MLB Player News

Mills was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.

Mills was called up Friday to help replace a group of pitchers who were placed on the COVID-19 injured list due to contact tracing. He gave up four runs against the Padres in his lone inning of work and will head back to the minors along with Aaron Fletcher, with Robert Dugger and Anthony Misiewicz both cleared to return.

Misiewicz was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Saturday.

Misiewicz was one of four Mariners pitchers who hit the injured list Friday due to contact tracing. Both Misiewicz and Robert Dugger have been cleared to return. Aaron Fletcher was optioned in a corresponding move.

Kay was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

The 26-year-old gave up two runs on four hits and four walks over four innings Friday and has a 6.62 ERA through five outings, and he'll now continue his season in the minors. It's unclear how long Kay is expected to spend at Triple-A, and it's also unknown who will take his spot in the starting rotation.

Harvey (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Harvey once had a fair amount of prospect pedigree, but a long list of injuries have so far prevented him from establishing himself at the big-league level. The latest, a strained left oblique, shut him down in mid-March and sent him to the 60-day injured list. He'll be eligible to return at the end of the month, which should be right around the time Harvey's ready to go. Save chances can't be ruled out for Harvey, especially given the recent reports that Cesar Valdez could shift to more of a setup role, but we're still talking about a pitcher who has thrown just 15 career major-league innings, so the Orioles will likely be happy with whatever they can get from him.

Valdez is being considered for set-up work, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

This is not a performance-based shift for Valdez, who has gone 8-for-11 in save chances with a 2.65 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB. Instead, it comes down to Baltimore's lack of effective right-handed relievers. Nothing official has been announced for Valdez in regard to his role, but it wouldn't be surprising to see some ninth-inning duties given to southpaw Paul Fry in the near future. Hunter Harvey (oblique) could also become a factor in the closer conversation when he returns.

Baumann (elbow) is moving his rehab assignment to Double-A Bowie, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Baumann has logged five scoreless innings so far, allowing three walks with six strikeouts as he works his way back from a right flexor strain. He'll continue to work his way back at Bowie, building up his pitch count before ultimately slotting into the rotation with Triple-A Norfolk when healthy.

Tapia was traded from the Mariners to the Royals in exchange for cash considerations Saturday.

Tapia was designated for assignment Monday. The 29-year-old's major-league resume to date consists of just seven relief appearances over the last two years. He'll head to Triple-A Omaha for now.

Cleveland recalled Nelson from Triple-A Columbus to its major-league roster Saturday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The reliever has pitched two scoreless innings with Cleveland this season and has allowed one earned run in 7.1 innings with Triple-A Columbus. Nelson fills the roster spot of Triston McKenzie, whom the team optioned Saturday.

The Mariners signed Jerez to a minor-league contract Saturday.

The lefty last pitched in the majors in 2019, when he posted a 4.35 ERA across 10.1 innings between the Giants and the Pirates. It's unclear if and when Jerez makes an appearance on the Mariners roster, but he'll provide some depth in a bullpen that's lacking many left-handed arms.

Kay didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 9-7 extra-innings loss to the Rays, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks over four innings while striking out four.

The southpaw got staked to an early lead but wasn't efficient enough to last the requisite five innings for a win even if the Jays had held onto it. Kay tossed 54 of 91 pitches for strikes before getting the hook, and his 6.62 ERA and 1.64 WHIP through 17.2 innings mark him as one of the likeliest candidates to lose his rotation spot once Toronto begins promoting pitchers like Alek Manoah.