The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Chris Martin in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Dodgers bolstered their bullpen by acquiring right-hander Chris Martin from the Chicago Cubs for infielder-outfielder Zach McKinstry on Saturday.

The 36-year-old Martin won a World Series with the Atlanta Braves last season and pitched three times during an NL Championship Series victory over the Dodgers.

The 6-foot-8 reliever is 1-0 with a 4.31 ERA this season, striking out 40 batters with four walks in 31 1/3 innings. He’ll support a bullpen that’s currently without injured pitchers Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Tommy Kahnle, Victor González and Danny Duffy.

McKinstry is a 27-year-old utility player with a career .210 batting average and eight homers in 193 plate appearances. A 33rd-round draft pick in 2016, McKinstry has appeared in just four games since being activated off the injured list July 6 following a neck injury.

McKinstry has also played 48 games at Triple-A this season, where he hit .335 with four homers, 25 RBIs and a .904 OPS.

CARDINALS: St. Louis traded shortstop Edmundo Sosa to the Philadelphia Phillies for left-hander JoJo Romero and will activate shortstop Paul DeJong off the taxi squad.

Advertisement

An All-Star in 2019, DeJong was demoted to Triple-A Memphis in May after hitting .130 with one home run in 24 games. The 28-year-old may have rediscovered his power stroke in the minors, slugging 17 homers with a .249 batting average in 51 games.

Sosa is a slick defender, giving the poor-fielding Phillies a potential upgrade in the infield. The 26-year-old has struggled at the plate, hitting .189 without a homer in 53 games this season.

The 25-year-old Romero has pitched in parts of three big league seasons, including two relief appearances this year with three runs allowed in two innings. He has a 7.89 ERA in the majors. St. Louis assigned Romero to Triple-A.

ROCKIES: Closer Daniel Bard has signed a two-year contract extension, the team announced.

Bard, 37, was the subject of trade rumors ahead of Tuesday’s deadline but his deal keeps him with Colorado through 2024.

The hard-throwing righty is 3-3 with 21 saves and a 1.91 ERA in 37 games this season. His 21 saves were fifth in the National League and tied for seventh in the majors entering Saturday.

Advertisement

Bard broke into the majors with Boston in 2009 and spent five seasons with the Red Sox. His team in Boston ended with control issues after just two games in 2013.

RAYS-DIAMONDBACKS TRADE: Tampa Bay acquired outfielder David Peralta from Arizona, adding a veteran left-handed bat for the playoff race.

The Rays sent 19-year-old minor league catcher Christian Cerda to the Diamondbacks.

The 34-year-old Peralta has played his entire nine-year MLB career with the D-backs, where he won a Silver Slugger award in 2018 and a Gold Glove in 2019. His bat has slowed in recent seasons, but he’s still very good against right-handed pitching.

Peralta – a fan favorite in Arizona – has a .248 average, 12 homers and 41 RBI this season.

Cerda is batting .315 in rookie-level ball.

Advertisement

WHITE SOX: Major League Baseball suspended Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson for three games and fined the All-Star an undisclosed amount for making contact with plate umpire Nick Mahrley during an argument.

Anderson was in the White Sox lineup hitting leadoff Saturday against Oakland after he appealed the suspension, and he’ll remain active until his appeal is heard. It’s the third time he’s been disciplined by MLB in the past year, including a one-game ban overturned on appeal earlier this season.

Anderson and manager Tony La Russa were ejected Friday in a 7-3 loss to the Athletics after a heated exchanged over a called strike from reliever Domingo Acevedo that appeared to be high. The tip of Anderson’s helmet appeared to make contact with Mahrley.

TWINS: AL Central-leading Minnesota placed outfielder Max Kepler and infielder Miguel Sanó on the 10-day injured list, a big setback for a team with playoff hopes.

Sanó’s return to the IL with left knee inflammation is particularly tough because he had returned just four days earlier from missing 75 games after having surgery to repair torn meniscus in the knee in May. He apparently aggravated the knee during his recent rehab assignment. The Twins say he will undergo an MRI when they return to Minneapolis after a weekend series at San Diego.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.