MLB Player News

The Cubs optioned Alcantara to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.

Alcantara appeared in just three games during his first stint in the majors, going 1-for-6 with a walk, a run scored and three strikeouts. The Cubs will send him down to Triple-A to allow the 23-year-old prospect to get more consistent at-bats, and Owen Caissie will come up from Iowa to replenish Chicago's outfield depth.

Gordon struck out three and gave up three earned runs on three hits and one walk over four relief innings Friday to record his first career save in an 11-3 rout of Atlanta.

The southpaw spoiled a combined shutout bid by four Houston hurlers as the team went with a bullpen game Friday, with Gordon serving up home runs to Ronald Acuna in the sixth inning and Eli White in the eighth to account for all of Atlanta's offensive damage on the night. After tossing 60 pitches Friday, Gordon is one of the more stretched-out options in the Houston bullpen, making him a candidate to fill the vacant fifth spot in the club's rotation. However, with Gordon having submitted a 7.92 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 25 innings with the big club since the All-Star break, the Astros may prefer to go in another direction the next time a fifth starter is needed Wednesday versus the Rangers.

The Cubs recalled Caissie from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.

Caissie slashed .208/.240/.375 across 25 plate appearances during his first stint in the majors in August and has gone 6-for-24 with three RBI, five runs scored and two steals since being sent down to Triple-A. He'll now rejoin the big club to provide depth in the outfield, replacing Kevin Alcantara.

Murray didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 11-3 rout of Atlanta, allowing one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out one without walking a batter.

Making just his third big-league appearance, Murray faced one batter over the minimum as the opener while tossing an efficient 32 of 40 pitches for strikes. The Astros currently have only four healthy starting pitchers and seemingly no help coming from either Triple-A or the injured list, so they could be turning to their well-stocked bullpen every fifth turn through the rotation, with Murray likely to be part of that equation. The 28-year-old righty hasn't given up a run in his first 5.1 MLB innings, and Friday's third-inning single by Marcell Ozuna was the first baserunner he'd allowed.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Rangers.

The backstop got his team on the board by slicing a 98.2 mph fastball from Jacob deGrom over the wall in the right-field corner to lead off the third inning, but the Mets were already in a 6-0 hole at that point. It was Alvarez's eighth homer of the season, and his first in eight games since returning from his latest IL stint, but he's batting just .182 (4-for-22) during that span as he plays through both a fractured left index finger and a sprained right thumb, the latter of which will likely require offseason surgery. With Luis Torrens (forearm) on the shelf and New York desperately trying to hang onto a wild-card spot, however, Alvarez will get as much playing time as his pain tolerance allows.

Tong (1-2) took the loss Friday, surrendering six runs on four hits and three walks over two-thirds of an inning as the Mets fell 8-3 to the Rangers. He struck out one.

The 22-year-old rookie couldn't escape the first inning, walking two of the first three batters he faced, and Tong may have been feeling jitters in a high-profile matchup against former Mets ace Jacob deGrom. Tong was the victim of bad luck as much as his control problems, however, as he gave up three opposite-field singles on bloops and flares -- none hit harder than 89.1 mph -- before a well-placed double by Michael Helman into the left-field corner with an exit velocity of just 81.5 mph chased the right-hander from the game. Tong sports an unsightly 8.49 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 13:7 K:BB through his first three starts and 11.2 big-league innings, and with Kodai Senga looking sharp in his first Triple-A start Friday, the Mets may make a change in their rotation as they try to desperately cling to a wild-card spot. If he gets another turn, Tong is currently set to make his next start at home next weekend against the Nationals.

Eaton started in right field and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Yankees.

Eaton busted up a no-hit bid by New York pitching with a seventh-inning home run, one of two hits Boston mustered on the evening. He's been part of the crew helping to fill a void in right field, along with Nick Sogard and Rob Refsnyder. That void will eventually be filled by Wilyer Abreu (calf), who is running at 85 percent, per MLB.com. Abreu could return during next week's series against the Athletics beginning Sept. 16. Since being called up from Triple-A Worcester in August, Eaton is batting .278 with a .750 OPS, one home run, two RBI and six runs scored over 15 games.

DeGrom (12-7) picked up the win Friday, giving up three runs on four hits over seven innings in an 8-3 victory over the Mets. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The veteran righty didn't display the same kind of dominance he possessed the last time he stepped on the mound at Citi Field at the end of the 2022 season while a member of the Mets -- deGrom managed to generate only five swinging strikes on 88 pitches (59 total strikes) -- but he didn't need to as the Rangers backed his revenge game with six runs in the top of the first inning. DeGrom was still plenty effective, retiring the final 15 batters he faced in his 14th quality start of the year, and he hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his last six outings, posting a 2.91 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 36:6 K:BB in 34 innings over that stretch. He lines up to make his next start on the road next week in Houston as Texas tries to stay in the AL wild-card picture.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that Seager (abdomen) was able to rotate his body, MLB.com reports.

Seager's ability to rotate his body enables the Rangers to speed up his recovery. He hopes to begin swinging a bat soon and could return during the team's final homestand beginning Sept. 19.

Smith (shoulder) struck out two and allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk over one inning Wednesday in a relief appearance for Triple-A Toledo after being activated from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Smith had been on the shelf at Toledo since the All-Star break due to a right shoulder strain before rejoining the Triple-A bullpen upon completing a six-appearance rehab assignment between the Florida State and Midwest Leagues. The 25-year-old righty possesses a spot on the Tigers' 40-man roster and could be a candidate for a promotion in the final two weeks of the season if Detroit has a need for another bullpen arm.