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Braves considering calling up C Bethancourt

According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, the Braves are considering calling up Christian Bethancourt.

Bethancourt has been hot in June at Triple-A Gwinnett after a sluggish first few months and could take over as the Braves' starting catcher with Evan Gattis shifting to left field. Justin Upton would play right, Jason Heyward would play center, and B.J. Upton would move to the bench. It's a move that might hurt Atlanta defensively (Gattis is not a steady outfielder) but could spark the offense. B.J. Upton has hit .194/.274/.312 in a Braves uniform.

Source: Braves.mlb.com

Jun 16 - 10:37 AM

C.J. Wilson (ankle) pitches in rehab game

C.J. Wilson (ankle) allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings Monday in a minor league rehab start with Double-A Arkansas.

Wilson threw 81 pitches and gave up four hits and two walks while striking out seven batters. The southpaw has been sidelined all month with a right ankle sprain, but he should be cleared to rejoin the Angels' rotation this weekend.

Source: Alden Gonzalez on Twitter

Jul 29 - 8:50 AM

Gerrit Cole (lat) makes first rehab start

Gerrit Cole (lat) tossed five scoreless innings Monday in his first minor league rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Cole, out since July 5 with right lat soreness, allowed five hits and three walks while striking out seven. He threw 50 of his 81 pitches for strikes. He's expected to get stretched out to 100 pitches in his next outing before rejoining the Pirates.

Source: Pirates.mlb.com

Jul 29 - 8:45 AM

Brewers have called Red Sox about Lester

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the Brewers are among the teams who have called the Red Sox about left-hander Jon Lester.

As Heyman notes, the Brewers have been aggressive with in-season moves before, but it's not clear if they have the pieces to get a deal done. Rookie right-hander Jimmy Nelson is one possibility. Of course, the Brewers aren't alone in their interest for Lester, as the Dodgers, Mariners, Pirates and Orioles have also reportedly been in touch with the Red Sox.

Source: CBSSports.com

Jul 29 - 8:36 AM

Vance Worley completes first career shutout

Vance Worley tossed his first career shutout, allowing only four hits, in a 5-0 victory against the Giants on Monday.

It was the best start of his career. He induced two double plays, striking out three and walking one. Worley's control continues to be outstanding, and it in part explains his mini resurgence. Only 29 of his 100 pitches were balls, and he's issued only seven eight passes in 49-plus innings all year. The 26-year-old finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2011 and was the Twins' Opening Day starter last season, but he went through waivers unclaimed in March after a horrific 2013. Called up a month-and-a-half ago, Worley has staked his claim to a rotation gig with a 4-1 record, 2.54 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across seven starts and one relief appearance. And would you believe the formerly maligned starter, given up for dead mere months ago, has a career 3.95 ERA? Worley travels to Arizona on Saturday.

Jul 29 - 12:56 AM

Jeter passes Yaz on hits list; Wagner next

Derek Jeter went 3-for-4 on Monday to pass Carl Yastrzemski for seventh place all-time on the hits list.

Jeter finished tonight's game with 3,420 hits, officially leaving him 10 shy of Honus Wagner in sixth place at 3,430 (Baseball-reference has Wagner at 3,420, which is probably more accurate, but MLB uses Elias for its stats). Jeter also walked and stole a base tonight, making this one of his best games of the season (especially since he was facing Yu Darvish). It's his fifth three-hit game of the year.

Jul 28 - 11:23 PM

Werth (ankle) expected to play on Tuesday

Jayson Werth (ankle) is expected back in the lineup on Tuesday.

Werth exited Monday's game after twisting his right ankle, but it appears that he'll be fine. The Nationals outfielder is sporting a .284/.376/.445 batting line with 12 homers and 58 RBI this season.

Source: James Wagner on Twitter

Jul 28 - 10:48 PM

Red Sox open to trading Lackey and Lester

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Red Sox are open to trading both John Lackey and Jon Lester for the right returns.

It had been clear that they were listening on Lester, but it appears they'd consider dealing Lackey, as well. While Lester is set to hit free agency after the season, the Red Sox have a $500,000 club option on Lackey for 2015 that's as a result of his 2012 Tommy John surgery. That obviously makes his value much higher. Lackey is also pitching very well for the second straight season, posting a 3.60 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 116/32 K/BB ratio over 137 1/3 innings.

Source: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter

Jul 28 - 10:39 PM

D'Backs would consider trading closer Reed

ESPN's Jayson Stark reports that the Diamondbacks are telling teams that "they'd talk" about trading Addison Reed.

It's not clear at this point whether they've had any real discussions with other teams, but it appears they're at least willing to entertain the possibility of a deal. Reed has had an up-and-down season for the D'Backs but his numbers overall (3.89 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 47/11 K/BB ratio over 41 2/3 innings) have been pretty good. He'll be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter. Stark also notes that the D'Backs are listening on Aaron Hill, Oliver Perez and, "for the right offer," Martin Prado and Josh Collmenter. They're expected to hang on to Brad Ziegler.

Source: ESPN.com

Jul 28 - 8:36 PM

Red Sox not targeting Kemp at the moment

WEEI.com's Rob Bradford reports that the Red Sox are "not looking to trade for" Matt Kemp at the moment.

ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes reported Sunday that the Sox were considering a run at Kemp, possibly as part of a package that would send Jon Lester to the Dodgers. Bradford, though, is hearing otherwise. The Mariners are known to have interest in Kemp, but Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan said Sunday that he's more of a backup plan for them at this time. The Dodgers will have to eat a big portion of the $107 million Kemp is owed after this season in order to make a deal happen.

Source: WEEI.com

Jul 28 - 8:14 PM

Blue Jays pick up Valencia from Royals

Blue Jays acquired 3B Danny Valencia from the Royals in exchange for RHP Liam Hendriks and C Erik Kratz.

Valencia can play third base against left-handed pitching until Brett Lawrie (finger) is ready to return, and even then he might still get starts if Lawrie is used at second base. The 29-year-old has batted .282/.328/.382 with two homers over 36 games for the Royals this season and is a career .333/.369/.510 batter versus southpaws.

Jul 28 - 7:16 PM

Marlins interested in lefty Tommy Milone

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports that the Marlins are "thought to be considering" a trade for Tommy Milone.

Milone requested a trade from the A's last week, as he became buried on their depth chart following the acquisition of Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. As Spencer notes, the lefty is appealing to the Marlins because he won't reach free agency until 2018. Spencer also lists Wade Miley and Ian Kennedy as possible targets for the Marlins, with Kennedy being the unlikelier of the two. Miley might also be a long shot, as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this month that the D'Backs have told teams the southpaw is unavailable.

Source: Miami Herald

Jul 28 - 7:11 PM