MLB Player News

Loaisiga (1-0) earned the win against Baltimore on Thursday, pitching three innings and allowing two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out four.

Four days after throwing three innings as a starter, Loaisiga was brought on in relief to start the sixth inning Thursday. A two-run homer off the bat of Pedro Severino in the eighth frame saddled Loaisiga with a blown save, but the Yankees responded with three runs in the top of the ninth to help the right-hander earn his first win. Loaisiga threw 45 pitches in the outing, only six less than in Sunday's start, and he figures to fill a similar long-relief role moving forward with Masahiro Tanaka (concussion) ready to return to the rotation.

Chapman (illness) cleared the league's COVID-19 protocols and can rejoin the Yankees, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

The veteran southpaw joined the Yankees early in summer camp but was placed on the COVID-19 injured list July 11 after testing positive and showing mild symptoms. Chapman should head to the team's alternate training site to begin participating in workouts, though he figures to require some time before reaching game readiness. Zack Britton has two early season saves and should continue operating as the fill-in closer until Chapman is ready for game action.

Merryweather is progressing well in his recovery from an oblique strain and could be a depth option for the Blue Jays before too long, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Merryweather has been dealing with the injury since mid-July. Even when healthy, he isn't expected to play a major role for Toronto, as he's yet to make his big-league debut and struggled to a 6.58 ERA in his only taste of Triple-A baseball back in 2017 before missing most of the past two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Giles was diagnosed with a mild strain of the flexor mass in his right forearm Friday, and the Blue Jays are optimistic he'll be able to pitch again soon, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

"Soon" is a relative term here, as Giles won't throw for at least two weeks after undergoing a PRP injection Thursday. Still, there appears to be a strong chance that Giles will pitch again this season, barring setbacks, something that didn't appear to be clear when he first landed on the injured list Monday. Anthony Bass has stepped into the closer role in his absence.

Barnes allowed one hit, one walk and hit a batter over a scoreless eighth inning to pick up his second hold in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Mets.

For a second straight game, Barnes entered in the eighth inning to shepherd a lead to closer Brandon Workman. And for a second straight game, Barnes put himself in trouble -- he gave up a home run during Wednesday's appearance, then the right-hander worked out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam Thursday. If he can't turn things around, he could slip below someone like Heath Hembree in the setup pecking order.

Giles (forearm) received an injection in his elbow Thursday and will remain shut down for at least two weeks, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Giles was diagnosed with a forearm strain Monday and this update means the Jays' closer will not resume throwing until the middle of August at the earliest. The right-hander appeared in two games for Toronto, striking out three while allowing two earned runs in 1.2 inning of work.

Karinchak recorded his first career save in Thursday's 2-0 win over the Twins, striking out one while allowing no hits in a scoreless ninth inning.

Thursday marked an impressive showing for the young right-hander, as he followed Shane Bieber's dazzling 13-strikeout performance with a clean, six-pitch ninth inning. Jeff Passan of ESPN.com has speculated that the 24-year old will dethrone Brad Hand as Cleveland's full-time closer, although some within the organization may feel the veteran Hand deserves a longer leash after getting out of the gates slow to start 2020.

Kahnle was unavailable for Thursday's win over the Orioles, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Manager Aaron Boone said that the team would have an update on Kahnle's status Friday, indicating that there could be an issue that holds the reliever out for an extended period. Kahnle has made just one appearance on the campaign, allowing a hit and a walk in one inning of work against the Nationals on July 26.

Yarbrough (0-1) was charged with the loss against the Braves on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out six across 6.1 innings.

Despite the loss, it was another solid outing for the 28-year-old. Yarbrough worked his way into a second-inning jam after giving up a single to Marcell Ozuna, hitting Adam Duvall with a pitch, then allowing Dansby Swanson to score Ozuna on an RBI single. He soon surrendered Atlanta's final run of the night on a sacrifice fly to Austin Riley. It was an otherwise effective performance as the southpaw threw 56 of 87 pitches for strikes. Unfortunately, his teammates failed to provide enough run support to get him the win. The biggest surprise for Yarbrough was the three free passes he issued, which were his most walks given up since an Aug. 5, 2018 contest against the White Sox. He'll look to get back in the win column Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Rodriguez (lat) could be activated during the Rangers' upcoming road trip, which begins Friday and ends Aug. 6, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Rodriguez threw live BP earlier in the week and is traveling with the team, so he appears close to a return. Since the lefty was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 20, he'll be eligible to return as soon as this weekend. Once active, he figures to assume a spot near the back of Texas' bullpen, where saves are up for grabs with Jose Leclerc (shoulder) moving to the 45-day IL.