MLB Player News

Joyce pitched a scoreless and hitless inning in relief against Baltimore on Wednesday, walking one batter and striking out one.

Joyce was activated from the 60-day IL on Tuesday after being deemed ready to return from right shoulder surgery. The flamethrowing reliever showed that he still has impressive velocity, throwing nine of his 16 pitches over 100 mph and topping out at 102.2 mph. Joyce's command was a bit spotty -- he threw eight balls and eight strikes -- but that didn't cost him in the scoring column. Joyce has always had closer-like stuff, and with the Angels trading away Kirby Yates and Ryan Zeferjahn at the deadline, there's a clear path for Joyce to work his way up to the closer role before the end of the campaign.

The Athletics outrighted Zhuang to Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Zhuang is no longer a member of the Athletics' 40-man roster after the Athletics designated him for assignment Friday, but he'll remain in the organization after going unclaimed off waivers. The 25-year-old righty has yet to make his MLB debut and has compiled a 6.42 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 63:33 K:BB in 82.2 innings between stops with Las Vegas and Double-A Midland.

Springs (hip) was able to restart a throwing program Wednesday after landing on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

The Athletics placed Springs on the shelf due to a fatigued right hip, an injury that's been plaguing him throughout the season. An MRI on the hip returned negative for an acute injury, and the fact that Springs is already throwing again seemingly indicates that he didn't suffer any sort of major setback coming out of his most recent start Friday and may have just been placed on the IL for the purpose of getting a reset. Though Springs could be physically ready to go when first eligible to return from the IL on Aug. 16, the Athletics won't have much incentive to rush him back or guarantee him a rotation spot once he returns. The veteran southpaw has posted a bloated 6.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP this season and will likely be headed for free agency this winter, as the Athletics hold a $15 million club option on his contract for 2027 that they will almost certainly decline.

Jobe (elbow) will be activated from the 60-day injured list to start Saturday's game in San Francisco, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Jobe will be making his first appearance in the majors since he underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2025. The right-hander looked sharp in five rehab starts, posting a 1.76 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB in 15.1 innings. He threw 69 pitches in his most recent rehab outing, so Jobe will be somewhat limited from a pitch-count perspective versus the Giants.

Guerrero (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cubs.

Guerrero will miss a second straight start as he battles some hamstring tightness and general fatigue. He's considered day-to-day and doesn't appear to be a candidate at this point for the injured list. Kazuma Okamoto will again fill in at first base, Ernie Clement will shift to third base and Luis Urias will occupy second base for the Blue Jays.

Griffin is slated to start Thursday's game against the Mets in Cleveland, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Acquired from the Nationals on Monday, Griffin will make his Guardians debut three days later after getting some time to acclimate to his new team. After spending the previous three seasons pitching in Japan before signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Nationals in December, Griffin has emerged as an unlikely All-Star in his return to affiliated ball. While leaning on a seven-pitch mix, Griffin turned in a 12-3 record, 3.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 116:30 K:BB in 129.1 innings over his 22 starts with Washington. Though he's vastly outperformed his peripherals (4.09 FIP, 4.10 xERA, 3.80 SIERA), Griffin's change in home park from one of baseball's more hitter-friendly venues in Nationals Park to a more neutral environment in Progressive Field could help him stave off regression.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Wednesday's extra-inning win over the Astros.

His sixth-inning homer off Hunter Brown tied the game at 3-3, setting the stage for the Blue Jays' victory in the 10th. It was Sanchez's first long ball in four games since coming off the IL, and he's settling back in as the top option in left field against right-handed pitching. On the season, the 28-year-old is slashing .270/.313/.438 through 77 contests with eight homers, one steal, 12 runs and 32 RBI.

Lee recorded his first career big-league save Wednesday, giving up one unearned run on one hit in the 10th inning of a 5-4 win over the Astros. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

Tyler Rogers worked the eighth inning and Louis Varland the ninth to keep the game tied at 3-3, leaving Lee as the surprise recipient of a save chance after the Blue Jays took a lead in the top of the 10th. The right-hander did allow the phantom runner to score on a Yordan Alvarez single, but Lee wound up needing just five pitches (all strikes) to finish things out. While he's had success at Triple-A Buffalo this season, Lee's 6.23 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 1:4 K:BB through 4.1 MLB innings this season will limit him to a lower-leverage role for the most part.

Narvaez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Angels.

Narvaez started behind the dish in the first two games of the series, so he will get a breather during Thursday's afternoon tilt. Yohel Pozo is doing the catching and batting ninth for the Orioles.

Mayo is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Angels.

Mayo went deep in Wednesday's victory over the Halos, but he will get a break as the Orioles go for the sweep. Gunnar Henderson is getting a designated-hitter day, and Jeremiah Jackson is entering the lineup at second base while Jackson Holliday shifts to shortstop.