MLB Player News

Leclerc (elbow) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Leclerc missed most of the 2020 season due to a shoulder issue and was also sidelined for the entirety of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery last March. However, the right-hander began a rehab assignment in late May and posted a 5.00 ERA, 11:5 K:BB and 1.56 WHIP in nine innings over nine appearances between the Rangers' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. Leclerc earned double-digit saves in 2018 and 2019, but he may not be in the mix for closing duties right away since Joe Barlow has been effective in a ninth-inning role this year. However, it's possible Leclerc works his way back into a setup role now that he's fully healthy.

Martin (COVID-19) was activated ahead of Thursday's game against the Tigers, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

He last pitched June 5, so Martin's arm should be pretty fresh. The southpaw has a 4.34 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 18.2 innings this season.

The Yankees selected Weber's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

He'll be joining the 40-man and 26-man rosters as a replacement for Luis Severino, who was scratched ahead of his scheduled start Thursday against the Rays and placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. Clarke Schmidt is getting the spot start in Severino's stead, but because he hasn't worked more than 3.1 innings in any of his appearances in the majors or minors this season, he may not be able to work deep into the outing. With that in mind, Weber -- who covered 4.2 innings in his most recent outing for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 9 -- could end up serving as a primary pitcher behind Schmidt.

Baumann was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Baumann made the Orioles' Opening Day bullpen but has spent much of the season in the minors, posting a 4.91 ERA and 8:6 K:BB in 11 innings at the highest level. He's remained a reliever in the minors, where he's struggled to a 7.71 ERA across 16.1 frames. That suggests he could continue to pitch out of the pen going forward even though it's starter Bruce Zimmermann who he'll be replacing on the active roster.

The Orioles optioned Zimmermann to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Zimmermann's demotion comes after he was once again lit up in his most recent start Wednesday against the Blue Jays, who tagged him for six runs on 11 hits over 4.2 innings to bring his ERA and WHIP to 5.94 and 1.47, respectively, for the season. The southpaw served up three long balls in the loss and has given up an MLB-high 18 on the campaign. Mike Baumann was called up from Triple-A to fill Zimmermann's spot on the 26-man active roster, but the Orioles haven't announced which pitcher will replace the lefty in the rotation.

Peralta earned a hold against the Rays on Wednesday, striking out three batters over 1.2 perfect innings.

Peralta relieved starter Nestor Cortes with a pair of runners on base and one out in the sixth inning. He kept Tampa Bay off the scoreboard by retiring two straight batters and followed with a perfect seventh frame that included two strikeouts. Peralta has thrown eight scoreless innings over his past seven appearances and has been outstanding overall this season, posting a 1.50 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB over 24 frames while recording six holds and one save.

The Guardians optioned Pilkington to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Aaron Civale (thigh) completed his second minor-league rehab start Wednesday and looks like he'll be ready to return from the 15-day injured list next week when a fifth starter is needed, so Pilkington was on track to lose his spot in the rotation before being demoted. Pilkington made four starts during his latest stint with the Guardians, submitting a 1-0 record, 4.42 ERA and 1.80 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB in 18.1 innings. He could rejoin the big club before the end of the month, as the Guardians will have a need for a temporary sixth starter due to a June 28 doubleheader with the Twins.

Maton struck out all three batters he faced in the seventh inning of Wednesday's 9-2 win over the Rangers.

Maton threw nine pitches -- all for strikes -- to retire the side, allowing him to complete the 108th immaculate inning in MLB history. Starter Luis Garcia also threw an immaculate inning in the bottom of the second, with him and Maton becoming the first teammates in league annals to achieve the feat in the same game. Though Maton has now turned in a 2.25 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over eight innings in his last nine appearances, he has yet to gain much traction in a high-leverage role, as he hasn't recorded a save or hold during that stretch.

Holmes picked up the save Wednesday against the Rays. He allowed zero runs on one hit and zero walks while striking out one over one inning.

Holmes entered in the ninth with a one-run lead and immediately allowed a leadoff, infield hit to Taylor Walls, which certainly could've been charged as an error to Anthony Rizzo. Regardless, the closer buckled down and retired three consecutive batters to pick up his 11th save of the season. Holmes continues to be stellar in the absence of Aroldis Chapman (Achilles), recording 11 saves and sporting a 0.60 WHIP with a 32:3 K:BB across his current 30-inning scoreless streak.

Beeks is listed as the Rays' scheduled starter for Thursday's game against the Yankees and will presumably serve as an opener in a bullpen day for Tampa Bay.

Beeks will be pitching on three days' rest and hasn't covered more than 2.1 innings in his 16 appearances on the season, so manager Kevin Cash is unlikely to let the southpaw go more than once through the batting order before turning the game over to the bullpen. Ralph Garza looks to be the top candidate to provide length in relief if needed, but the Rays are more likely to get by with multiple arms rather than a true primary pitcher to cover innings once Beeks exits.