MLB Player News

The Royals transferred Avila (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Avila is likely to remain sidelined until 2028 after undergoing Tommy John surgery Wednesday, so the Royals will stash him away on the 60-day IL. The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for Luke Little, who was claimed off waivers from the Cubs on Thursday.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that Yesavage has been diagnosed with meniscus damage in his left knee and will visit a specialist Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Yesavage had to be lifted from his start Tuesday against the Astros and was placed on the injured list Wednesday. Schneider noted that surgery for Yesavage "is always a possibility," but that determination will be made following his exam Monday. Even if an operation isn't required, Yesavage is likely to be sidelined for several weeks.

The Athletics outrighted Zhuang to Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Zhuang is no longer a member of the Athletics' 40-man roster after the Athletics designated him for assignment Friday, but he'll remain in the organization after going unclaimed off waivers. The 25-year-old righty has yet to make his MLB debut and has compiled a 6.42 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 63:33 K:BB in 82.2 innings between stops with Las Vegas and Double-A Midland.

Springs (hip) was able to restart a throwing program Wednesday after landing on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

The Athletics placed Springs on the shelf due to a fatigued right hip, an injury that's been plaguing him throughout the season. An MRI on the hip returned negative for an acute injury, and the fact that Springs is already throwing again seemingly indicates that he didn't suffer any sort of major setback coming out of his most recent start Friday and may have just been placed on the IL for the purpose of getting a reset. Though Springs could be physically ready to go when first eligible to return from the IL on Aug. 16, the Athletics won't have much incentive to rush him back or guarantee him a rotation spot once he returns. The veteran southpaw has posted a bloated 6.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP this season and will likely be headed for free agency this winter, as the Athletics hold a $15 million club option on his contract for 2027 that they will almost certainly decline.

Griffin is slated to start Thursday's game against the Mets in Cleveland, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Acquired from the Nationals on Monday, Griffin will make his Guardians debut three days later after getting some time to acclimate to his new team. After spending the previous three seasons pitching in Japan before signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Nationals in December, Griffin has emerged as an unlikely All-Star in his return to affiliated ball. While leaning on a seven-pitch mix, Griffin turned in a 12-3 record, 3.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 116:30 K:BB in 129.1 innings over his 22 starts with Washington. Though he's vastly outperformed his peripherals (4.09 FIP, 4.10 xERA, 3.80 SIERA), Griffin's change in home park from one of baseball's more hitter-friendly venues in Nationals Park to a more neutral environment in Progressive Field could help him stave off regression.

Johnson will start Thursday's game against the Orioles at Camden Yards, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The Angels optioned Johnson to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday, but they were able to recall him just three days later after the team had multiple openings on the roster in the wake of the trade deadline. Johnson will end up settling back into the rotation, taking the spot that belonged to Jose Soriano before he was dealt to the Blue Jays on Monday. Johnson turned in a 2.52 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over a stretch of five starts from June 23 through July 19, but he was roughed up in his final two outings prior to his demotion, giving up a combined 13 earned runs on 14 hits and four walks across 7.2 innings in losses to the Giants and Brewers.

Lively (elbow) allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three over 2.2 innings for High-A Lake County on Tuesday.

Lively made a third rehab start for the Captains, as the organization is slowly building up the the right-hander, who underwent UCL reconstruction and a flexor tendon repair in May 2025. He's gone from 32 to 36 and now 48 pitches in his three outings.

Woo (8-8) allowed three hits, one walk and three hit batsmen while striking out five over seven scoreless innings to earn the win over the Tigers on Wednesday.

While Woo didn't have his sharpest control, the Tigers weren't able to get a run off of him. He's now allowed just five runs (four earned) across his last 26.1 innings at home, but his success in those games has been offset by a 6.16 ERA on the road since the start of June. Overall, he has a 4.31 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 127:27 K:BB through 127.1 innings across 22 starts this season. Woo's next start is projected to be on the road versus the Yankees.

Lopez allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out nine over five innings during a 3-2 loss to the Reds on Wednesday.

After serving as an option in the bullpen in late May and early July -- which bookended a month-long stint at Triple-A -- Lopez has been back in the rotation for his last four appearances. Since rejoining the rotation, the lefty has a 1-1 record with a 2.29 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 27:9 K:BB across 19.2 innings. Those numbers are a major improvement on the 6.75 ERA he posted in 12 outings prior to his demotion to Triple-A.

Warren (8-5) took the loss against St. Louis on Wednesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five across 5.1 innings.

Warren and Andre Pallante were locked in a pitcher's duel Wednesday, with neither team scoring through the first four innings. However, Warren yielded three runs in the fifth frame and did not receive enough run support to avoid the loss. He now sits at a 4.18 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 114:37 K:BB over 114 innings this season. Warren's next start is lined up for next week at home against Seattle.