MLB Player News

The Pirates transferred Cruz (hand) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Cruz hasn't suffered any setbacks in his recovery from a hand fracture he suffered in June, but the Pirates will move him to the 60-day IL to free up a 40-man spot for Khristian Curtis, who was selected to the active roster Saturday. Cruz will now be eligible to return from the injured list Aug. 8 and figures to have a strong chance to return after a minimum-length stay if his rehab continues smoothly.

The Pirates selected Curtis' contract from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Curtis will join the major-league roster to give Pittsburgh some extra pitching depth for Saturday's twin bill against the Guardians. The 24-year-old righty has turned in a 5.57 ERA and 1.67 WHIP across 21 innings since being promoted to Triple-A in June and will presumably fill a multi-inning role out of the bullpen to begin his MLB career. Oneil Cruz (hand) was transferred to the 60-day IL in a corresponding move.

The Guardians appointed Allen as their 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates in Cleveland, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Allen is set to start the nightcap while Gavin Williams gets the call to start the first game of Saturday's twin bill. Allen tallied seven strikeouts while giving up two unearned runs in four innings during his lone major-league outing of the season May 25 against Washington. Since then, he's turned in a 3.43 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 42 frames at Triple-A Columbus.

Gomez gave up a walk and collected a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning to collect his 12th save of the season in Friday's 5-2 win over the Cubs.

Gomez walked Ian Happ to lead off the inning but retired the next three batters he faced to lock down the Twins' first win of the second half. The 26-year-old has benefited heavily from a change of scenery this season, posting a 1.65 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 27.1 innings since moving from the Rays to the Twins in May.

Slaten struck out one and walked none over a scoreless eighth inning to earn a hold in Boston's 5-3 win over Tampa Bay in the second game of Friday's doubleheader.

Slaten held the lead for Aroldis Chapman to pick up the save. The former had a bumpy ride during the month of June (10.13 ERA) but appears to have stablized in July. Slaten earned a hold in his fourth consecutive appearance and remains a vital part of the setup crew along with Garrett Whitlock. Both relievers were considered potential closer fill-ins for Chapman when the Red Sox were projected to be sellers at the trade deadline, but Friday's doubleheader sweep of the Rays extended Boston's win streak to 11 straight and put them in a tie for the final wild-card spot.

Ober (7-3) earned the win Friday against the Cubs, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven batters across 5.1 innings.

Ober put the Twins in an early hole by allowing the first three batters he faced to reach base, capped off by a Michael Busch single that drove in Pete Crow-Armstrong. However, the Twins' offense picked Ober up with a four-run third inning, and he wouldn't get charged with another earned run until the sixth, when Seiya Suzuki doubled off him and later scored on a wild pitch from reliever Tommy Nance. Ober has now given up just three runs while posting a 12:3 K:BB in 10.1 innings since returning from the injured list July 9, giving him some positive momentum heading into his start next week in Cleveland.

Rea (7-6) took the loss Friday against the Twins, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out six batters across six innings.

Rea allowed just one batter to reach base across the first two innings of the game, but things began to fall apart when he allowed four hits in the third inning before retiring a batter, including a three-run homer off the bat of Ryan Jeffers that capped off a four-run outburst from Minnesota. Rea managed to settle in afterward and tossed three scoreless innings, but the four runs the Twins put up on him were already more than enough to keep them in front for the rest of the night and hand the 36-year-old his first loss since June 14. He'll carry a 4.74 ERA and 1.42 WHIP into his next start -- tentatively scheduled to come Wednesday against Detroit.

Leiter (ankle) threw a bullpen session during the All-Star break, MLB.com reports.

Following the bullpen session, Leiter continued to throw off flat ground in Atlanta, where the Rangers kicked off a three-game set Friday. The arm feels good, but the report indicates the right-hander may not be back until late in the season.

Ford went 2-for-5 with a walk, a home run, three runs scored and three RBI in Friday's rout of the A's.

In his ninth career MLB game and his Nationals debut, Ford took Justin Sterner deep for a two-run homer in the fifth inning, giving the 23-year-old backstop his first career long ball. Ford wasn't exactly lighting it up at Triple-A Rochester prior to his promotion, managing a .705 OPS and four home runs in 58 games, and he could be limited to a short-side platoon role while working behind Keibert Ruiz.

Nunez went 3-for-6 with three runs scored and a stolen base in Friday's win over the A's.

The Nationals scored three or more runs in five different innings on their way to a 23-4 rout, and Nunez was one of six Washington players with multiple hits and one of seven to cross the plate multiple times. His sixth-inning steal was his 35th of the season, putting him five clear of Bobby Witt for the major-league lead. Nunez was getting by on his defense and speed early in the season, but since the beginning of June he's produced a stunning .343/.407/.431 slash line over 114 plate appearances.