MLB Player News

The Twins optioned Festa to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.

Festa will head back to the minors after a one-day stint with the Twins. He served as the club's 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader with the White Sox and went unused out of the bullpen.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo confirmed that Diaz will make another turn through the Arizona rotation Saturday versus the Blue Jays at Chase Field, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Jordan Montgomery (knee), Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) and Merrill Kelly (shoulder) are all in the midst of throwing programs and may be on track to return from the injured list within a few weeks after the All-Star break, but their continued absences should clear the way for Diaz to stick around in the big-league rotation for a little while longer. Diaz earned a second turn through the rotation after dazzling in his MLB debut Monday, striking out five while permitting just one run on four hits and one walk in a no-decision against Atlanta. Despite his limited big-league track record, the 23-year-old right-hander shapes up as a decent streaming option this weekend against a weakened Toronto lineup that could be without Bo Bichette (calf).

Ross (back) struck out three over 3.2 scoreless innings in his rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Nashville. He scattered two hits and one walk in the 46-pitch start.

Ross took the hill on three days' rest for his second minor-league rehab start, after he threw 34 pitches over 2.2 innings in his first rehab outing with High-A Wisconsin this past Saturday. The right-hander recorded his 11 outs in efficient fashion Wednesday and should continue to build up his pitch count over the course of at least two more rehab starts. He could return from the 60-day injured list and return to the Milwaukee rotation shortly after the All-Star break.

The Orioles transferred Bradish (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in mid-June, so it was only a matter of time before he was moved to the 60-day IL to free up space on the 40-man roster. Bradish isn't guaranteed to take the mound for the Orioles in 2025 given his initial recovery timeline of 12-to-18 months.

Double-A New Hampshire placed Macko on its 7-day injured list Saturday with left forearm soreness, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The injury cropped up during Macko's most recent start July 2 before New Hampshire opted to deactivate him a few days later. The 23-year-old lefty is rehabbing the injury, but if he's unable to make much progress in his recovery in the weeks to come, surgery could become a more distinct possibility. Macko had produced a 4.42 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 86:26 K:BB in 77.1 innings with New Hampshire before being shut down.

High-A Vancouver reinstated Rojas from its 7-day injured list Tuesday after he had been on the shelf since April 23 with a shoulder injury, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays didn't immediately disclose what type of injury the lefty was dealing with when he was deactivated in late April, but it was a shoulder issue that kept him out of commission for nearly two months. Rojas made his third appearance of the season for Vancouver on Tuesday and looked sharp, striking out six over 3.2 scoreless innings while scattering four hits and three walks.

Stripling (elbow) will remain with Single-A Stockton for his next rehab appearance, which will take place Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Stripling had been slated to work up to approximately 35 pitches in his rehab debut Tuesday, but he was pulled short of that mark after surrendering two runs over two-thirds of an inning. The right-hander had originally been projected to bump up to Triple-A Las Vegas for his second rehab start, but it seems the organization would like to give Stripling one more opportunity to work out some kinks at a lower level before moving his assignment to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League with the Aviators. Stripling did emerge from Tuesday's 24-pitch start feeling healthy, so he presumably remains on track to return shortly after the All-Star break.

Blackburn (foot) will remain with Single-A Stockton for his next rehab appearance, which will take place Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Blackburn scuffled through a 23-pitch rehab debut Tuesday against Rancho Cucamonga, lasting just two-thirds of an inning and surrendering three earned runs. A previous report had indicated Blackburn would move up to Triple-A Las Vegas for his second rehab outing, but it appears Tuesday's rough showing led to those plans being scuttled. Blackburn presumably remains on track to return shortly after the All-Star break, as he came away from his first minor-league appearance feeling healthy.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Maeda won't make his next scheduled start Sunday versus the Dodgers and has been moved to the bullpen "for the foreseeable future," Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Maeda's demotion to the bullpen comes after he was lit up for six earned runs over 2.2 innings during Tuesday's 9-8 loss to the Guardians, bringing his season ERA to 7.26 over 65.2 frames. The Tigers signed the 36-year-old to a two-year, $24 million contract this winter with the hope that he would bring some experience and stability to the middle of a young rotation, but Maeda has fallen well short of the club's expectations. As a soft-tossing right-hander who doesn't make many bats miss at this stage of his career, Maeda wouldn't seem to be a candidate to see a dramatic spike in his performance while working out of the bullpen, so the Tigers could relegate him to lower-leverage or mop-up situations. Hinch didn't immediately name a replacement in the rotation for Maeda on Sunday, as the Tigers are instead expected to treat their final game before the All-Star break as a bullpen day, per Woodbery.

Burnes (9-4) took the loss Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing three runs on nine hits over six innings. He struck out five.

It's just the second loss for Burnes in his last 11 outings -- still, the right-hander was able to make it through at least six innings for a 14th straight start despite allowing nine hits, matching a season high. Overall, Burnes has lived up to expectations in his first year in Baltimore. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 2.43 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 110:25 K:BB across 118.2 innings.