MLB Player News

Richards is a candidate for spot starts while Yonny Chirinos (triceps) and Charlie Morton (shoulder) are on the injured list, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Richards already stepped in for Morton on Sunday after the latter was forced from the game with the shoulder issue that would ultimately land him on the injured list. The 27-year-old right-hander logged 23 starts last season with the Marlins and Rays, which was preceded by a 25-start rookie 2018 campaign in Miami. Therefore, there's no doubt Richards' arm could be built up to handle a five- or six-inning workload, but with manager Kevin Cash also having versatile multi-inning options such as Jalen Beeks and Anthony Banda (taxi squad) on hand, he could simply opt to deploy any two out of that trio to handle the bulk of innings in a given game.

Beeks is a candidate to potentially log some spot starts while Yonny Chirinos (triceps) and Charlie Morton (shoulder) are on the injured list, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Beeks is a natural candidate to help hold down the fort while the two starters are sidelined, considering he's capable of handling multiple innings without issue and logged three starts for the Rays last season among his 33 appearances. While Beeks isn't likely built up for a six- or seven-inning workload, it's easy to envision manager Kevin Cash piecing together a Beeks-Trevor Richards tandem, for example, to cover the majority of innings in a given game. The left-hander has already made six appearances this season, all in relief, posting an elevated 5.06 ERA that he's partly offset with an excellent 18:3 K:BB over 10.2 innings.

Banda, who is on the taxi squad for the Rays' 10-game road trip that begins Monday at Fenway Park, has a chance to be activated at some point during that span in the wake of the Rays being down two starters, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Manager Kevin Cash is now missing both Yonny Chirinos (triceps) and Charlie Morton (shoulder) from his rotation following the latter's placement on the 10-day injured list Monday, so Toribio speculates several arms capable of pitching multiple innings may be asked to step up. Banda qualifies as such, considering he started eight games at the minor-league level last season alone and has logged five major-league starts with the Diamondbacks and Rays as well. The left-hander wouldn't necessarily be called on to operate as a conventional starter, but a scenario where he piggybacks off another pitcher such as Jalen Beeks and Trevor Richards is conceivable.

Soto has made seven scoreless appearances out of the Detroit bullpen this season, striking out 10 over 7.2 innings while allowing one hit and one walk.

The Tigers still viewed Soto as a potential starter last season, but after he found success in the bullpen in the second half of 2019, the lefty was converted to relief on a full-time basis. He has enjoyed a nice uptick in velocity with the move to the bullpen and has emerged as the Tigers' most electric late-inning arm, allowing him to rise up the depth chart quickly. With Buck Farmer (groin) moving to the injured list Monday, Soto will likely be the next man up for saves in the event struggling closer Joe Jimenez misses time or gets removed from the role.

Farmer was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain Monday.

Farmer bounced back Sunday following a rough appearance Friday, but he apparently didn't escape unscathed as he'll spend some time on the shelf. It's unclear how long he'll spend on the injured list, but Gregory Soto could step into more of a setup role in Detroit in Farmer's absence. Right-hander Beau Burrows was recalled by the Tigers in a corresponding move.

The Twins added Lawrence to their 60-man roster pool Monday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Lawrence joined the Twins for spring training as a non-roster invitee, but he wasn't present with the team for summer camp after he wasn't among the players initially included in the 60-man pool. Now that he becomes the 59th member of the pool, Lawrence will report to the team's alternate training site and bolster the organization's pitching depth.

Weems (lat) is getting closer to throwing to hitters at the Athletics' alternate training site in San Jose, the Associated Press reports.

Weems went on the injured list Tuesday, but he's apparently making steady progress. Manager Bob Melvin confirmed as much Sunday, saying "I know everything's progressing well" when asked about the hard-throwing reliever. Weems was an early success story for the Athletics after finally making the majors this season, posting a 3.60 ERA and 5:1 K:BB across five innings over two appearances before his injury.

Puk (shoulder) is now playing catch from up to 90 feet at the Athletics' alternate training site in San Jose, the Associated Press reports.

The left-hander continues to make steady progress, as he was maxing out at 75 feet a few days ago. However, despite the encouraging report Sunday, manager Bob Melvin noted that it's still "going to be a while before he [Puk] gets on the mound."

Edwards was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain Monday.

Edwards has been dominant for the Mariners this season and picked up his first save of 2020 during his most recent appearance, but he'll now be sidelined for several games. The move is retroactive to Friday, so the right-hander would be eligible to return in the middle of next week, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to do so. Bryan Shaw was recalled from alternate camp in a corresponding move, and Taylor Williams could have more ninth-inning opportunities in Edwards' absence.

Shaw was recalled from the Mariners' alternate training site Monday.

After being sent to alternate camp Thursday, Shaw will rejoin the major-league bullpen to take the place of Carl Edwards (forearm) on the active roster for now. Shaw struggled mightily in his last three major-league appearances before being optioned, allowing 10 runs over 2.1 innings during that time. Given his lack of production this year, he'll likely pitch in lower-leverage situations.