Mets designated Dan Hammer for assignment

Rutschman has shouldered a heavy load for the Orioles, often serving as the team’s designated hitter when he’s not starting behind the dish, so he’ll get a hard-earned day off in this one. Samuel Basallo starts behind the dish for the O’s and will bat fifth against Royals’ right-hander Seth Lugo on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.

Thornton will start for the Mets in Sunday’s first half finale against the Red Sox. The 24-year-old southpaw has made two starts for the big league club this season, registering a 4.35 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 10/3 K/BB ratio over 10 1/3 innings. He could be worth a look as a streaming option on Sunday and is likely to get a real shot to stick in the team’s rotation at some point in the second half.

Myers threw 22 pitches over two innings while giving up a pair of runs against the Red Sox on Saturday and was unlikely to be available for Sunday’s first half finale, so the Mets opted to swap him out for a fresh arm. Myers sports a miserable 6.26 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 33/13 K/BB ratio over 46 innings with the Mets this season.

It’s the first trip to the big leagues for the 24-year-old slugger. Ortiz was slashing .235/.332/.481 with 16 homers, 59 RBI and a 60/31 K/BB ratio over 304 plate appearances at Triple-A Rochester. He’s unlikely to see enough playing time to gain any sort of relevance from a fantasy perspective. He’ll serve as the club’s designated hitter and bat third against Yankees’ right-hander Will Warren in his MLB debut on Sunday.

Krook struggled in three appearances with the Nationals, posting a 6.75 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and a 2/2 K/BB ratio across 2 2/3 innings including suffering a blown save against the Yankees on Friday night. It’s possible that he could once again attract interest on waivers as bullpen help is difficult to come by.

Petty was just optioned to Louisville on July 4 to make room in the Reds’ rotation for the return of Hunter Greene. Now with Nick Lodolo (finger) landing on the injured list, he’ll get another opportunity. The 23-year-old righty holds a 4.37 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 9/7 K/BB ratio over 22 2/3 innings in 10 appearances (two starts) with the Reds this season.

Lodolo was pulled from Saturday’s start against the Cubs in the sixth inning after the blister developed. This has been a recurring issue for him dating back to 2023, so the Reds will sit him down and make sure that it fully heals before bringing him back. Chase Petty was recalled from Triple-A Louisville to take his place in the club’s rotation for the time being.

As anticipated, Bello rejoins the Red Sox for Sunday’s first half finale against the Mets. It sounds like he’ll be available out of the bullpen if needed on Sunday but is likely to jump into the Red Sox’ rotation following the All-Star break to fill in for the injured Ranger Suarez.

The 36-year-old southpaw fired a pair of scoreless innings to close out Saturday’s game against the Mets, but overall holds an uninspiring 4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and a 10/15 K/BB ratio in 22 innings for the Red Sox this season. He has proven to be a viable bullpen arm and could attract interest on waivers.

Sogard missed more than a month’s worth of action due to soreness in his right side. He had been on a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Worcester and that’s where he’ll remain at least through the All-Star break as he continues to round back into game shape.