five seasons from 2019 through 2025, but he'll be making his Royals debut once he gets into a game. The 31-year-old righty opened the season in the rotation at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization before being traded in mid-June to the Royals, who immediately added him to their 40-man roster. Over 80.2 innings at the Triple-A level this season, Dobnak has produced a 4.35 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 49:25 K:BB. The right-hander looks set to initially work out of the bullpen for Kansas City, though he could be a candidate to start Thursday versus the Rays if Stephen Kolek (personal) isn't activated from the bereavement list in advance of that game.

The Royals selected Cuas' contract from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Cuas holds a 3.31 ERA and 33:19 K:BB over 32.2 innings this season at Omaha. The 32-year-old hasn't pitched in the majors since 2024 and will likely fill a low-leverage relief role.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Wednesday that Helsley is dealing with right elbow discomfort and will undergo further testing, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Helsley was warming up in the bullpen as he readied to enter Wednesday's game against the White Sox, but he felt something in his elbow and had to take a seat. Instead, Andrew Kittredge came on to close out the 6-1 victory. Helsley missed seven weeks of action earlier this season with right elbow inflammation and could be headed for another extended absence, depending on what the imaging shows. If Helsley needs to miss more time, Rico Garcia is likely the top candidate to fill in at closer for the Orioles, though Kittredge and Yennier Cano could also be in the mix.

Assad worked in relief during Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Padres, striking out one over 2.2 innings while allowing four earned runs on five hits and two walks.

After a three-game run as a starter during which he went 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over 16.2 innings, Assad was somewhat surprisingly deployed in relief Tuesday. In his second start back from the injured list, Matthew Boyd was lifted after covering the first five innings, with Assad entering behind him and being tasked with protecting a five-run lead. Assad's move to the bullpen doesn't sound like it will be a permanent one, with manager Craig Counsell telling Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network on Wednesday that the right-hander will make one more start before the All-Star break. However, with Jameson Taillon (hamstring) nearing a return from the injured list, Assad could be the odd man out of the rotation when the Cubs open their second-half schedule.

The Dodgers optioned Mills to Triple-A Oklahoma City following Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Athletics.

Mills struck out the side in the ninth inning to finish out Tuesday's victory in what was his lone appearance out of the Los Angeles bullpen during his latest stint in the big leagues. Per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, the Dodgers are expected to recall left-hander Charlie Barnes from Oklahoma City on Wednesday in a corresponding move, and he's likely to be used as a bulk reliever in the club's series finale in Sacramento.

The Dodgers are expected to recall Barnes from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Wednesday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Los Angeles has a vacancy on the 26-man active roster after optioning Wyatt Mills to Triple-A following Tuesday's 9-3 win, so Barnes will slide into the open spot. After Shohei Ohtani had his next turn in the rotation pushed to Friday, the Dodgers are expected to opt for a bullpen game for the series finale in Sacramento, and Barnes will likely be a prominent part of the team's pitching plan. Barnes has produced a 3.67 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over six starts with Oklahoma City, and after covering 5.2 innings in his most recent outing last Thursday, he'll offer plenty of length out of the Los Angeles bullpen.

Lord will be the Nationals' opening pitcher in Wednesday's game versus the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

He'll take the ball first before eventually turning the game over to left-hander Andrew Alvarez. Lord has been a starting pitcher in the past and has been used primarily in long relief this season, so he's capable of logging multiple innings Wednesday, if needed.