MLB Player News

Ragans will undergo surgery on his left elbow Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

A left elbow impingement has kept Ragans on the shelf since early May. He suffered a setback in his recovery June 13 and will now opt to go under the knife to address the issue. The type of procedure he receives will be determined once the surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, diagnoses exactly what is wrong with Ragans' elbow, so a timeline for the southpaw's return won't be available until the operation is complete.

The Mariners recalled Simpson from Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.

Simpson has coughed up two earned runs in just 2.1 innings with the Mariners this year, but he's turned in a 2.92 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 12.1 Triple-A frames since making his last big-league appearance May 13. He'll provide Seattle's bullpen with a fresh low-leverage arm, replacing Alex Hoppe.

The Mariners optioned Hoppe to Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.

Hoppe will lose his place in Seattle's bullpen after giving up multiple runs in each of his last two appearances, elevating his ERA to 6.38 through 24 innings. Josh Simpson was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

The Orioles designated Nicolas for assignment Saturday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Nicolas will lose his place on the 40-man roster in order to make room for Dom Keegan, who was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on Saturday. Nicolas has given up seven earned runs in 7.1 major-league innings this season, and he hasn't been much better since joining Triple-A Norfolk (three earned runs in 4.1 IP).

The Royals recalled Cerantola from Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Cerantola has given up six earned runs in 10.2 innings at Triple-A since making his last appearance in the big leagues, but he'll return to Kansas City to help stabilize a Royals staff that went through eight pitchers while giving up 22 runs Friday. Mitch Spence was optioned to Omaha in a corresponding move.

Munoz struck out two batters in a perfect ninth inning to pick up his 15th save of the season in Friday's 3-1 win over Cleveland.

Munoz struck out Kyle Manzardo and Brayan Rocchio to lead off the final frame before inducing a groundout from Kahlil Watson to end the game. With a 4.91 ERA through 29.1 innings, the 27-year-old hasn't been as reliable this year compared to past seasons, but he's now thrown five consecutive scoreless innings and earned a save in each of his last five appearances.

Quantrill is slated to start Saturday's game against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Quantrill will be making his second start in five days, though he'll likely be limited to around 2-to-3 innings after covering two frames and tossing 34 pitches as an opener in front of Jose Corniell in Tuesday's loss to the Marlins. Corniell has since been demoted to Triple-A Round Rock, but Winston Santos hasn't been used following his call-up from Double-A Frisco on Wednesday and could end up covering multiple innings behind Quantrill on Saturday.

Latz walked one batter in a scoreless ninth inning to secure the save in Friday's 5-4 win over the Blue Jays.

Latz walked Brandon Valenzuela to lead off the ninth but was able to regain his composure and force the next three batters he faced to fly out, ending the Blue Jays' comeback effort. Latz now owns a sparkling 1.85 ERA and 0.67 WHIP through 39 innings on the year and has converted 16 of his 18 save chances.

Moran (elbow) will make at least one more rehab appearance before being activated, MLB.com reports.

Moran kicked off a rehab assignment Thursday, when he allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning (17 pitches) for Triple-A Worcester. Relievers on rehab assignments usually don't need much more than one or two appearances, so Moran could return early next week.

Helsley struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his eighth save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Nationals.

The right-hander dispatched the visitors on 12 pitches (nine strikes) to pick up his first save since coming off the IL in mid-June. Helsley got tagged for five runs in 1.2 innings in his first two appearances after recovering from elbow inflammation, but he seems to be shaking off the rust, topping out at 100.4 mph with his fastball Friday in his second straight scoreless outing. On the season, Helsley has converted eight of nine save chances while posting a 4.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 20:9 K:BB in 14.1 innings.