MLB Player News

The Tigers recalled Montero from Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Montero will start for the Tigers in Monday's series opener versus the Rays. The righty has posted a 4.02 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 39:20 K:BB over 56 frames with the big club this season. Montero could be headed back to Toledo after Monday's outing.

The Rockies recalled Blalock from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.

Blalock will join the 26-man active roster as a replacement for right-hander Chase Dollander, who was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Though Dollander had been working out of the rotation, Blalock could be ticketed for a long-relief role with Colorado. The Rockies will close out their first-half schedule with six games this week, and an off day Thursday would allow the team to get by with a four-man rotation until the All-Star break. Blalock has previously made five appearances (three starts) for Colorado this season, posting a 12.94 ERA and 2.06 WHIP over 16 innings.

The Rockies optioned Dollander to Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.

Dollander has failed to gain any traction in his first 15 major-league starts, putting up a 6.68 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 52:33 K:BB over 68.2 innings. Unsurprisingly, most of his struggles have occurred at Coors Field, where he's held a 9.37 ERA and 1.96 WHIP in eight starts. The move to send Dollander down now could have been made in part to manage his workload around the All-Star break, as the Rockies can get by with four starters this week if they so choose. He should get another opportunity in the majors at some point in the second half.

Sykora was lifted after one inning in his most recent start Saturday for Double-A Harrisburg due to an unspecified injury, but he's not expected to miss extended time, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

One of the top prospects in all of baseball, Sykora has made two starts for Harrisburg after he was promoted from High-A Wilmington in late June. Sykora struck out three of the four batters he faced in the first inning of Saturday's outing, but he was mysteriously pulled from the contest ahead of the second inning, with Harrisburg providing no explanation for his early exit. While details on the nature of Sykora's injury are still scarce, the 21-year-old right-hander doesn't appear to be dealing with anything overly concerning. That said, Sykora could miss out on a few starts, and the injury seems likely to keep him from pitching in the All-Star Futures Game this Saturday.

Montero will be called up from Triple-A Toledo to start Monday's game against the Rays, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Montero will be in line for a traditional start Monday, after he had previously made six starts and five bulk relief appearances for the Tigers this season while collecting a 4.02 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 39:20 K:BB over 56 frames. With an off day looming Thursday prior to next week's All-Star break, Montero could be headed back to Triple-A after Monday's start.

The Astros sent Garcia (elbow) to the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Monday to begin a rehab assignment.

Garcia has finally been cleared to pitch in games following numerous starts and stops after he underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023. The right-hander is likely to require most, if not all, of his allotted 30 days to get stretched out for a starting role during his rehab assignment. His performance during his time in the minors will likely determine whether Garcia reclaims a spot in the Houston rotation once he's activated from the 60-day injured list.

Rays manager Kevin Cash suggested after Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Twins that he intends to have Boyle piggyback Drew Rasmussen for at least a few more turns through the rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though Rasmussen has moved back into a full-time starting role in 2025 after undergoing the third major elbow surgery of his career in July 2023, the Rays are aiming to limit him to around 150 innings this season. Just over halfway into the campaign, Rasmussen has already compiled 89.1 innings, so the Rays will stick to their plan of managing his workload so that he can be available in some capacity through the rest of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs. The Rays took the first step in curtailing Rasmussen's workload Sunday, when Boyle was called up from Triple-A Durham to pitch in bulk relief behind him. After Rasmussen covered the first two frames, Boyle stepped in and covered the next five innings, striking out seven batters while allowing an unearned run on two hits and one walk. Cash didn't go into specifics regarding how long past the All-Star break the Rasmussen/Boyle pairing might be used or whether Rasmussen would continue to be capped at around two innings, but for fantasy purposes, the arrangement is certainly more favorable to Boyle than Rasmussen. By continuing to work in bulk relief on the days he pitches, Boyle will be the Rays hurler most likely to factor into any decision. In addition to the increased win potential, Boyle looks like he could make a major impact for fantasy managers in the ratio categories. He's submitted a 1.85 ERA and 22.3 K-BB% over 73 innings at Durham this season, and he's maintained that dominance through his two appearances with the Rays thus far, turning in a 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB through 10 frames.

Rays manager Kevin Cash suggested after Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Twins that he intends to use Rasmussen as an opener in front of bulk reliever Joe Boyle for at least a few more turns through the rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After Rasmussen was used primarily in relief late in the 2024 campaign upon completing his recovery from a July 2023 internal brace procedure -- the third major elbow surgery of his career -- the Rays moved the right-hander back into the rotation on a full-time basis this season with the aim of limiting him to around 150 innings in 2025. Just over halfway into the campaign, Rasmussen has already compiled 89.1 innings, and despite the fact he's turned in a shiny 2.82 ERA and 1.01 WHIP through 18 starts, the Rays will stick to their plan of managing his workload so that he can be available in some capacity through the rest of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs. The Rays took the first step in curtailing Rasmussen's workload Sunday, when he was lifted after allowing one run in two innings before Boyle took over to cover the next five frames. Cash didn't go into specifics regarding how long the Rasmussen/Boyle pairing might be used or if Rasmussen would remain capped at around two innings when he's deployed in a tandem, but the arrangement is undoubtedly a negative development for the 29-year-old from a fantasy standpoint. In addition to not being able to qualify for wins if he regularly pitches fewer than five innings in starts, Rasmussen's impact in the ratio categories would also become more muted with lighter innings counts.

Wenninger struck out a season-high 11 batters for Double-A Binghamton on Sunday, allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks over six innings.

In the process, the 23-year-old right-hander crossed the 100-K threshold on the season, becoming the sixth pitcher in the minors this season to reach triple digits in strikeouts. Wenninger, a sixth-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Illinois, has taken a big step forward this year in his first taste of Double-A, posting a 2.76 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 100:20 K:BB in 81.2 innings. Wenninger's best pitch is a nasty splitter, and he has a deep enough arsenal to profile as a rotation option once he's ready for the majors, even if he doesn't have the pure upside of other Mets prospects like Jonah Tong or Nolan McLean.

The Cardinals are having "internal discussion" about McGreevy replacing Erick Fedde in the rotation and starting Saturday against Atlanta, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Fedde has been pummeled for 17 runs over his last three starts and lasted only 1.1 frames in Sunday's loss to the Cubs. The team is expected to use its off day Monday to decide whether to let Fedde take his next turn Saturday or give that opportunity to McGreevy instead. McGreevy also started Sunday at Triple-A Memphis, so he is on the same schedule as Fedde, though he was torched for eight runs over three innings in Sunday's outing. In three starts and one relief appearance with the Cardinals in 2025, McGreevy holds a 4.22 ERA and 16:3 K:BB over 21.1 innings.