MLB Player News

George underwent knee surgery Friday and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

George initially injured his knee in late May when he jumped out of the way to avoid a bat dog who had run onto the field to retrieve a bat. George ended up returning sooner than expected and played well following the injury, posting an .817 OPS with 10 stolen bases (in 13 attempts) over 17 games from June 24 to July 30. However, it appears the knee issue never fully went away, and George ultimately needed to get a scope procedure to ensure proper healing. He played in 55 games for Double-A Tulsa this season, slashing .332/.418/.399 with no homers, 20 RBI, 63 runs and 33 stolen bases (in 38 tries). According to Harris, George is expected to be 100 percent by spring training next year.

Karros is not in the lineup for Friday's game in St. Louis.

Karros started the final three games of the Rockies' homestand, but he'll take a seat Friday as his team begins a road trip. Willi Castro will handle third base and Edouard Julien will be deployed at second base.

The Padres have decided to put Pivetta's (forearm) rehab progression on pause "for a couple extra days" after he was removed from his appearance with Single-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday midway through the first inning, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Pivetta tossed just 14 pitches during the rehab appearance, his first game action since he was placed on the injured list April 14 due to a right flexor strain. The veteran hurler reportedly felt "tightness" in his elbow Tuesday, prompting his early exit, though Pivetta did throw 20-to-30 additional pitches in the bullpen following his departure. The Padres have expressed optimism that Pivetta isn't dealing with a major setback, but he didn't throw his scheduled bullpen session Thursday and won't make his next scheduled rehab appearance. Manager Craig Stammen suggested Thursday that Pivetta may not be shut down for long, noting that the right-hander will be reassessed later in the week before potentially being cleared to start throwing again.

Knizner exercised his opt-out clause with the Red Sox on Friday and is now a free agent, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The veteran catcher inked a minor-league pact with Boston on June 23 and slashed .317/.426/.494 with two home runs, one stolen base and a 14:13 BB:K across 94 plate appearances with Triple-A Worcester. He'll look to latch on with a team in need of catching help.

The Blue Jays designated Martin for assignment Friday.

Toronto needed the 40-man roster spot to promote newcomer Brett Bateman to the big leagues. Martin has spent time with the Royals, Orioles and Blue Jays' organizations this season and owns a .280/.408/.415 slash line with eight homers, 32 RBI, 52 runs scored, 39 stolen bases and a 47:71 BB:K across 294 plate appearances at Double-A and Triple-A.

The Blue Jays placed Urias on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a strained right quadriceps.

Urias was injured in Thursday's loss to the Cubs and will now spend at least the next 10 days out of the lineup. Davis Schneider could get more playing time at second base against left-handed pitching while Urias is sidelined. The veteran infielder is slashing .250/.322/.481 with three homers, eight RBI, five runs scored and a 6:10 BB:K across 59 plate appearances with Toronto this season.

The Blue Jays selected Bateman's contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday.

The 24-year-old was acquired from the Cubs earlier this week in the deal that sent Kevin Gausman to Chicago. Bateman was an eighth-round pick in 2023 and will be making his big-league debut with Toronto after slashing .311/.429/.416 with three homers, 33 RBI, 61 runs scored, 20 stolen bases and a 62:67 BB:K across 359 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season. He could get a chance to handle the strong side of a platoon in center field with Myles Straw.

The Mets claimed Arias off waivers from the Guardians on Friday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Arias was removed from the Guardians' 40-man roster earlier this week after collecting a .244/.284/.386 slash line with five homers and a 42.5 percent strikeout rate in 134 plate appearances this season. The 26-year-old does not have minor-league options remaining, so he will join the Mets' active roster. New York will have to make a corresponding transaction when Arias reports to the club.

The Angels claimed Watson off waivers from the Red Sox on Friday.

The Red Sox designated Watson for assignment earlier in the week after he posted a 4.53 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 43:19 K:BB across 55.2 innings out of the bullpen for the Red Sox this season. The Rule 5 pick handled himself reasonably well in his first taste of big-league action and will work out of the Angels bullpen over the final two months of the campaign.

Brubaker will get the start in Friday's bullpen game against the Tigers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The former starter has been used exclusively in relief this season by the Giants, though he has logged three-plus innings in five of his 34 appearances. Brubaker will be pitching on two days' rest after yielding one run in one inning of work in Tuesday's loss to the Rangers, so his pitch count is likely to be very limited.