MLB Player News

Adams (knee) is picking up his intensity in throwing sessions but remains without a firm timetable for his 2020 debut, in part due to the Mariners' upcoming schedule, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I'd love to get him off the mound or face some hitters before we go out on the road," manager Scott Servais said. "We just don't have as much time or field access on the road as we did in the past, so to do a live BP or simulated game on the road is really challenging."

The Mariners are currently in the midst of a homestand that runs through next Sunday. Based on Servais' comments, it's therefore likely Adams has to wait until at least Aug. 19, when Seattle returns from a nine-day road trip, to be activated. COVID-19 protocols do not allow players to be flown in during a road trip, either, meaning Adams would have to demonstrate he's ready for activation over the course of the next week to have a chance to travel with the team.

The Mariners recalled Swanson from their alternate training site prior to Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Swanson missed out on a spot on the Mariners' season-opening 30-man roster, but he'll now move up to the big club to reinforce the bullpen in the short term. Third catcher Joe Odom was optioned to the Mariners' alternate camp in a corresponding move.

Norris was activated off the injured list ahead of his start in Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Reds.

The Tigers had already confirmed the 27-year-old as the starter for Game 2, but it's now official after the roster move. Norris missed most of summer camp due to COVID-19 protocols but is reportedly stretched out to about 70 pitches, so he could cover at least four or five innings during the seven-inning contest.

Nelson (1-0) pitched three scoreless and hitless innings to earn the win against Boston on Saturday, issuing two walks while striking out four.

Nelson was summoned to start the fifth inning and exited after the seventh without allowing a hit. His control was shaky -- only 23 of his 41 pitches were strikes, and he yielded two free passes -- but he avoided any damage by inducing eight swinging strikes and holding the Red Sox without a hit. The right-hander struck out 114 batters in 89.2 innings in the minors last season, so he could have a bright future, especially if he is able to reduce his walk rate.

The Royals optioned Bolanos to their alternate training site Sunday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Bolanos started in his two appearances with the Royals, but he acted as more of an opener than a traditional starter in those outings, covering two innings or fewer in both appearances. With the Royals needing to clear a spot on the active roster for Jakob Junis (COVID-19) ahead of his scheduled start in Sunday's series finale, Bolanos was ultimately deemed expendable after he was lit up for five runs on five hits and two walks while recording only five outs in Saturday's 11-5 loss.

The Royals activated Junis from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the White Sox, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Ronald Bolanos, who drew the start Saturday in a bullpen game for the Royals, was optioned to the club's alternate training site in a corresponding move. After testing positive for COVID-19 in July, Junis was shut down shortly before Opening Day and missed one turn through the rotation while he waited to clear all of MLB's coronavirus-related protocols. The right-hander should be an important innings eater for the Royals, but his fantasy value may be limited to AL-only or deeper mixed leagues due to his issues with the long ball. He allowed at least 30 home runs in each of the past two seasons and turned in a career-worst 5.24 ERA in 2019.

Brasier struck out two over a scoreless inning in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Yankees.

During a season in which there have been plenty of opportunities for Boston's relievers, this was just Brasier's second appearance. He gave up three runs on three hits over an inning in his first outing. It looks like Brasier, who served as an important setup man in 2018 and closed games in 2019, is no longer a trusted member of the bullpen.

Heuer allowed one run on three hits over 1.1 innings and picked up the save in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Royals.

Heuer got the final out of the eighth inning when the White Sox were up by three runs. The offense plated four runs in the top of the ninth to provide a big cushion, so closer Alex Colome was not needed. Manager Rick Renteria left Heuer in to close out the game and earn the first save of his career.

Pressly pitched two-thirds of an inning in Saturday's loss to the Angels but left after having trainers come to the mound to look at a cut on the cuticle above his thumbnail, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. However, manager Dusty Baker downplayed the issue after the game. "Fortunately for us, he was alright," Baker said. "We got him out of there because we didn't want him to throw too many pitches because that's his first outing."

Pressly's status takes on a greater urgency following Chris Devenski's trip to the IL and Roberto Osuna leaving Saturday's game with arm discomfort. There's a chance that Pressly could close immediately. Other options include Bryan Abreu and Cy Sneed in the short-term.

Hendriks struck out one batter in a perfect 10th inning against the Mariners on Saturday en route to his second save of the season.

Hendriks got Tim Lopes to pop out on a bunt attempt before he retired the next two batters in more traditional fashion. The closer carousel is in full swing in MLB and Hendriks did blow a save in his first appearance of the year, but he has bounced back with two straight successful conversions.