MLB Player News

Norris will start Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Norris missed nearly all of camp due to COVID-19 protocols but has been building up his workload at the Tigers' alternate training site. The southpaw was expected to need one more session ahead of joining the major-league club, but he'll be in line to start in Sunday's seven-inning contest. If all goes well, Norris should reclaim his spot in the rotation going forward.

Fairbanks (1-1) took the loss in Friday's defeat at the hands of the Orioles, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk over 1.1 innings. He struck out two.

Fairbanks settled things down after Blake Snell allowed three straight extra-base hits -- including back-to-back home runs -- to start the fourth inning. However, he eventually became the pitcher of record when Andrew Kittredge allowed an RBI single to Anthony Santander that plated inherited runner Hanser Alberto to snap a 3-3 tie, which handed Fairbanks the first blemish on his 2020 ledger. The hard-throwing right-hander had some control issues Friday while getting just 17 of 28 pitches into the strike zone, and he's now allowed an earned run in two of his first three appearances despite generating a 7:2 K:BB.

Kittredge, who fired a scoreless two-thirds of an inning during which he allowed one hit in a loss to the Orioles on Friday, now has a 6.00 ERA through his first three appearances.

The right-hander got his season off on the right foot with a pair of scoreless frames versus the Blue Jays on Sunday, but he subsequently was touched up for two earned runs on two hits by the Braves over just one-third of an inning Wednesday. Kittredge has filled an increasingly larger bullpen role over the last three seasons for manager Kevin Cash, topping out at 37 appearances, including seven starts, in 2019.

Puk (shoulder) is progressing well through a throwing program at the Athletics' alternate training site in San Jose, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "He feels good, so that's encouraging," manager Bob Melvin said. "I still have no timetable for him for when he gets on the mound or throws a bullpen."

The promising left-hander has reportedly been playing catch out to a distance of 60 feet. Puk landed on the 10-day injured list back on July 22 (retroactive to July 20), but he'll definitely be sidelined for a considerable amount of time beyond that based on the current pace of his rehabilitation.

Hernandez is one of the relievers manager Chris Woodward is considering as a closer in the absence of Jose Leclerc (shoulder), T.R. Sullivan reports.

When Leclerc was placed on the 45-day injured list, interest in possible replacements as a closer has surged. Woodward will not designate one arm as a closer and will deploy a closer-by-committee. He's leaning toward right-handers Hernandez and Edinson Volquez.

Cordero allowed one hit, hit a batter, and struck out three over 1.2 innings to register a hold in Friday's 3-2 win over the Royals.

Cordero made his most significant appearance of the season Friday, entering in the sixth inning with the White Sox clinging to a one-run lead. It was his fourth outing, the first three coming in the early innings when starters couldn't get deep. The 28-year-old right-hander fired 2.2 scoreless innings over the last three outings after ceding a pair of runs in the season opener.

Rogers worked a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his second save of the season in a 4-1 win over Cleveland.

The southpaw needed only five pitches to generate three weak groundballs to shortstop Jorge Polanco in an ultra-efficient performance. Those with fantasy shares in Rogers may have panicked a bit when Sergio Romo collected the first save of the year for Minnesota, but since then Rogers has demonstrated that he has a firm hold on the closer gig.

Andriese (0-1) allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out only one in 1.2 innings in a loss to the Astros on Friday.

Andriese's short outing Friday forced to Angels to dig deep into the bullpen, ultimately using nine total pitchers in the high-scoring battle with the Astros. It was Andriese's first start of the year -- he previously tossed 5.2 scoreless innings against the Athletics in relief of Shohei Ohtani on July 26. The bad outing inflated Andriese's ERA to 4.91 in 7.1 innings this season. He's expected to face the Rangers on the road next Friday in his next start.

Scrubb allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one in one inning Friday, earning the save in a 9-6 win over the Angels.

Scrubb worked around a couple of baserunners to pick up his first major-league save in just his second appearance. He had a three-run cushion to work with, which may explain why Roberto Osuna wasn't used to close out Friday's game. The Astros' bullpen depth has been devastated by injuries early in 2020, so the 25-year-old Scrubb may be used in a versatile role in the short term.

Manaea (0-2) was charged with the loss against the Mariners on Friday after surrendering five runs (three earned) on six hits and striking out four across 4.1 innings.

Much like his last outing, Manaea came out strong for a few innings before suddenly losing his command. The 28-year-old retired the first nine batters until the fourth frame, when Seattle unleashed four hits, including a two-run double by Kyle Seager and an RBI single by Austin Nola. The Mariners continued to chip away in the fifth with another pair of hits before Manaea was pulled. Both his baserunners soon scored (unearned) runs at the hands of a throwing error by reliever J.B. Wendelken. On the bright side, Manaea did not issue any walks. The southpaw has now given up nine runs (seven earned) across nine innings so far this year. He'll look to bounce back Wednesday against Texas.