MLB Player News

Atlanta designated Munoz for assignment Thursday.

After putting up a 4.28 ERA and 1.55 WHIP through 27.1 frames to begin the season in Triple-A Gwinnett, Munoz will be cast off Atlanta's 40-man roster. The move makes room for Lucas Luetge, who was selected to Atlanta's active roster from Gwinnett on Thursday. It's possible Munoz is claimed by another team looking for bullpen help, but he now appears in line to finish 2023 in the minors.

The Giants promoted Black to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday.

Black had a strong first half with Double-A Richmond, putting up a 3.57 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and a 83:21 K:BB through 63 innings across 16 starts. The 23-year-old righty will likely close out the season in Sacramento and has a chance to make his debut for the Giants sometime in 2024.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said last week that he's confident McClanahan (back) will be ready to return from the 15-day injured list when first eligible to start Sunday's game in Kansas City, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

McClanahan was placed on the IL with mid-back tightness July 1, one day after he was limited to a season-low three innings in a start at Seattle. The injury kept him from making his final turn before the All-Star break and also prevented him from pitching in the Midsummer Classic, but he was able to play catch last week without any discomfort and has presumably continued to improve in the days that followed. McClanahan may throw a bullpen session Thursday or Friday before the Rays officially confirm that he'll take the hill for the final game of the series in Kansas City.

Glasnow (hand/legs) is scheduled to start Friday's game in Kansas City.

In his most recent start July 7 versus Atlanta, Glasnow exited midway through the sixth inning while battling cramps in his hand and legs, but the extended time off due to the All-Star break provided ample time for the 29-year-old to recover. He'll lead off the Rays' second-half slate and look to continue the momentum he had carried into the break. In his final three starts of the first half, Glasnow went 0-2 but submitted a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 31:3 K:BB over 16.1 frames.

The Royals promoted Kudrna from Single-A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities on Wednesday.

Though Kudrna's numbers at Columbia this season (3.50 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 66:26 K:BB in 64.1 innings) don't vary wildly from his ratios in 2022 with the same affiliate (3.61 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 61:32 K:BB in 72.1 innings), the Royals evidently saw enough growth from the 20-year-old right-hander to bump him up a level. He's the second major Royals pitching prospect to move from Single-A to High-A within the past two weeks, as Frank Mozzicato got the call to Quad Cities on July 2.

DeSclafani (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with the Giants' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

DeSclafani is expected to require just one rehab start, setting the right-hander up to rejoin the Giants rotation next week. He has been on the shelf since early July due to right shoulder fatigue and posted a 4.44 ERA across 17 starts prior to being deactivated.

Urquidy (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Urquidy threw live batting practice Sunday without any issues in what was his final hurdle to clear before pitching in a rehab game. The right-hander has been sidelined since early May with shoulder inflammation, so he would figure to require at least a couple rehab outings before rejoining the Astros' rotation.

Ferris has a 3.29 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 35:15 K:BB in 27.1 innings across 10 starts for Single-A Myrtle Beach.

His best outing of the year was his first pro start May 5 against Columbia, where he struck out a career-high seven batters over three no-hit innings. Ferris, an uber-projectable 6-foot-4 lefty, has yet to complete four innings in a start, but he has flashed a very high ceiling.

Murphy has a 2.87 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 26:4 K:BB over his last three starts (15.2 innings) for Single-A Augusta.

The 20th overall pick in last year's draft, Murphy had a rough six-start stretch from mid-May through mid-June where he had a 7.78 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 20:12 K:BB in 19.2 innings, so it's encouraging to see him right the ship. This recent hot stretch included an eight-strikeout game and a 12-strikeout game, which are his top strikeout performances to date as a pro.

Fried (forearm) will make his next rehab start with High-A Rome on Saturday, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic reports.

Fried's first rehab start was at Triple-A Gwinnett, but they're on the road this weekend so the lefty will stay closer to home for his second outing. He threw 35 pitches in his first rehab outing, so Fried should be able to get up to around 50 pitches Saturday. The southpaw is tracking toward a return later this month.