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  • Sent back to Triple-A
    Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

    Advice: As expected, Elder was returned to the minors after he was designated as Atlanta's 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader with the Cardinals. He picked up the start in the second game and was dealt a loss after giving up two earned runs on four hits and no walks while striking out four over six innings. Rotowire.com 7 minutes ago
     
  • Catches on with North Siders
    Nittoli agreed to a one-year contract with the Cubs on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

    Advice: The Cubs will hope that Nittoli can bolster a bullpen that ranks 24th in the majors this season with a collective 4.52 ERA. The 33-year-old has previously made seven appearances in the big leagues with the Athletics this season, logging a 2.25 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in eight innings prior to being moved off the 40-man roster and electing free agency last week. Rotowire.com 20 minutes ago
     
  • Records first career steal
    Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

    Advice: Fresh off a three-hit night Tuesday, Alvarez drew a second consecutive start and continued contributing in small-ball fashion Wednesday. The 29-year-old rookie's stolen base was a nice bonus, as he's not been very prolific in that category throughout his long minor-league career (28-for-42 across 709 games). Alvarez's encouraging play could continue to allow him to carve out semi-regular playing time around the infield for the time being, with Abraham Toro's recent placement on the IL due to a hamstring injury the primary catalyst for the former's long-awaited arrival in the big leagues. Rotowire.com 22 minutes ago
     
  • Cubs sign reliever Vinny Nittoli
    According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Cubs signed reliever Vinny Nittoli to a major league contract.

    Advice: The 33-year-old reliever was actually good in Oakland this season but was still designated for assignment last week after posting a 2.25 ERA in eight innings. The Cubs have also found success with Tyson Miller, who they signed after he was designated for assignment, so they’ll hope to catch lightning in a bottle twice and bring some much-needed life to a bullpen that has really struggled this season. Rotoworld 23 minutes ago
     
  • On base three times Wednesday
    McCann went 1-for-2 with two walks in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

    Advice: McCann made one of his relatively infrequent appearances in the starting nine and once again contributed, qualifying as the only Athletics batter to reach safely on three occasions. The rookie backstop has now reached safely in four consecutive games dating back to June 16, and he sports a formidable .278 average and .804 OPS across 91 plate appearances (30 games) this season. Rotowire.com 28 minutes ago
     
  • George Kirby changed his curve grip in last start
    George Kirby debuted a new curveball grip in Tuesday’s start, making the change “on the fly” before the game.

    Advice: Kirby didn’t like how his curveball was performing against right-handed batters this season, so he decided to try a new grip before Tuesday’s start in order to “find something that has a little more depth and [he] can stay on the plate with it.” It seemed to work on Tuesday as Kirby threw just six curveballs but got five swings and two whiffs. The other swings resulted in foul balls and one groundout. Kirby mentioned that it’s a grip he’s used in the past and one he knows Zac Gallen uses. “I throw it a little bit harder, but it just kind of eliminates the horizontal movement, which, especially to righties, I kind of had a hard time with.” After a successful first attempt at the new grip, the modification may stay around, giving Kirby a little more fantasy upside in what is already a good season. Rotoworld 28 minutes ago
     
  • Picks up first save
    Thornton recorded his first save in a win over the Rays on Wednesday, firing a perfect ninth inning.

    Advice: Ryne Stanek worked the eighth and Andres Munoz faltered with the save opportunity to open the ninth, failing to record an out and leaving Thornton to inherit a bases-loaded jam. The right-hander deftly managed the dangerous scenario, inducing a fielder's choice groundout from Richie Palacios that allowed Josh Lowe to score but then retiring Amed Rosario on a game-ending double play. The one run went on Munoz's tab, affording Thornton his sixth scoreless outing in his last eight trips to the mound -- including his third straight -- as well as his first career save. Rotowire.com Today, 7:33 am
     
  • Not making start this week
    Jones isn't listed among the Pirates' probable starting pitchers for this weekend's series in Atlanta, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

    Advice: Jones will thus go the entire week without making a start, much to the chagrin of fantasy managers in weekly leagues who chose to keep him active. Gorman notes that general manager Ben Cherington has previously said that while the Pirates don't intend to shut Jones or fellow rookie phenom Paul Skenes down at any point this season, both pitchers will have their respective workloads managed to some degree as the campaign unfolds. Jones isn't dealing with any sort of injury, so the Pirates appear to have simply chosen this week as an opportunity to build in more recovery for the right-hander, who has logged 86 innings through his first 15 big-league starts. Jones now appears to be in line to make his next start at some point during next week's series versus the Cardinals. Rotowire.com Today, 7:30 am
     
  • Cleared to start Friday
    Perez (groin) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Friday in Atlanta, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

    Advice: The Pirates will push back Jared Jones' next turn through the rotation in order to make room for Perez, whose last outing before he landed on the IL in late May coincidentally came against Atlanta. Perez needed just one rehab start to convince the Pirates he was ready to rejoin the big club, as he allowed two runs (one earned) over five innings while tossing 65 pitches for Triple-A Indianapolis last weekend. Perez shouldn't face any sort of major restriction with his workload Friday. Rotowire.com Today, 7:24 am