MLB Player News

Espino will be called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday to start for the Blue Jays in their series finale in Baltimore, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The 37-year-old righty will be back with the Blue Jays for the first time since April and is slated to make his first MLB start since 2022. He's been a full-time member of the rotation during his stay with Buffalo this season, logging a 5.09 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 36:18 K:BB in 53 innings. Espino hasn't covered more than four innings in any of his three starts with Buffalo since returning from a brief stint on the 7-day injured list earlier in July. As a result, Espino could be a candidate to get piggybacked Wednesday by Yariel Rodriguez, who struggled in the first inning of his start during the first game of the series Monday before being pulled after tossing only 43 pitches.

Santander went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a two-run homer in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Santander opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI double off Chris Bassitt, giving the O's an early 1-0 lead, before extending the advantage to 6-1 in the fifth with an opposite-field homer off Brendon Little. The 29-year-old Santander has been red hot, going 17-for-52 (.327) with eight long balls in his last 13 contests. He's up to 31 homers on the season, tied for third most in the majors and two shy of a career high. Overall, Santander's slashing .246/.314/.536 with 72 RBI and 62 runs scored across 437 plate appearances.

Urias went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Tuesday's 6-2 win over Toronto.

Urias led off the third inning with an opposite-field blast off Chris Bassitt, his fifth homer of the year and first since June 19. Urias would also record his second three-hit game this season -- he'd gone just 2-for-18 in seven contests prior to Tuesday. Overall, 30-year-old Urias is slashing .244/.316/.384 with 18 RBI and 20 runs scored across 190 plate appearances. He's seen his playing time tick up since Jorge Mateo (elbow) was placed on the IL. However, despite his performance Tuesday, Urias will likely return to a utility role following Jackson Holliday's recall to the majors.

Bassitt (8-10) took the loss Tuesday against the Orioles, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out three.

Bassitt's hit a snag of late -- the right-hander has failed to make it through six innings in four of his last five starts, as he's struggled to a 7.01 ERA in that span. Overall, Bassitt's ERA is up to 4.02 on the year with a 1.45 WHIP and 115:48 K:BB across 22 starts (123 innings). He'll look to get on track in his next start, currently scheduled as a home rematch with the Orioles early next week.

Burnes (11-4) earned the win Tuesday over the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out seven.

Burnes has been a rock for the Orioles this season -- he's now recorded six straight quality starts and 16 in his last 17 outings. Burnes' ERA now sits at 2.47, the second-best mark in the majors, with a 1.04 WHIP and 128:33 K:BB across 22 starts (138.2 innings). The 29-year-old right-hander is currently lined up for a two-start week -- Burnes is scheduled to face the Guardians on the road this weekend.

Faedo (5-3) allowed two runs on two hits across 1.2 innings of relief to take the loss Tuesday against the Guardians. He struck out one.

Faedo followed opener Tyler Holton and didn't have much luck as he continued his recent struggles. After notching wins in five straight decisions between mid-April and July 20, Faedo has now taken the loss in consecutive appearances out of the bullpen. Over his last eight outings, the righty has allowed eight runs across 11.1 innings. Faedo has still been mostly solid this season with a 3.81 ERA and should be able to get back on track soon.

The Blue Jays optioned Eisert to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday.

Eisert will head back to Buffalo after he served as the Blue Jays' 27th man for Monday's doubleheader with the Orioles. He mopped up after an abbreviated start by Yariel Rodriguez in the Blue Jays' 11-5 loss in the opening game of the day, giving up three earned runs on four hits and one walk over 2.2 innings.

Kirk was removed from Tuesday's game versus Baltimore due to a left elbow contusion.

Kirk took a 98-mile-per-hour sinker off his left elbow during the sixth inning of Tuesday's contest and was replaced behind the dish by Brian Serven during the bottom half of the frame. Although Kirk managed to escape with just a bruise, it's still unclear if he'll be able to start Wednesday's series finale. Should he need to miss any amount of time, the Jays would presumably call up another catcher from the minors.

Krook was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Tuesday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Krook has spent the majority of 2024 campaign with Triple-A Norfolk, where he'll likely remain if he clears waivers. The left-hander owns a 4.11 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with 41 strikeouts over 35 innings in 34 appearances out of Norfolk's bullpen this year. With the Orioles acquiring a handful of players during Tuesday's trade deadline, Krook appears to have been one of the odd men out on the 40-man roster.

The Orioles are expected to recall Holliday from Triple-A Norfolk ahead of Wednesday's game versus the Blue Jays, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

He was scratched from the Triple-A Norfolk lineup Tuesday after Connor Norby was traded to the Marlins, so Holliday could be Baltimore's starting second baseman in the series finale with the Blue Jays. The promotion isn't yet official, but Holliday should play regularly while he's up with the big club. The 20-year-old middle infielder is slashing .271/.431/.477 with 10 home runs, eight steals and a 77:75 K:BB in 73 games for Norfolk. He hit .059 with zero home runs and 18 strikeouts in 10 games in the majors earlier this season.