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  • Heads back to Triple-A
    The Red Sox optioned Heineman to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: As expected, Heineman's stay with the Red Sox was a brief one. Boston called him up from Worcester on Monday to provide another option at catcher while Connor Wong (personal) was away from the team on paternity leave, but Heineman will head back to the minors after Wong was activated ahead of the Red Sox's next game Friday versus the Padres. Heineman picked up one at-bat during his latest stint in the majors. Rotowire.com 6 minutes ago
     
  • Returns to Triple-A
    The Cardinals optioned Roycroft to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

    Advice: Roycroft will return to Memphis after he was called up ahead of the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with Atlanta to serve as the Cardinals' 27th man for the twin bill. He struck out two and collected his first career hold in a perfect inning of the bullpen in the Cardinals' 4-1 win in Game 2. Rotowire.com 57 minutes ago
     
  • Returns to Triple-A
    The Twins optioned Henriquez to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.

    Advice: Henriquez will head back to the minors as the Twins clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for right-hander David Festa, who was called up from St. Paul to start Thursday's game in Arizona. During his two-day stay with the Twins, Henriquez made one appearance, tossing a scoreless inning and striking out a batter in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks. Rotowire.com Today, 8:29 am
     
  • 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 Today, 8:26 am
     
  • 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 Today, 8:13 am
     
  • 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 Today, 8:11 am
     
  • 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 Today, 8:10 am
     
  • 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 Today, 8:05 am
     
  • 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