MLB Player News

Springer is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Rays.

Springer is coming off his second three-hit game of the season, but he will begin Wednesday's festivities on the bench. Alejandro Kirk will fill the designated hitter spot for the Blue Jays, and Brandon Valenzuela will grab a start at catcher.

The Astros selected Pecko's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 23-year-old righty will start and make his major-league debut Wednesday against the Angels after recording a 4.94 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 71:28 K:BB across 74.2 innings with Sugar Land this season. Pecko will likely need to perform well Wednesday in order to ensure he receives additional starts with the Astros, as Mike Burrows (elbow) has already completed a rehab start and could be ready to return from the 15-day injured list the next time Pecko's turn in the rotation comes up.

The Astros optioned Ullola to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The righty reliever will head back to Triple-A as the Astros open up room on the active roster for right-hander Ethan Pecko, who was called up from Sugar Land ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday versus the Angels. Ullola has surrendered three runs on four hits and one walk with nine strikeouts across six innings with Houston this season.

The Astros transferred Matthews (knee) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Ethan Pecko, who was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Angels. Matthews has been on the shelf since July 17 due to a left knee sprain. He had been targeting a return to action for the Astros before the end of the month and had resumed hitting, fielding ground balls and running as of Aug. 8, per MLB.com. However, as a result of his move to the 60-day IL, Matthews won't be eligible for activation until Sept. 12.

X-rays taken Tuesday showed that Alexander's fractured left hand is fully healed, and he is aiming to rejoin the Orioles' active roster for their series against the Athletics that runs Aug. 28-30, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Alexander will require a rehab assignment first, and that's expected to begin soon. The utility player has been shelved since just before the All-Star break with his hand injury but will be back before the end of this month, if all goes well.

The Guardians recalled Fry from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.

With Rhys Hoskins sent to the 10-day injured list due to back inflammation, Fry will return to the big leagues after he was sent to Columbus earlier this month. Fry has slashed .182/.304/.336 with six home runs, 13 RBI, 16 runs scored and a 25:51 BB:K across 168 plate appearances in the big leagues this season.

The Guardians placed Hoskins on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to low back inflammation.

Hoskins started and played all nine innings in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Giants, but he may have picked up the back injury at some point along the way. The Guardians called up David Fry from Triple-A Columbus in a corresponding move.

The Blue Jays selected Cellucci's contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old left-hander was a 12th-round pick in 2019 by the Red Sox but was released by Boston last season. After spending time in independent ball and the Puerto Rican winter league, Cellucci signed with Toronto earlier this year. Across 40 games out of the bullpen at Double-A and Triple-A, he's posted a 3.55 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 48:22 K:BB spanning 45.2 innings.

The Athletics optioned Johnson to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

With Jeffrey Springs back from the 15-day injured list, Johnson is losing his spot on the 26-man roster. Acquired from the Phillies in exchange for Colby Thomas two weeks ago at the trade deadline, Johnson surrendered seven runs on 10 hits and three walks with six strikeouts across 4.2 innings out of the bullpen for the Athletics.

The Athletics reinstated Springs (hip) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

The veteran southpaw is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Royals in Kansas City. Springs spent just over the minimum 15 days on the shelf while recovering from right hip discomfort and was cleared to rejoin the Athletics after covering three innings and tossing 59 pitches in his lone rehab start with Single-A Stockton last week. He'll likely be operating with a light workload restriction in his return to the big-league rotation, though he hadn't reached six innings in any of his 11 appearances prior to landing on the shelf.