MLB Player News

The Angels selected Zeferjahn's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

Zeferjahn was part of the return package in the trade that sent Luis Garcia to Boston. After stumbling to a 5.47 ERA with a 31:17 K:BB across 24.2 innings with the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate, Zeferjahn has tallied a 2.35 ERA and an 8:1 K:BB in 7.2 innings for Salt Lake. The 26-year-old will take Mike Baumann's spot on the 26-man and 40-man rosters.

Darvish (personal/elbow) was reinstated from the restricted list and returned to the 15-day injured list Friday.

While Darvish will rejoin the Padres in San Diego on Friday, he'll still have some hurdles to clear before rejoining the active roster. The right-hander hasn't pitched since May 29 after sustaining a left groin strain. He's had his recovery delayed twice, experiencing elbow inflammation right before his expected activation in late June and then going on the restricted list July 6 as he dealt with a personal matter. The 37-year-old has been throwing on his own and even threw a live batting practice session at a San Diego-area high school Aug. 12, but it's unclear how close he might be to coming off the IL.

The Red Sox transferring Paxton (calf) to the 60-day injured list Friday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

The 35-year-old was placed on the 15-day IL on Aug. 12 due to a partially torn left calf, and he won't be eligible to return before the end of the regular season. The Red Sox are currently 3.5 games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League, but there's an outside chance Paxton will be available in mid-October should Boston make a playoff run.

The Rockies optioned Gordon to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.

The right-hander made his seventh start of the season Wednesday against the Nationals and surrendered five runs across eight innings, and he won't stick in the big-league rotation. Gordon has a 7.55 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 25:6 K:BB across 31 frames in his first taste of the majors this season.

Marquez (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday.

Marquez has already been ruled out for the rest of the 2024 season, but Friday's transaction will open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Luis Peralta. Marquez suffered a stress reaction in his right elbow just one start after returning from Tommy John surgery in July.

The Rangers could call Leiter up from Triple-A Round Rock to start Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leiter has been in the minors since mid-May after yielding 17 runs in 9.1 innings over his first three big-league starts. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 First-Year Player Draft has turned things around at Round Rock lately, posting a 2.57 ERA and a 63:18 K:BB across 42 innings during his last nine starts. With Max Scherzer (shoulder) suffering a setback that will prevent him from returning from the 15-day injured list next week and Dane Dunning experiencing diminished velocity in his most recent spot start, Leiter looks like he could be given the next chance to fill the fifth spot in the Texas rotation.

The Reds placed Abbott on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left shoulder strain.

Abbott was initially the Reds' probable pitcher for Friday's game against the Pirates, but Cincinnati named reliever Buck Farmer as the opener before eventually putting Abbott on the shelf. If the left-hander can return when first eligible Sept. 4, he'd only miss one more start. Cincinnati recalled Alan Busenitz from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move, and he could fill Abbot's spot in the rotation after getting stretched out to four innings and 45 pitches in his last appearance for Louisville on Aug. 17. Abbott has a 3.72 ERA across 138 innings spanning 25 starts this season.

Keuchel signed a contract with the Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball on July 30, The Mainichi reports.

Keuchel has made two starts already for the Marines, most recently tossing seven shutout innings in his last outing Aug. 23. The veteran left-hander pitched in the majors with the Brewers earlier this season, posting a 5.40 ERA and 11:8 K:BB over 16.2 frames in four starts. Keuchel is now 36 and is unlikely to be an impact player in the majors again, but he's not ready to call it a career just yet.

Severino (9-6) picked up the win over the Padres on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and four walks over five innings while striking out five.

Severino did a good job of pitching his way out of trouble through the first four innings despite surrendering five singles and a walk over that stretch. The Padres would finally get to him in the fifth, however, when the right-hander allowed the first three batters to reach, eventually leading to San Diego's first run coming home on a double play. Severino has allowed one run or fewer in back-to-back starts after previously giving up at least four runs in three straight. However, he also matched his second-highest walk total of the campaign in Thursday's win, and he's issued multiple free passes in seven of his last nine outings.

Cease (12-10) took the loss against the Mets on Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits and one walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out seven.

The Mets got to Cease early, tagging the right-hander for a run in the first and two more in the fourth, though one of those would not be charged to him after coming across on a passed ball. He would still manage to come away with his first quality start since July 25 despite taking his 10th loss, generating 14 whiffs in the process. Cease has gone at least five innings in each of his last three outings, though he's allowed multiple runs on each occasion. He now carries a 3.50 ERA in August to go along with a 19:8 K:BB.