MLB Player News

The Mariners selected Ford's contract from Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.

One of the best catching prospects in the game, Ford is now the third backstop on Seattle's roster, joining Cal Raleigh and Mitch Garver. The 22-year-old Ford earned the call-up after slashing .283/.408/.460 with 16 home runs and seven steals in 97 games at Triple-A. Despite being one of the youngest players at Triple-A, Ford's 0.84 BB/K is the 15th-best mark among qualified Triple-A hitters, and his seven steals were the second-most among Triple-A backstops.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Lauer will shift to the bullpen for the remainder of the season, as the team transitions back to a five-man rotation, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Lauer has generally been dependable as a back-end starter for the Blue Jays, but he was knocked around over his four appearances (three starts) in August, allowing 13 runs (11 earned) on 27 hits and six home runs over 18.2 innings. With Shane Bieber looking strong thus far since completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery and returning from the injured list, the Blue Jays were comfortable proceeding with five starters. Lauer will likely operate as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen, and if he performs well down the stretch, he could secure a spot on the Blue Jays' postseason roster.

Gore (shoulder) intends to pitch again this season, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander landed on the injured list Saturday with what the Nationals described as shoulder inflammation, but the issue doesn't appear to be serious. "It's something, the way it felt last start, where we needed to get an MRI," Gore said Saturday. "Nothing crazy showed up with significant injury. I didn't want to go on the IL, but we kind of needed to. I plan on being back as soon as I can, but we just need to clean up a few things in there and should be alright." With Washington having nothing to play for this season however, it wouldn't be a big surprise if Gore was shut down out of caution should he have any sort of hiccup once he begins throwing again. Over 27 starts and 147.1 innings this year, the 26-year-old has a 4.15 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 173:55 K:BB.

The Angels activated Taylor (hand) from the 10-day injured list Monday.

Taylor was shelved for a little more than a month with a fractured left hand but is ready to go following a brief rehab assignment. He's slashing just .189/.286/.378 through 15 games during his time with the Halos and is likely to be used mostly in a reserve role.

The Royals recalled Avila from Triple-A Omaha on Monday.

Though Avila made a one-inning relief appearance in his MLB debut back on Aug. 13 against the Nationals, Kansas City will likely be counting on him to provide some length out of the bullpen in September. Avila has mostly served as a swingman at Omaha this season, starting in nine of his 14 appearances while accruing a 5.23 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 61:23 K:BB in 53.1 innings.

The Angels optioned Moore to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

Moore has mostly languished during his time in the majors to this point, slashing .195/.287/.336 with a 31.5 percent strikeout rate. While Moore will have a good chance to open up next season as the Angels' primary second baseman, he will head back to the minors for now, and Luis Rengifo is expected to hold down the keystone during the final month of the campaign.

The Royals reinstated Caglianone (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Monday.

Caglianone had been on the shelf since July 26, but he appears to have been fully recovered from his left hamstring strain for quite some time. The rookie wrapped up an uncommonly long rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha over the weekend, with Caglianone proving his health by slashing .385/.467/.692 with five home runs in 16 games. Caglianone hit for limited power in the big leagues (.133 ISO in 161 plate appearances) prior to landing on the IL, but the Royals are hoping that the extra time in the minors to regain confidence at the plate will set the 22-year-old up for a big finish to the season. He should settle back into an everyday role for the Royals while moving between the corner-outfield spots and designated hitter.

The Phillies activated Mayza (lat) from the 60-day injured list Monday.

The Phillies claimed Mayza off waivers from the Pirates on Sunday while he was nearing the end of his rehab assignment, and he'll be activated Monday as Philadelphia's active roster expands to 28 men. Mayza had a 1.93 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and six strikeouts in 4.2 innings on his rehab assignment and he should operate in low-leverage situations down the stretch.

Waddell gave up three hits and two walks over 4.1 scoreless relief innings in Sunday's loss to the Marlins. He struck out four.

Called back up to the majors earlier in the day, Waddell took over from a struggling Kodai Senga in the fifth inning and gave the rest of the Mets' bullpen the day off, tossing 58 pitches (41 strikes) to go the rest of the way in a 5-1 loss. That workload might result in him getting bumped back to Triple-A Syracuse in favor of a fresh arm, but with the team's rotation in general struggling in August, Waddell could end up being a key figure in any September playoff push. The southpaw's worked at least three innings in five of his last six big-league appearances dating back to June 28, posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB in 19.2 innings during those outings.

The Royals selected Jensen's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Monday.

One of the top catching prospects in all of baseball, Jensen will join the Royals for September after he delivered a .290/.377/.501 slash line with 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 111 games between Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season. The Royals' immediate plans for Jensen aren't clear, but the team's willingness to frequently use top backstop Salvador Perez at designated hitter or first base could pave the way for Jensen to see semi-regular playing time at catcher or DH. Jensen bats from the left side, so the Royals may look to limit his exposure to southpaws over the final month of the season.