DENVER (AP) — To summon a recent reliever, Cubs manager Joe Maddon didn't even need to signal his bullpen. He just pointed toward his first baseman.Now pitching: Anthony Rizzo .That's no sort of curveball, either.In an increasing trend this season, position players are making more appearances on the mound to save wear and tear on the bullpen in games that have spiraled out of hand or as a last resort.Through Thursday, there have been 49 appearances by 39 non-pitchers (not counting two-way player Shohei Ohtani ). Both figures are major-league highs for the expansion era starting in 1961, according to the Elias Sports Bureau."It's just cool to be up there and get to do something that you don't get to do," said Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer, who was a closer and infielder at Oklahoma State but has never pitched in the majors despite his best lobbying efforts. "You have the ball in your hands nonstop."Rizzo pleaded for a while to get into a game. His chance arrived on July 23 with the Cubs... [More]

Looking for an offensive boost, the Philadelphia Phillies added an All-Star who may not help them for a while.The NL East-leading Phillies acquired injured catcher Wilson Ramos from the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday for a player to be named or cash. They also got left-hander Aaron Loup from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league right-hander Jacob Waguespack.Ramos is batting .297 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs but is on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain. General manager Matt Klentak said the best-case scenario has Ramos returning in mid-to-late August, though it's possible he may be sidelined until September."We're uniquely positioned to take on a risk like this," Klentak said in a conference call. "The fact he may not be active for a few more weeks is not the end of the world for us."Ramos said he can do everything behind the plate but still feels pain when he runs.When healthy, Ramos should upgrade an offense that has struggled during a four-game losing streak. He's also solid defensively."Wilson... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired left-hander Aaron Loup from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league right-hander Jacob Waguespack.Loup has a 4.54 ERA in 50 relief appearances this season with 42 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings, and the Phillies will assume the $594,422 remaining of his $1,812,500 salary.Waguespack was 4-6 with a 4.68 ERA in 21 games, including 15 starts, at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley.Infielder Trevor Plouffe was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.The NL East-leading Phillies also acquired catcher Wilson Ramos from Tampa Bay for a player to be named later or cash on Tuesday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CLEVELAND (AP) — Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell each hit a two-run homer, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cleveland Indians 9-4 on Tuesday night for their 11th straight win.The Pirates routed the Indians for the second straight night. Marte homered in the first inning, drove in three runs and extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games.Polanco homered and Corey Dickerson tripled in two runs when Pittsburgh scored five times in the second. Bell hit a home run in the fifth. The Pirates have homered in a season-high nine straight games, hitting 22 home runs in that span.Pittsburgh has won 11 in a row for the first time since Sept. 12-22, 1996. The Pirates have won 13 of 14 and are 17-8 since June 24. Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents 43-8 in the last five games.Joe Musgrove (4-4) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings for his first win since June 29.Shane Bieber (5-2), called up from Triple-A Columbus to make the start, allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies made a flurry of roster moves Tuesday, including promoting right-hander Enyel De Los Santos from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.The 22-year-old Dominican Republic native was set to start the game against the New York Mets, making his major league debut. De Los Santos was 9-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 16 starts for the Iron Pigs this season.When the Mets counter with righty Drew Gagnon, who is also appearing in his first big league game, it will be the first time a Phillies starter makes his debut against another starter in his first outing since Sept. 25, 1944, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Back then, Charlie Ripple faced Chicago's Charlie Gassaway at Shibe Park.To make room for De Los Santos on the 40-man roster, Philadelphia transferred Pedro Florimon to the 60-day disabled list. The versatile utility man has been idle since May 30 with a fractured right foot.The club also promoted infielder Trevor Plouffe and optioned outfielder Dylan Cozens to Lehigh Valley. A veteran of eight seasons, Plouffe last played in the majors in 2017 and combined to hit .198 in 100 games for Oakland and Tampa Bay.Left-hander Hoby Milner was designated for assignment.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Bartolo Colon has signed another minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, who anticipate the 44-year-old right-hander starting their fifth game but are making no promises beyond that.With left-hander Martin Perez expected to start the season on the 10-day disabled list, and the Rangers wanting Mike Minor to pitch on extended rest when starting for the first time in four seasons, they will need a spot starter April 2 at Oakland. That is where Colon fits in for now."Let's get through that and then we'll see," general manager Jon Daniels said Monday when asked if it would be a one-time start for Colon with Texas or could lead to more appearances.Colon went to spring training with a minor league contract and had a 3.00 ERA over 18 innings in his five starts. The Rangers said when they cut him Saturday that they were working to renegotiate a new deal. The initial deal would have paid him $1.75 million if he had been added to the 40-man roster, with another potential... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Bartolo Colon has signed another minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, who anticipate that the 44-year-old right-hander will start the fifth game of the season.While there are no promises for Colon after the April 2 game at Oakland, he re-signed with the team Monday.Colon went to spring training with a minor league contract and had a 3.00 ERA over 18 innings in his five starts. The Rangers said when they cut him Saturday that they were working to renegotiate a new deal. The initial deal would have paid him $1.75 million if he had been added to the 40-man roster.Texas also signed infielder Trevor Plouffe to another minor league deal. Both Plouffe and Colon were assigned to Triple-A Round Rock's roster.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Infielder Trevor Plouffe has agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers and will report to big league spring training.He would get a $1.75 million, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster under the terms of the deal announced Monday.Plouffe hit .198 with nine homers and 19 RBIs in 100 games for Oakland and Tampa Bay, which acquired him June 17. The 31-year-old was selected by Minnesota with the 20th overall pick in the 2004 amateur draft and played for the Twins from 2010-16. He has a .242 batting average with 105 homers and 376 RBIs in eight major league seasons.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

DH Trevor Plouffe was selected from Triple-A Durham before Monday's game and came through with a pinch-hit single for an RBI in the eighth inning. Plouffe is only hitting .207 but gets another shot to stick on the 40-man roster.

INF Trevor Plouffe was sent to Durham Friday after clearing waivers on Thursday. The former Minnesota Twin has had a rough year between Oakland and Tampa Bay, batting only .204 with eight homers and 16 RBI in 255 at-bats. With the Rays, he's hitting just .179 with a homer and two RBI in 73 at-bats, fanning 25 times. Plouffe might still return in September with roster expansion, but that doesn't seem like a sure thing.

INF Trevor Plouffe was designated for assignment before the Wednesday game. He had hit just .178 with two RBIs in 73 at-bats as a backup at first and third. The addition of Lucas Duda takes away much of his value to the Rays.

IF Trevor Plouffe was designated for assignment Tuesday. He is hitting .204 with eight home runs and 16 RBIs this season.

INF Trevor Plouffe recorded 10 putouts during his fifth start for the Rays at first base. Plouffe also delivered an RBI single, snapping an 0-for-16 stretch.

It became clear that the Oakland Athletics were turning the page on this season quite a while ago.It began unfolding last month when Trevor Plouffe was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays and highly regarded Matt Chapman was called up to become the starter at third base. Then, catcher Stephen Vogt was released to make way for Bruce Maxwell's call-up. And a little over a week ago, bullpen mainstays Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle were traded to the Washington Nationals, primarily for prospects.Yet the A's soldier on, with a fire sale happening around them and the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaching."Everyone on this team is coming here to win a game, so in that way nothing has changed," said rookie center fielder Jaycob Brugman, who now splits time with veteran Rajai Davis. "Are there some players who are young and still working on their craft? Absolutely. But are there players who come in after the game and check in what's happening with trades? We have that, too."That is no simple dynamic... [More]

INF Trevor Plouffe made his Rays debut as a DH, missing two big opportunities in the first four innings, including an inning-ending double play in the fourth inning.

3B Trevor Plouffe was acquired from the Oakland Athletics on Saturday and will not report to the Rays until Monday. Plouffe was designated for assignment by Oakland Thursday after batting .214 with seven homers and 14 RBIs in 58 games. Two years ago, Plouffe hit 22 homers for the Minnesota Twins.

3B Trevor Plouffe was traded on Saturday to Tampa Bay, along with cash, in exchange for a player to be name or cash. Plouffe was designated for assignment Thursday. "That's great," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I texted him this morning. He's excited about it. For a guy who wasn't here very long, he is a guy that was very impactful and all our guys are really pulling for him, as am I. I'm glad he got another opportunity right away." Plouffe, who signed a one-year contract with Oakland as a free agent before the 2017 season, hit .214 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs in 58 games for the A's. He's a career .245 hitter with 103 home runs and 371 RBIs in 781 games for the Twins and A's.

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez was released from the hospital Saturday but won't make the team's next road trip and it is clear he won't be back in action when his mandatory 10-day stint on the disabled list expires."They're going to monitor him for seven to 10 days," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He's not going on the road trip with us. He's staying here. The prognosis is he's probably going to need a week of rest before he does anything else."Martinez had an irregular heartbeat during Thursday night's game with Tampa Bay and was removed for a pinch runner after reaching first on a run-scoring error in the seventh inning.--The Texas Rangers placed right-hander Andrew Cashner on the 10-day disabled list with a left oblique strain.Cashner yielded 10 hits and four runs in four-plus innings for the loss of the Houston Astros' 13-2 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday night. The move to the DL is retroactive to Thursday.Cashner, 30, has gone 3-6 with a 3.50 ERA over 69... [More]

The Tampa Bay Rays acquired infielder Trevor Plouffe from the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, two days after he was designated for assignment.The A's traded Plouffe and cash to the Rays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.Plouffe was batting .214 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs in 58 games with Oakland before he was designated for assignment on Thursday, his 31st birthday. He was 6-for-51 (.118) over his last 18 games.Plouffe, who signed with the A's as a free agent prior to the 2017 season, is a .245 career hitter with 103 home runs and 371 RBIs in 781 games in eight seasons in the majors with the Minnesota Twins (2010-16) and Athletics. He signed a one-year, $5.25-million deal with Oakland after being non-tendered by the Twins.Third base has been Plouffe's primary position, but he also can play first base and is expected to provide depth at the position for the Rays.

3B Trevor Plouffe was designated for assignment Thursday when the A's called up 3B Matt Chapman from Triple-A Nashville. Plouffe hit .214 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs in 58 games for the A's this season after signing a one-year contract on Jan. 18. He hit .067 (2-for-20) in his last 12 games for the A's.