Free agent starting pitcher Luis Cessa has signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals. The 31-year-old posted an ugly 9.00 ERA, 2.231 WHIP, and 11:12 K/BB ratio over 26 innings (seven appearances, six starts) with the Cincinnati Reds last season. He was subsequently released by Cincinnati and then signed a minor league deal with the Rockies. He was then released by Colorado and signed another minor league deal with the Nationals to finish out the 2023 season. He now gets a fresh start with Kansas City and will likely compete for a spot in the starting rotation during spring training.

The Washington Nationals signed free-agent right-hander Luis Cessa to a minor-league deal on Thursday and assigned him to Triple-A Rochester. Cessa began the 2023 season with the Cincinnati Reds but was cut after going 1-4 with an ugly 9.00 ERA (5.44 FIP), 2.23 WHIP, 12 walks and 11 strikeouts in seven appearances (six starts) covering 26 innings. He then latched on with the Colorado Rockies and posted an 8.44 ERA and 1.87 WHIP in six starts for Triple-A Albuquerque in the minor leagues before being cut for the second time this year. The 31-year-old could eventually make it back to the big leagues with the last-place Nationals, but he's obviously well off the fantasy radar. Cessa has a 4.43 career ERA, 1.33 WHIP and weak 18.3% strikeout rate in eight big-league seasons.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Cessa has been released. The 31-year-old was designated for assignment last week and was officially released on Sunday. He got off to a rough start this year with a 9.00 ERA, 2.23 WHIP, and an 11:12 K/BB ratio over 26 innings (seven appearances, six starts). He'll likely sign with another team in the coming weeks and serve as rotational depth.

The Cincinnati Reds designated right-hander Luis Cessa for assignment and also placed left-hander Reiver Sanmartin (elbow) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 8) on Tuesday with a left-elbow stress reaction. The Reds also recalled right-hander Kevin Herget from Triple-A Louisville and selected the contract of right-hander Ben Lively from Louisville. Infielder Matt Reynolds was outrighted to Louisville. Cessa, 31, lost his rotation spot by allowing a league-high 26 runs on 46 hits (three homers) in 26 innings over seven outings (six starts), and now he may be looking for work elsewhere. Lively will have a shot to stick in the rebuilding Reds rotation now. Sanmartin has also struggled in 2023, posting a 7.07 ERA and 1.93 WHIP in 14 relief innings for the Reds.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Cessa will make the start on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers after the team placed left-hander Mike Minor (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list. Cessa will be pushed forward a few days after originally being scheduled to start the series finale on Sunday. The 30-year-old veteran is 4-3 on the year with a 4.85 ERA (5.23 FIP), a 1.29 WHIP and a 50:21 K:BB in 65 innings over 43 outings (seven starts). He's been slightly better in four September starts, allowing nine earned runs on 16 hits (four homers) while walking five and striking out 18 in 21 1/3 frames. Still, Cessa doesn't bring very much upside as a fantasy streamer, especially in a tough matchup against Milwaukee.

The Cincinnati Reds placed pitcher Luis Cessa (back) on the 15-day injured list with a muscle strain on his back on Thursday. He exited Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a back injury. The 30-year-old walked one batter over a 1/3 inning before being removed from Thursday's contest. Cincinnati's bullpen continues to be ravished by injuries and joins a lengthy list of Reds relievers on the injured list. He is expected to be out until after the All-Star break. Cessa has struggled this season, posting a 6.68 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts across 31 innings in 2022.

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds kept adding arms to their struggling bullpen by acquiring right-hander Mychal Givens from the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday for two pitching prospects. The Reds sent right-handers Case Williams and Noah Davis to Colorado. On Tuesday night, Cincinnati got relievers Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson from the New York Yankees for a player to be named. The trio gives the second-place Reds much-needed relief help as they chase the Milwaukee Brewers in NL Central and try to keep the Cardinals and Cubs at bay. “They come with great reports on their character, and we know their track records as pitchers,” manager David Bell said Wednesday from Chicago before the Reds played the Cubs. “We’re always looking to get better, and I think it says a lot about where we are, just as far as believing in what we’re doing and where we’re headed. Can’t wait to add these guys into the mix.” The 31-year-old Givens, who is due to be a free agent after the season, has a 2.73 ERA... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds added more help for their struggling bullpen by acquiring right-hander Mychal Givens from the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday in exchange for two pitching prospects. The Rockies got right-hander Case Williams and right-hander Noah Davis, the Reds’ 26th-rated prospect. On Tuesday night, the Reds acquired relievers Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson from the New York Yankees for a player to be named. The 31-year-old Givens, who is due to be a free agent after the season, has a 2.73 ERA and 27.4% strikeout rate in 29 2/3 innings for Colorado. The 19-year-old Williams heads back to the team that picked him in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He was traded to the Reds last November in the deal that also brought right-hander Jeff Hoffman to Cincinnati. Williams has pitched for the low-A Daytona Tortugas this season, posting a 5.55 ERA. The 24-year-old Davis is 3-6 with a 3.60 ERA in 13 starts with the high-A Dayton Dragons. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Cincinnati Reds acquired relief pitchers Justin Wilson and Luis Cessa from the New York Yankees on Tuesday night for a player to be named later. Wilson struggled in 18 innings for the Yankees in 2021, posting a 7.50 ERA and a 4.72 FIP to go along with 15 strikeouts and nine walks. Cessa, meanwhile, has pitched to a 2.82 ERA, a 3.54 FIP, 31 strikeouts, and 17 walks in 38.1 innings this season. Cincinnati's bullpen might be one to stay away from in fantasy until Lucas Sims and Tejay Antone return from the injured list. Heath Hembree and Amir Garrett have both been getting save opportunities, but the Reds now have Wilson and Cessa on hand as late-inning options.

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ BIG NAMES TEST POSITIVE COVID-19 continues to impact major league rosters more than 16 months after spring training was shut down in 2020 because of the coronavirus. The Washington Nationals will likely be without star shortstop Trea Turner for the next several days, while the Milwaukee Brewers will be missing 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich for more than a week. Turner and Yelich recently tested positive. Yelich and teammate Jace Peterson were placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday. Turner was pulled in the first inning of Tuesday night's game at Philadelphia. Turner began the day batting .320 with 18 home runs and 49 RBIs. He singled and scored in the first inning, then headed directly up the tunnel toward the Nationals' clubhouse and was replaced in the bottom of the first. The Phillies announced later in the game that Turner had tested positive, ending speculation that he was lifted for a possible pending trade or due to injury.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees traded relievers Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson to the Cincinnati Reds late Tuesday night for a player to be named. The move could signal the Yankees are pursuing a big addition to their bullpen and were looking to create room. The deal was announced hours after New York won 4-3 at Tampa Bay, and Cincinnati finished off a 7-4 road victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night. The Yankees also made a bullpen move Monday, acquiring reliever Clay Holmes from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league infielders Hoy Park and Diego Castillo. The 29-year-old Cessa went 3-1 with a 2.82 ERA in 29 relief appearances for the Yankees this season. Wilson, 33, was 1-1 with a 7.50 ERA in 21 outings. The left-hander missed a combined 34 games during two stints on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation (March 29 to April 9) and a strained right hamstring (May 29 to June 30). He signed a one-year contract in February with a player option for 2022. New York is nine games behind AL East-leading Boston and seven back of the second-place Rays, but much closer in the hunt for the second AL wild card. Cincinnati is in second place in the NL Central, seven games behind Milwaukee, and also is chasing San Diego for the second NL wild card. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman homered off Yu Darvish in the sixth inning, Touki Toussaint allowed one run and three hits in his season debut, and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Tuesday night. Toussaint, who missed the first 3½ months rehabbing a right shoulder strain, retired the first seven batters he faced before walking Victor Caratini in the third. He didn’t allow a hit until Manny Machado doubled with one out in the fourth. The Padres tied it 1-all in the fourth when Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on Machado’s double and scored on Tommy Pham’s sacrifice fly. Freeman made it 2-1 by taking Darvish deep over the wall in left field with an opposite-field shot, his 22nd homer. Toussaint (1-0) walked two and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings. Darvish (7-4) was making his first start since July 8 after a stint on the injured list due to left hip inflammation. He allowed four hits and two runs with two walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman homered off Yu Darvish in the sixth inning, Touki Toussaint allowed one run and three hits in his season debut, and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Tuesday night. Toussaint, who missed the first 3½ months rehabbing a right shoulder strain, retired the first seven batters he faced before walking Victor Caratini in the third. He didn’t allow a hit until Manny Machado doubled with one out in the fourth. The Padres tied it 1-all in the fourth when Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on Machado’s double and scored on Tommy Pham’s sacrifice fly. Freeman made it 2-1 by taking Darvish deep over the wall in left field with an opposite-field shot, his 22nd homer. Toussaint (1-0) walked two and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings. Darvish (7-4) was making his first start since July 8 after a stint on the injured list due to left hip inflammation. He allowed four hits and two runs with two walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman homered off Yu Darvish in the sixth inning, Touki Toussaint allowed one run and three hits in his season debut, and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Tuesday night. Toussaint, who missed the first 3½ months rehabbing a right shoulder strain, retired the first seven batters he faced before walking Victor Caratini in the third. He didn’t allow a hit until Manny Machado doubled with one out in the fourth. The Padres tied it 1-all in the fourth when Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on Machado’s double and scored on Tommy Pham’s sacrifice fly. Freeman made it 2-1 by taking Darvish deep over the wall in left field with an opposite-field shot, his 22nd homer. Toussaint (1-0) walked two and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings. Darvish (7-4) was making his first start since July 8 after a stint on the injured list due to left hip inflammation. He allowed four hits and two runs with two walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman homered off Yu Darvish in the sixth inning, Touki Toussaint allowed one run and three hits in his season debut, and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Tuesday night. Toussaint, who missed the first 3½ months rehabbing a right shoulder strain, retired the first seven batters he faced before walking Victor Caratini in the third. He didn’t allow a hit until Manny Machado doubled with one out in the fourth. The Padres tied it 1-all in the fourth when Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on Machado’s double and scored on Tommy Pham’s sacrifice fly. Freeman made it 2-1 by taking Darvish deep over the wall in left field with an opposite-field shot, his 22nd homer. Toussaint (1-0) walked two and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings. Darvish (7-4) was making his first start since July 8 after a stint on the injured list due to left hip inflammation. He allowed four hits and two runs with two walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman homered off Yu Darvish in the sixth inning, Touki Toussaint allowed one run and three hits in his season debut, and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Tuesday night. Toussaint, who missed the first 3½ months rehabbing a right shoulder strain, retired the first seven batters he faced before walking Victor Caratini in the third. He didn’t allow a hit until Manny Machado doubled with one out in the fourth. The Padres tied it 1-all in the fourth when Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on Machado’s double and scored on Tommy Pham’s sacrifice fly. Freeman made it 2-1 by taking Darvish deep over the wall in left field with an opposite-field shot, his 22nd homer. Toussaint (1-0) walked two and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings. Darvish (7-4) was making his first start since July 8 after a stint on the injured list due to left hip inflammation. He allowed four hits and two runs with two walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer, a season high by a Japanese player in the major leagues, helping the Los Angeles Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Wednesday. Fellow All-Star Jared Walsh homered twice for the Angels, who won for the sixth time in seven games and took two of three from the AL-leading Red Sox. Ohtani topped Hideki Matsui’s total with the 2004 Yankees by hitting a 433-foot shot to right off Eduardo Rodríguez (6-5), putting the Angels ahead to stay in the fifth inning. The two-way star has 15 homers in his past 20 games. Andrew Heaney (5-6) pitched six-hit ball into the sixth, and Raisel Iglesias struck out the side in the ninth for his 18th save. RAYS 4, INDIANS 0 RAYS 8, INDIANS 1 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Five Tampa Bay pitchers combined for seven hitless innings to finish a doubleheader sweep. Collin McHugh (two perfect innings), Josh Fleming (7-4 after allowing one walk in 2 2/3 innings), Diego Castillo (one out), Matt... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer, a season high by a Japanese player in the major leagues, helping the Los Angeles Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Wednesday. Fellow All-Star Jared Walsh homered twice for the Angels, who won for the sixth time in seven games and took two of three from the AL-leading Red Sox. Ohtani topped Hideki Matsui’s total with the 2004 Yankees by hitting a 433-foot shot to right off Eduardo Rodríguez (6-5), putting the Angels ahead to stay in the fifth inning. The two-way star has 15 homers in his past 20 games. Andrew Heaney (5-6) pitched six-hit ball into the sixth, and Raisel Iglesias struck out the side in the ninth for his 18th save. RAYS 4, INDIANS 0 RAYS 8, INDIANS 1 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Five Tampa Bay pitchers combined for seven hitless innings to finish a doubleheader sweep. Collin McHugh (two perfect innings), Josh Fleming (7-4 after allowing one walk in 2 2/3 innings), Diego Castillo (one out), Matt... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — César Hernández hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday that dropped the Twins to 0-8 in extra-inning games this season. Hernández’s first career game-ending home run led off the 10th and sliced over the right-field wall to score Austin Hedges, who started at second base under pandemic rules. Colomé (2-4) also gave up Jordan Luplow’s leadoff homer in the 10th inning of a 5-3 loss at Cleveland on April 26. James Karinchak (2-0) got four outs, finishing a 4 2/3 hitless scoreless Indians bullpen behind AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber. Bieber allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six, ending his 23-game streak of at least seven strikeouts. DODGERS 6, GIANTS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Max Muncy hit a home run into McCovey Cove, connecting off Scott Kazmir in the lefty’s first big league game since 2016, and Los Angeles beat San Francisco for its seventh straight... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — César Hernández hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday that dropped the Twins to 0-8 in extra-inning games this season. Hernández’s first career game-ending home run led off the 10th and sliced over the right-field wall to score Austin Hedges, who started at second base under pandemic rules. Colomé (2-4) also gave up Jordan Luplow’s leadoff homer in the 10th inning of a 5-3 loss at Cleveland on April 26. James Karinchak (2-0) got four outs, finishing a 4 2/3 hitless scoreless Indians bullpen behind AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber. Bieber allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six, ending his 23-game streak of at least seven strikeouts. DODGERS 6, GIANTS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Max Muncy hit a home run into McCovey Cove, connecting off Scott Kazmir in the lefty’s first big league game since 2016, and Los Angeles beat San Francisco for its seventh straight... [More]