MLB Player News

Graveman (COVID-19 protocols) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list prior to Friday's game against Cleveland.

Graveman hasn't pitched since May 16 and was officially placed on the COVID-19 injured list May 23. The right-hander went on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma earlier this week and is now set to rejoin Seattle's bullpen. Graveman figures slot back in immediately as one of manager Scott Servais' top closer options going forward.

Armstong was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk after clearing waivers Friday.

Armstrong was designated for assignment June 4 after posting an ugly 8.55 ERA and 1.90 WHIP across 20 big-league relief innings. Unsurprisingly, he went unclaimed on the waiver wire, so he'll now look to go work on his craft at Triple-A.

Loaisiga earned the hold against Minnesota on Thursday, retiring all five batters he faced without registering any strikeouts.

The right-hander entered with two aboard and one out in the fifth inning. He retired both batters he faced to eliminate the threat, then breezed through a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth frame. Loaisiga ranks second on the Yankees with eight holds this season while posting a 1.89 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 26:8 K:BB across 33.1 innings. He has also notched a pair of saves.

Chapman (4-1) was tagged with the loss and a blown save after allowing four runs on four hits without recording an out Thursday against the Twins.

Chapman was unable to retire anyone Thursday, as he allowed Josh Donaldson and Nelson Cruz to homer, and he also gave up singles to Jorge Polanco and Willians Astudillo. The star reliever ended a streak of five straight games without allowing a run, and he should bounce back sooner than later with his role as the team's closer well secured.

King didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Twins after allowing two runs on four hits and three walks across 3.2 innings, He struck out three.

King has shifted between the bullpen and the rotation this season and while his recent outings have been underwhelming, he still owns a 3.77 ERA across 10 appearances (three starts) in 2021. The right-hander has a good shot at staying in the rotation for the upcoming few weeks with Corey Kluber (shoulder) sidelined through the All-Star break, but he'll need to show more in his upcoming outings to remain in the rotation. King tentatively lines up to start next week against the Blue Jays on the road.

Robles (2-2) earned the win in relief Thursday against the Yankees after pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

Robles, who recently entered the late-inning mix but hasn't been able to steal the closer job completely away from Taylor Rogers, delivered a strong outing while pitching the top of the ninth, as he came away unscathed despite facing Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton. He picked up the win when the Twins rallied in the bottom of the ninth. Even though Robles continues to evidence command issues on a regular basis, he's settled in of late and hasn't given up an earned run in any of his last five outings.

Taylor (0-1) allowed three runs (one earned) on a hit and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss versus Boston on Thursday.

Kyle Tucker dropped J.D. Martinez's sacrifice fly to tack an unearned run on Taylor's line. Enoli Paredes (shoulder) then allowed two inherited runners to score, which was enough to stick Taylor with a loss as his first decision this season. The southpaw has a 5.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB across nine innings this year. He's collected two holds and two blown saves in 11 outings, but he'll likely see mostly low-leverage work.

Hendriks notched his 16th save of the season Thursday against the Blue Jays after posting a scoreless ninth inning, giving up one hit and striking out two.

Hendriks had the task of closing things out with a three-run lead and while he allowed a one-out single to Joe Panik, the right-hander shut the door on a potential comeback after fanning Rowdy Tellez and Santiago Espinal on a back-to-back basis. Hendriks hasn't allowed an earned run since late April and has tossed 14 straight scoreless outings, as he's proven once again why he's one of the game's best late-inning relievers. He owns a stellar 1.71 ERA across 26.1 innings in 2021.

Alexander allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out two across 2.2 innings Thursday against the Mariners. He did not factor into the decision.

Alexander led off a bullpen game for the Tigers and threw 56 pitches. The lone run he allowed came on a solo shot in the first inning by Mitch Haniger. Though he exited the game with a 3-1 lead, Alexander did not pitch deep enough into the game to qualify for the win.

Paredes exited Thursday's game against the Red Sox due to a shoulder injury, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Paredes struggled in his brief outing, walking two and also plunking a batter before exiting without recording an out. The exact nature of the injury remains unclear, though manager Dusty Baker noted after the game that a roster move may be required.