MLB Player News

Pearson (illness) will throw a live BP session Saturday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Pearson threw 36 pitches during a throwing session Tuesday, and he'll fave live hitters Saturday. The Blue Jays intend to use the right-hander in a multi-inning role once he's cleared to return, so he'll likely require more time to build up before returning to game action.

Otto was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to start Friday against the Athletics.

Otto was already labeled Texas' probable starter for Friday's contest, and he's now officially joined the big-league roster. The 26-year-old made his major-league debut last season and had a 9.26 ERA across 23.1 innings, though he was off to a strong start at Triple-A this year with a 9:1 K:BB over seven scoreless innings.

Chafin (groin) will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo starting Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

A strained left groin has so far prevented Chafin from making his Tigers debut, but he appears to be closing in on a return from the injured list. He threw a scoreless rehab inning for Single-A Lakeland on Thursday and could return to the Tigers when they travel to take on the Twins on Tuesday.

Foster was placed on the bereavement list Friday.

Players may spend between three and seven days on the bereavement list, meaning Foster should return sometime next week. AJ Pollock (hamstring) returned from the injured list to take his place on the roster.

Moll was credited with his third hold in a win over the Orioles on Thursday, firing a scoreless two-thirds of an inning during which he issued a walk and recorded a strikeout.

The left-hander extended his season-opening scoreless streak to six appearances and surrendered only his second hit of the season. Moll's early success and workload have given his early-season value a nice boost in formats that count holds, and he should continue to be relied on consistently as a trusted left-handed bullpen asset.

Poche was recalled by the Rays on Friday.

Poche impressed for Triple-A Charlotte, striking out 11 of the 21 batters he faced across six scoreless innings while walking two and allowing just a single hit. He'll return to the majors for the first time since 2019, having missed the last two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Chris Mazza (back) hit the injured list in a corresponding move.

Speier allowed a hit in a scoreless inning during Thursday's 1-0 loss to the Twins.

Thursday's outing was just the second appearance of the year for Speier. He's covered 2.2 scoreless innings, striking out three and allowing only two hits. The 27-year-old southpaw made just 24 major-league appearances across the previous three seasons. He'll likely continue to serve as a middle-innings option while with the Royals, though it's unclear if he'll stay in the big leagues when rosters go from 28 to 26 players May 2.

Clarke allowed a hit and struck out two in two scoreless innings during Thursday's 1-0 loss to the Twins.

Clarke began the season with three straight outings of one-third of an inning. He's been allowed to work longer assignments since then, covering two innings in each of his last two appearances. He's posted a 1.80 ERA, 0.40 WHIP and 4:0 K:BB through five appearances this season, though he'll likely remain in a multi-inning role going forward.

The Blue Jays indicated Friday that Pardinho (elbow) is building up ahead of joining High-A Vancouver in a few weeks, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Pardinho has had a lengthy rehab process after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February of 2020. The right-hander encountered setbacks after appearing in rookie ball last year, so the Blue Jays figure to exercise caution in the coming weeks to avoid rushing him back to game action too quickly.

Barlow (1-0) allowed one walk and struck out two over a scoreless 1.1 innings to earn the win over Seattle on Thursday.

Barlow was the pitcher warming in the bullpen when Matt Bush was attempting to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning, but he was needed earlier than anticipated. After the Mariners tied the game against Bush, Barlow shut down the rally then benefited from Texas' two-run, ninth inning rally to pick up his first win of the season. The takeaway here is that Barlow was in position to pick up the save. The Rangers' closer situation has been unsettled, but it looks like Barlow is now in the mix to close games. This is a positive development after manager Chris Woodward indicated during spring training that he didn't want to put the pressure of closing games on a reliever with limited MLB experience.