MLB Player News

Mejia was claimed off waivers by the Angels and added to the team's big-league roster Saturday.

After being primarily a starter for most of his professional career, Mejia had pitched exclusively out of the pen in 15.1 innings for the Twins this season. The change of roles has not treated him well, as he owns an awful 8.80 ERA and a 16.9 percent strikeout rate. It's not yet known whether the Angels will leave in him in the bullpen or transition him back to a starting role.

Heaney landed on the 10-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation Saturday.

The move was backdated to Wednesday, so Heaney will be eligible to return next Saturday after missing just one start. It's not yet clear whether or not he's expected to return after the minimum or if a longer absence is anticipated. The Angels have said that they don't expect Heaney to require surgery but haven't specified a timeline beyond that, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports. Adalberto Mejia was claimed off waivers in a corresponding move.

The Tigers placed Turnbull on the 10-day injured list Saturday with an upper-back strain.

According to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, Turnbull picked up the injury while working out Friday, but it's not believed the setback is a major concern for the rookie. Manager Ron Gardenhire recently suggested that Turnbull's innings would be monitored more carefully in the second half anyway, so the IL move will at least offer the benefit of meeting that goal. Gregory Soto was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to take Turnbull's spot on the active roster, but it's expected that Tyler Alexander will be recalled from Toledo to replace the righty in Detroit's rotation Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Civale (shoulder) was activated from Triple-A Columbus' 7-day injured list Saturday.

Civale should slot back into the Columbus rotation after missing just under two weeks with the shoulder issue. The young right-hander shined in a spot start with Cleveland back on June 22 but may not be on track to rejoin the big-league rotation anytime soon with manager Terry Francona seemingly content with Zach Plesac and Adam Plutko as the team's back-end starters.

The Red Sox activated Eovaldi (elbow) from the 60-day injured list ahead of Saturday's game against the Orioles.

Eovaldi, whose last appearance for Boston came back on April 17, will rejoin the Red Sox in a different role, transitioning from starting to relief duty. Reports earlier this month suggested Eovaldi would be deployed as Boston's closer upon his reinstatement from the IL, but manager Alex Cora's recent comments suggest that Brandon Workman will in fact represent the Red Sox's top option for saves for the time being. Eovaldi should still be in store for a high-leverage role as he returns to the active roster on the heels of a successful rehab stint with Triple-A Pawtucket. During his lone appearance in the minors, Eovaldi struck out three of the four hitters he faced and sported a fastball that peaked around 98 miles per hour.

Whitley (shoulder) gave up two runs (one earned) on one hit and six walks while striking out five in 2.2 innings during Friday's rehab appearance in the Gulf Coast League.

This is shaping up to be another semi-lost season for Whitley, who has missed significant time with shoulder fatigue and has pitched poorly when he's been healthy. His stock is clearly down, but he is still just 21 years old and his ceiling has not changed. The extremely hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League has not helped matters. He is a strong candidate to be assigned to the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time if healthy.

The Astros recalled Urquidy from Triple-A Round Rock ahead of his scheduled start Saturday against the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Houston made Urquidy's callup official following Friday's 4-3 win over the Rangers, designating utility man Tyler White for assignment in a corresponding move. Urquidy has supplied an impressive 109:16 K:BB across 81.2 innings between Triple-A and Double-A Corpus Christi this season but flopped in his prior two outings at the big-league level, giving up seven runs on 14 hits and a walk over six frames.

Odorizzi didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 5-3 loss to the A's, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks over five innings while striking out three.

The right-hander exited the game after 88 pitches (56 strikes) with the score tied 3-3, the fifth straight start in which he's failed to complete six innings. Odorizzi is unsurprisingly 1-2 with a 6.35 ERA over that stretch, but he could have trouble turning things around in his next outing Wednesday, when he faces the Yankees at Target Field.

Bassitt (7-4) picked up the win in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Twins, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks over five innings while striking out two.

The right-hander wasn't exactly sharp, hitting two batters with pitches and throwing 63 of 94 pitches for strikes, but Bassitt still recorded his third win in his last four starts. He'll take a 3.96 ERA and 83:36 K:BB through 88.2 innings into his next outing Wednesday in Houston.

Verlander (12-4) picked up the win Friday, allowing two runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings while striking out 12 in a 4-3 victory over the Rangers.

The right-hander continues to march toward another high finish in the Cy Young race. Verlander now has 16 quality starts on the year -- tied with teammate Gerrit Cole, as well as Max Scherzer and Hyun-Jin Ryu, for the MLB lead -- and four starts with double-digit strikeouts. He'll carry a 2.99 ERA and 172:29 K:BB through 138.2 innings into his next outing Wednesday, at home against the A's.