MLB Player News

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.

The Cubs recalled Garrett from Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Acquired from the Marlins at the trade deadline, Garrett's role with the Cubs for now appears to be as a long-relief option. The left-hander has been tagged for seven runs with a 5:8 K:BB over 4.1 innings in the majors this season, but he's collected a 2.90 ERA and 83:29 K:BB covering 77.2 frames in 2026 at the Triple-A level.

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.

Miller (shoulder/back) allowed a solo home run and struck out three over two innings in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Miller made his first appearance of the season at any level, as he's experienced shoulder soreness coming out of spring training and was then slowed by a back issue earlier this summer while ramping up. He averaged 96.9 mph with his four-seamer in Wednesday's outing, which isn't far off from the 97.6 mph he averaged with the pitch last season. Miller could help the major-league club down the stretch -- likely in a relief role -- but the Dodgers aren't counting on it, given the hurler's performance and injury issues dating back to 2024.

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.

Lodolo (finger) allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over 4.1 innings for Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

Lodolo threw 65 pitches (37 strikes), a count that was right around the projected range for the left-hander. Depending on how feels following the outing, he could return to the big leagues, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Reds manager Terry Francona said Lodolo "looked OK" and was hitting 94 to 95 mph. What many observers were interested in was his curveball, which has been the source of recurring blisters throughout Lodolo's career. He tested a modified grip successfully last week and threw 15 curves Wednesday for seven strikes, two swings and one whiff.

Mize (4-7) allowed eight runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out one over 3.1 innings to take the loss versus the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Mize was traded to San Diego by Detroit on Monday, but his debut with his new team couldn't have gone much worse. The right-hander had allowed just eight runs (seven earned) with a 17:5 K:BB over 21.2 frames in his last four starts with the Tigers, and he hadn't allowed more than five runs in any game this season prior to Wednesday. Mize is now at a 3.40 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 86:22 K:BB through 90 innings over 17 starts. He'll look to bounce back next week in a home start versus the Brewers, and getting some starts at pitcher-friendly Petco Park should be beneficial for him in the long run.

Bratt (1-1) allowed one hit and three walks while striking out nine over seven scoreless innings to earn the win over the Padres on Wednesday.

This was Bratt's longest start yet, and while he walked multiple batters for the third start in a row, he made up for it by giving the Padres little to hit. The nine strikeouts matched the total from his previous three outings combined. Bratt's performance early in his big-league career has been solid -- he has a 3.90 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 21:18 K:BB through 27.2 innings over six starts, but he will need to cut down on the walks to find long-term success. The 23-year-old rookie is tentatively lined up to make his next start at home versus the Rockies. Bratt is likely competing with Kohl Drake for the last spot in the rotation when Michael Soroka (glute) returns from the injured list.