MLB Player News

Fleming was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with left elbow soreness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fleming was scheduled to start one of the two games of Tampa Bay's doubleheader against the Red Sox on Saturday, but that won't happen now. The left-hander will miss at least two weeks while recovering, and the Rays will announce a corresponding move before Saturday's twin bill. Trevor Kelley will be deployed as an opener in Fleming's place Saturday.

Kelley will be the opener for the first game of a doubleheader against the Red Sox on Saturday, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Kelley will open the game and likely go an inning or two in what could be a bullpen day for Tampa Bay. Tyler Glasnow will get the nod in the second game after having his scheduled start Friday postponed due to inclement weather.

Joyce has thrown 21 of his 22 major-league pitches at over 100 mph, per Taylor Blake Ward of AngelsWin.com.

Joyce's spectacular velocity is no secret -- his fastball was clocked as high as 105 mph in college before the Angels took him in the third round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. He struggled to control the pitch at Double-A this season, walking 14 batters over 15.2 innings, but the Angels nonetheless fast-tracked him to the majors with a call-up Sunday. Joyce has shown huge promise in his first two games as a big-leaguer, posting a 4:0 K:BB over two scoreless frames. On Thursday, he fanned both Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez on three pitches each, with all the offerings being four-seam fastballs that clocked in at 101-102 mph. The Angels are set at closer this season with Carlos Estevez pitching well, but Joyce could see plenty of high-leverage work if he continues to limit walks. The fireballer has the makings of a future closer, and he could have some fantasy value even if he's not getting save chances due to his potential to rack up strikeouts in bunches.

Pop (hamstring) is scheduled to make another rehab appearance Friday with Low-A Dunedin, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Pop worked around a walk and a hit-by-pitch to deliver a scoreless inning Tuesday in his rehab debut with Dunedin. He should be a consideration for the Blue Jays' bullpen sometime next week, assuming all continues to go well on his rehab stint. The right-hander has been out since May 5 due to a right hamstring strain.

Zimmermann was called up from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, Cordell Woodland of 105.7 The Fan Baltimore reports.

Zimmermann will head to the big leagues for the first time this season after opening the 2023 campaign in Triple-A. The left-hander has produced a 4.05 ERA and 1.47 WHIP with 50 punchouts over 46.2 innings in nine starts with Norfolk this season. Zimmermann will take the spot of Mychal Givens, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. It's unclear whether Zimmermann will operate as a bullpen arm or get a chance to bump Austin Voth from the Orioles rotation.

Kansas City recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

The 26-year-old right-hander will replace Amir Garrett, who is headed to the 15-day injured list with a left elbow injury. A former top prospect, Kowar projects to operate in long relief as he joins the Royals' major-league roster for the second time this season.

The Rays designated Heller for assignment Friday, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Just over a week after being selected from Triple-A Durham, the 31-year-old righty will lose his spot on the Rays' 40-man roster following the acquisition of Robert Stephenson from Pittsburgh. Heller holds a 3.95 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in Triple-A this season through 27.1 innings and could be claimed by another team in need of organizational bullpen depth.

Armstrong (neck) is expected to be activated from the injured list sometime this weekend, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Armstrong has been out all season with a neck injury, but he's looked ready on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham, holding a 2.00 ERA and 8:2 K:BB over nine innings of work. The 32-year-old is on the 60-day IL, so the Rays will have to clear a spot on the 40-man roster in addition to the 26-man roster.

Morgan (2-1) allowed one run on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning Thursday, taking the loss versus the Twins.

After a rough May in which Morgan was scored upon in five of his nine appearances, his June didn't get off to a better start. He loaded the bases with no outs before allowing a sacrifice fly by Willi Castro to bring in the decisive run. In addition to allowing too many runs in May, Morgan failed to record a save or a hold during the month, which suggests he's on the verge of losing what little high-leverage work he had. For the season, he still has a solid 1.93 ERA, but a 1.29 WHIP and a 3.58 FIP are both indicators that his numbers could regress further.

The Rays acquired Stephenson from the Pirates on Friday in exchange for minor-league infielder Alika Williams, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Stephenson has a 5.14 ERA for the Pirates this season and a 5.38 ERA over 76 relief appearances since the beginning of 2022. However, the 2011 first-round pick still has pretty good stuff and can miss bats, particularly with his slider. It's the kind of profile the Rays usually get the most out of, but Stephenson can be expected to work in low-leverage situations initially.