MLB Player News

Martinez would have been in line for a nice two-year deal without the qualifying offer hanging over his head, but as is, he’s probably best off taking the $21 million. He’ll rejoin Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo in the Reds rotation, leaving one spot for Graham Ashcraft, Rhett Lowder, Carson Spiers or anyone else the team might bring in this winter.

Kelly will get the day off with Paul Skenes on the mound for the Pirates. Reese McGuire will handle catching duties and hit ninth.

Brant Hurter will be the opener for Friday’s game. Montero worked behind an opener in his last outing as well, and it’s a way to keep the 24-year-old from seeing the Cincinnati lineup face the right-hander multiple times. He still has a chance to qualify for a win with the bulk assignment, but there are better streaming options for Friday’s slate.

Just like the first time he was called up on March 31, Anderson is taking Aaron Civale’s spot, although it was an injury the previous time and now it’s because of a trade. Anderson has a 3.86 ERA in 32 2/3 innings out of the Milwaukee pen this season.

Maybe a future third-generation major leaguer? The Brewers aren’t facing any righties this weekend, so Cameron was unlikely to make any starts,

Avans, who was claimed off waivers from the A’s last week, will likely only be up for a few days with Daz Cameron on the paternity list. The 29-year-old has hit .327/.411/.441 in Triple-A this year.

Suter will rejoin the Reds pen after three days away. Joe La Sorsa was sent down Thursday to open up a spot.

It’s surprising to see the White Sox trade for a free agent to be, but if Civale, who requested a trade after losing his spot in Milwaukee’s rotation, manages to pitch well for them for a month, he’ll have some real trade value at the deadline. Vaughn wasn’t going to and almost certainly was going to be non-tendered after the season anyway. Civale has a 4.91 ERA this season, but his only bad showing came in his season debut, when he suffered a hamstring strain. In four starts since returning, he had a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings. His addition could bump Mike Vasil to the pen or maybe result in a demotion for Sean Burke. It’s unlikely that he’ll prove useful in mixed leagues with the White Sox.

Vaughn will remain in the minors and report to Triple-A Nashville. If he starts tearing it up there, perhaps the Brewers would consider making some room for him by playing Christian Yelich in the outfield, but they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it. Vaughn hit just .189/.218/.314 in 48 games for the White Sox before being demoted, though his exit velocity numbers were actually a little better than his career norms. He’d hit .211/.328/.351 in 15 games for Triple-A Charlotte. Given his current $5.85 million salary, he’ll need to experience a real breakthrough to avoid being non-tendered this winter.

Urshela, on the IL since May 23 with a hamstring strain, is 3-for-6 with two walks between the two games. With Max Muncy having homered three times in seven games since his callup, the A’s are going to have to make a tough call to get Urshela back on the roster in the near future, at least assuming Jacob Wilson doesn’t need an IL stint for his hamstring.

Although the lefty showed some potential as a starter last season, the A’s have decided to bring Basso back as a reliever for now. He’ll probably join the bullpen later this month, though he could be optioned out instead if he struggles on his rehab assignment.