MLB Player News

Munoz (shoulder) resumed throwing on flat ground Thursday after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection earlier this month, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

Munoz was given the shot after experiencing a setback with his right shoulder. He's expected to know within the next couple days whether he can progress to throwing off a mound, which could quickly lead to a rehab assignment. Things are trending in the right direction, but the Mariners will go slowly with their prized reliever.

Hendriks (illness) will throw live batting practice Friday and, if it goes well, is expected to be activated shortly thereafter, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Wednesday that Hendriks will not be activated this week, but it would appear the reliever has a good shot to return early next week. Hendriks struggled with his velocity and results during a rehab assignment but should continue to regain strength as he further distances himself from treatment for Stage 4 non-Hodgkins's lymphoma.

Romano (3-2) picked up the win in Wednesday's 3-0 extra-inning victory over the Yankees, walking one and striking out two in two scoreless innings.

It's only the second time this season in 19 appearances the right-hander has been asked to work more than one inning, but Romano had little trouble dispatching New York in the ninth and 10th, with his walk being of the intentional variety against Aaron Judge. Romano sports a 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 23:6 K:BB through 18 innings and has converted 10 of 12 save chances.

Burdi was optioned to Triple-A Durham by the Rays on Thursday.

He had just returned to the majors Wednesday but is now clearing out to make room for Thursday's starter, Taj Bradley. Burdi has tossed three scoreless frames with the Rays this season and should be back eventually.

Peralta (2-1) took the loss Wednesday as the Yankees were downed 3-0 by the Blue Jays, recording one out in the 10th inning and giving up three runs (one earned) on one hit.

With Cavan Biggio on second to begin the frame as the phantom runner, Whit Merrifield reached on a grounder up the middle that Anthony Volpe couldn't field cleanly before Danny Jansen hooked a first-pitch slider over the wall in left field to end the night. The long ball snapped Peralta's 10-appearance scoreless streak, and while his 2.16 ERA on the season is still sharp, his 1.38 WHIP and 17:10 K:BB in 16.2 innings aren't elite numbers. The veteran southpaw will still be in the high-leverage mix, but this stumble won't help his chances of locking up the closer role for the Yankees.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after Wednesday's 12-3 win over the Mariners that Pivetta has been moved to the bullpen, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Decisions needed to be made, as the Red Sox operated with a six-man rotation for the past week and are set to welcome a seventh starter, Garrett Whitlock (elbow), back from the injured list next week. Pivetta will find himself as the odd man out of the rotation and should be available to make his debut as a reliever during the Red Sox's weekend series in San Diego, once he gets a chance to recover from the 98-pitch workload he handled in his start Tuesday. Pivetta's 6.30 ERA over eight starts made him a logical choice to lose his rotation spot, and Tanner Houck could soon join Pivetta in the bullpen if the Red Sox decide to scale back to five starters once Whitlock is back.

Barlow pitched a scoreless third of an inning in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Atlanta.

Barlow was called up this week and made his season debut Wednesday. He was Texas' closer for stretches in 2021 and 2022, notching 24 saves, but was held back this spring in Arizona due to a velocity drop before joining Triple-A Round Rock. He went 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA over 11 relief appearances for the Express, and manager Bruce Bochy said he's comfortable using Barlow in high-leverage situations. That indicates Barlow could be thrown into the setup mix, which has not performed well of late, including Wednesday when Josh Sborz and Brock Burke combined to blow a 5-3 lead in the eighth and ninth innings.

Sborz allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Atlanta.

Jonathan Hernandez struggled his last three appearances, so manager Bruce Bochy opted for Sborz while nursing a 5-3 lead. He walked the leadoff batter before allowing a single and double that tied the game. Brock Burke then surrendered the game-deciding home run to Orlando Arcia in the ninth. Outside of closer Will Smith, the Rangers' bullpen (4.48 ERA, 26th in MLB) has not supported a starting staff that ranks fourth (3.52 ERA). Wednesday's results marked the sixth time Texas held a seventh-inning lead only to end up losing.

Fairbanks (0-1) took the loss and blew a save against the Mets on Wednesday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits while striking out one batter over one-third of an inning.

Jason Adam actually got the first crack at a save for the Rays in the contest, but he gave up three runs in the ninth inning to blow the opportunity and allow the game to go into extra frames. After Tampa Bay put up two runs in the top of the 10th, Fairbanks was summoned to close things out, but he took the loss when Pete Alonso crushed a walk-off three-run homer against him. This was Fairbanks' first game back after a stay on the 15-day injured list with a forearm injury, so some rust may have factored into the poor outing.

Adam blew a save against the Mets on Wednesday, allowing three runs on one hit and one walk while striking out two batters over one inning.

Adam got the call from the bullpen with the Rays up by three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, but he couldn't get the job done. The right-hander put the first two batters he faced on base via a walk and hit-by-pitch, then retired the next two hitters before serving up a game-tying three-run homer to Francisco Alvarez. It was the second blown save over the past three outings for Adam, whose ERA shot up from 1.59 to 3.00 as a result of Wednesday's collapse. Co-closer Pete Fairbanks also blew a save with a poor appearance Wednesday, and the pair will likely continue sharing fireman duties moving forward.