MLB Player News

Ponce underwent surgery Friday to repair the ACL in his right knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Ponce sprained his right ACL in late March, which was a severe enough injury to require season-ending surgery, but he should be available for the start of spring training. He signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Blue Jays in December after spending three seasons in Japan. Ponce's start against the Rockies on March 30 -- when he suffered his injury -- was his first appearance in an MLB game since 2021, when he played with the Pirates.

Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Uceta has soreness in the back of his right shoulder following his latest rehab appearance at Triple-A Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Uceta was roughed up a bit during his outing Wednesday, allowing two earned runs on five hits over 1.1 innings. The Rays will now shut him down for a few days before re-evaluating him, at which point an updated timeline for his return may emerge.

The White Sox optioned Gilbert to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Gilbert was recalled by the White Sox ahead of Wednesday's game against the Rays, during which he allowed four runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two batters across 1.2 innings. He'll return to Triple-A while the White Sox promote Doug Nikhazy in a corresponding move.

Kittredge (shoulder/paternity) resumed his rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Kittredge's assignment was paused Tuesday when he went on paternity leave, but he's now back with the Tides, continuing to work his way back from the right shoulder inflammation that sent him to the injured list at the beginning of the year. The 36-year-old has already made three appearances at Triple-A, allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out five batters through 2.2 innings.

The Astros transferred Hader (biceps) to the 60-day injured list Friday.

The Astros needed the spot on the 40-man roster to select Peter Lambert's contract from Triple-A ahead of Friday's start against St. Louis. With Hader being transferred to the 60-day IL, he won't be eligible to pitch until late May. Hader threw his first live batting practice Tuesday, essentially marking the start of his spring training.

The Astros selected Lambert's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Julia Morales of Space City Home Network reports.

Lambert made a bid for the Opening Day roster with an encouraging spring training and remained effective at Triple-A to begin the season, as he logged a 1.84 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB across 14.2 innings with Sugar Land. He'll now be the 10th pitcher to start a game for the Astros this season, as he's set to take the mound Friday against the Cardinals.

Lange allowed two hits and struck out two in one inning Thursday in the 10-9 loss to the Tigers.

Lange, the Tigers' leader in saves back in 2023, struggled mightily in 2024 largely due to command issues (17 walks in 18.2 innings) before being demoted to the minors. The 30-year-old missed the majority of last season with a lat injury, pitching only one time, but he signed with the Royals this offseason to slot in as a serviceable middle reliever. Kansas City has deployed Lange in a low-leverage role, as he's yet to earn a win or a hold to this point, but his performance has been trending in a positive direction (1.42 ERA over his last 6.1 innings).

Holton gave up his first earned run of the season Thursday in a 10-9 win over the Royals, allowing a solo home run in a third of an inning.

The southpaw has been a stalwart member of the Detroit bullpen the past three seasons, collecting 48 holds since 2023 with a 2.61 ERA and 0.89 WHIP while averaging 65 appearances a year. The seventh-inning shot by Salvador Perez was the first home run that Holton has given up in 7.1 innings this season after he served up 15 homers over 78.2 frames in 2025.

Newcomb threw 1.2 shutout innings Thursday, allowing just one hit while striking out three batters in a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

The 32-year-old southpaw entered in the seventh inning, keeping the game knotted at 2-2 before Seranthony Dominguez fell apart in the ninth. Newcomb got off to a rocky start to 2026, allowing six earned runs over his first 10 innings prior to this appearance. Thursday's performance lowered his ERA to 4.38 through 12.1 innings and nine games with a 13:5 K:BB, and he has just one hold with zero wins or saves.

Erceg (0-1) blew the save and took the loss Thursday against the Tigers. He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.

Erceg entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead but failed to secure the victory, as a two-out double from Riley Greene tied the game at 9-9 before Colt Keith delivered a walk-off single. Erceg had converted each of his first five save opportunities prior to Thursday, but this outing bloated his ERA from 2.70 to 6.14 and his WHIP from 1.05 to 1.50 WHIP across 7.1 innings and eight appearances. The 30-year-old stepped into the closer role after Carlos Estevez (foot) was placed on the injured list following his season debut, but with the incumbent expected to begin a rehab assignment soon, Erceg's time filling the ninth-inning role may not last much longer.