MLB Player News

Junis will start Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

The Royals were able to use Junis out of the bullpen during the first weekend of the season, but he's in the rotation for the foreseeable future at this point. He's coming off a gem in which he tossed five shutout innings with six strikeouts April 7 in Cleveland.

Trivino fired a scoreless ninth inning in a 9-5 win over the Diamondbacks on Monday, allowing one hit and recording a strikeout.

With the Athletics having doubled up what had been a two-run lead in the top half of the frame, Trivino narrowly missed out on his first save chance of the season but still succeeded in preserving the victory. The 29-year-old has one hold and a sparkling 1.17 ERA and 0.65 WHIP across 7.2 innings covering his first six appearances. He's slated to serve as the primary closer while Trevor Rosenthal progresses through a multi-month recovery from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.

Pearson (groin) is "absolutely pain free" and throwing at 100 percent intensity on the mound, per general manager Ross Atkins, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reported Tuesday.

It will just be a matter of getting Pearson built back up at the alternate training site before he's able to slot into the MLB rotation. He's been throwing bullpen sessions since last week and will throw live batting practice Wednesday.

The Orioles recalled Lakins from their alternate site ahead of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Mariners.

Lakins will be designated as the 27th man for the twin bill, so he'll likely head back to the alternate site after Tuesday's games are completed. The 26-year-old right-hander appeared in 22 games out of the Baltimore bullpen in 2020, posting a 2.81 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.

The Rays plan to recall Fleming from their taxi squad to start or serve as a bulk reliever Wednesday against the Rangers, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Fleming will fill the rotation spot that opened up when Chris Archer (forearm) was placed on the 10-day injured list over the weekend. Whether he works as a starter or a reliever, Fleming will be in line to cover the majority of the innings for the Rays on Wednesday, giving him the most realistic chance of factoring into the decision. He posted an impressive 2.78 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over his seven outings as a rookie in 2020, but a 1.4 HR/9 and 13.8 K-BB% suggest he wasn't quite as dominant as that ERA would indicate.

Heuer (1-0) allowed one hit and struck out four over 2.1 scoreless innings to pick up his first win in Monday's 4-3 victory over Cleveland.

Heuer has now delivered four scoreless efforts in five appearances, and this was his longest outing yet. While Chicago's vaunted bullpen has stumbled out of the gate, the right-handed Heuer has been as good as he was in 2020. He's allowed one run, seven hits and one walk while striking out eight over 6.2 innings.

Shaw pitched a perfect inning in Monday's 4-3 loss to the White Sox.

Shaw induced three groundouts in the eighth inning to preserve a 3-3 tie. The 33-year-old right-hander is off to a solid start with a 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and four strikeouts across four innings. Shaw is expected to see work in the middle innings more often that not, although he does have a hold to his credit in 2021.

Maton pitched one inning with a hit-by-pitch and one strikeout in Monday's 4-3 loss to the White Sox.

Maton relieved starter Triston McKenzie for the fifth inning. The 28-year-old Maton plunked Nick Williams on his third pitch, but retired the next three batters without trouble. Maton has tossed 1.1 scoreless innings across his first two outings in 2021. The right-hander will likely work in the middle innings to begin the season.

King is considered a strong candidate if the Yankees were to implement a sixth starter, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

King dazzled in his only outing this season, pitching six innings of scoreless, one-hit ball out of the bullpen April 4. He was subsequently sent to the team's alternate site, though he is traveling with the club as part of the taxi squad. King is very likely to get another opportunity to pitch in the majors relatively soon, whether in a relief or starting role. He's most likely to function as a long reliever, but the right-hander would be a viable candidate if the Yankees decided to go with a six-man rotation.

Garcia and Michael King are considered options to fill a sixth-starter role if the Yankees opt to expand their rotation, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Garcia entered spring training as the favorite to win a rotation spot, but Domingo German's dominant performance in Grapefruit League play pushed Garcia out of a roster spot. However, the right-hander remains highly regarded in the organization and would be among the first names brought up if a rotation spot opens up. There's no indication that New York will be implementing a six-man rotation in the near future, so the situation is simply one to monitor for the time being.