Pirates option down Cam Sanders

No one thought it was worth taking on the rest of Smith’s $2.25 million salary in the hopes that he’d bounce back. The 30-year-old had hit just .141/.236/.192 in 89 plate appearances since returning from elbow surgery. He was pretty good in limited action the previous two years, batting .262/.357/.475 in 446 plate appearances between 2024 and ’25. The Diamondbacks don’t have much ahead of him at first base, so if he rebounds, he might get another chance. That said, Tyler Locklear is probably ahead of him in line for a look.

A really tough break for Akin, who will be a free agent for the first time at season’s end. He might be back down the stretch next year if his rehab goes well. The 31-year-old had a 5.68 ERA in 25 1/3 innings this season. He has a lifetime 4.55 ERA in 393 1/3 innings, all for the Orioles.

This rules out Zastryzny through July 30. He still hasn’t pitched in a major league game this season; he missed the first two months with a shoulder strain, was activated May 31 and then was put back on the IL on June 3 without having made an appearance.

Cerantola was claimed off waivers from the Royals on July 6 and had since made two appearances in Triple-A. This is his first outright, so he’ll remain with Sacramento.

Troy, who was hurt crashing into the wall in Saturday’s game, will exit the outfield mix for at least the first week back from the All-Star break, resulting in probably an additional start or two for Loudres Gurriel Jr. and Max Kepler.

McCullers is making $17 million this year in the final year of a five-year deal, so this was mostly a salary dump to free up money for other trades. Fielder, who is the son of Prince Fielder, is hitting .233/.415/.398 in 45 games at Single-A with three home runs, 34 runs, 23 RBI, and 10 steals. He also doesn’t seem to have a real defensive position, so he’s a long shot to push for MLB at-bats in the future.

Gordon has only thrown 9 1/3 innings for the Astros this season, but he’s posted a 3.69 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 55/14 K/BB ratio in 70 2/3 innings in Triple-A. Gordon, much like Shane Drohan and Chad Patrick, has experience both as a starter and a reliever, so he will provide some organizational depth and potential bulk innings for the Brewers down the stretch.

This move was reported a few hours ago and is now official. McCullers was up to 77 pitches in his last rehab start, so there’s a chance that he could join the Milwaukee rotation shortly.

That means the team will push Mitch Keller to next week. It makes sense to use Jones, who is clearly on a pitch count, in the first start after the break because it means the bullpen will be fresh.

Nola will start on Thursday, there will then be a day off to accommodate the World Cup Final, and then Luzardo and Rangel will throw on Saturday and Sunday. The Phillies could have chosen to use Zack Wheeler on normal rest this weekend, but the veteran will likely get a two-start week against the Dodgers and Yankees instead.