MLB Player News

De Leon (elbow) allowed an earned run on four hits, three walks and a hit batsman over two-plus innings in his most recent rehab outing for Triple-A Durham against Pawtucket on Wednesday.

De Leon had considerable location issues, leading to his exit after 63 pitches three batters into the third inning. The outing was De Leon's second since he was granted an extension on his rehab assignment June 8, so a decision on his activation is looming. The rehabbing right-hander has logged nine minor-league appearances overall during his recovery, posting a 3.96 ERA and 1.60 WHIP across 25 innings.

Beeks struck out one and allowed two runs off three hits and no walks in two innings against the A's on Friday.

The southpaw struggled as the primary pitcher in his second straight appearance, this time giving up a solo home run in both of his two innings. After allowing four runs in five innings over his last two appearances, Beeks' ERA has risen to 2.95 but he still boasts a respectable 50:19 K:BB in 58 innings this season. Jose De Leon (elbow), Tyler Glasnow (forearm) and Anthony Banda (elbow) remain on the 60-day injured list, but they are all progressing in their rehab processes. Beeks could be relegated to the bullpen when they are ready to return.

Kittredge struck out three and allowed two hits and one walk over two scoreless innings in Friday's win over the Athletics.

The 29-year-old excelled as the opener and has given up just one earned run in 3.2 big-league innings this year. Jalen Beeks, the primary pitcher, allowed home runs in both of the next two innings, so it's impressive that Kittredge was able to limit the Athletics' production. The right-hander has been effective at recording strikeouts and limiting runs with Triple-A Toledo this season, so he could be a prime option to continue serving as an opener in 2019.

The Rays recalled Kolarek from Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Kolarek was sent to Durham just three days ago, but he'll be eligible to return to the big club earlier than normal with infielder Daniel Robertson (knee) moving to the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Rather than Robertson, Kolarek will act as a de facto replacement in the bullpen for Austin Pruitt, who was optioned to Triple-A since he wouldn't be available for the next couple of days after pitching three innings in relief in Friday's win over the Athletics.

The Rays optioned Pruitt to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Pruitt pitched well in long relief in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Athletics, covering three innings and ceding only one run en route to notching his first win of 2019. The strong outing came at the price of Pruitt likely not being available for the next day or two due to the sizable workload, which was likely the main factor in the Rays' decision to ship him to the minors. Adam Kolarek was recalled from Durham, giving Tampa Bay another fresh relief arm.

Law will be deployed as the Blue Jays' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Red Sox, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Law hasn't exceeded 40 pitches or two innings in any of his appearances at the major-league or Triple-A level in 2019, so those probably represent his workload limitations while he works as an opener for the third time this season. Sam Gaviglio is slated to follow Law and will presumably cover the bulk of the innings out of the bullpen.

Pagan recorded the final two outs Friday to record his fourth save of the season in a 5-3 win over the A's.

The right-hander got the call in a save situation with Diego Castillo having pitched the last two days and Jose Alvarado (personal) not yet ready to rejoin the team. Pagan hadn't picked up a save since April 27 prior to Friday, so while he remains a key late-inning arm for the Rays due to his 1.23 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 36:8 K:BB through 29.1 frames, he's at best third in the closer pecking order.

Pruitt (1-0) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on four hits over three innings of relief in a 5-3 victory over the A's.

The right-hander was the third Rays pitcher of the night after Andrew Kittredge and Jalen Beeks, but Pruitt had the largest workload of the trio and got credit for the win as a result. His 5.74 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 9:5 K:BB through 15.2 big-league innings this season remains unimpressive, and Pruitt will likely continue to shuttle back and forth between the Tampa bullpen and Triple-A Durham over the rest of the season.

Junis struck out eight but didn't factor into the decision in an 8-7 loss to the Twins on Friday, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over six innings.

The right-hander was denied his fifth win of the season by a late bullpen meltdown, but Junis still came through with a strong effort, tying his season high in strikeouts. Four of his six quality starts on the season have come in his last six trips to the mound, and he's posted a respectable 4.32 ERA and 37:12 K:BB over 33.1 innings during that stretch. Junis will look to keep rolling into his next outing Wednesday in Cleveland.

Rogers struck out one over two perfect innings to record his ninth save of the season in an 8-7 win over the Royals on Friday.

The southpaw has moved into a tie with Blake Parker for the team lead in saves, and five of Rogers' nine have come in June. On the season, Rogers sports an outstanding 1.91 ERA and 41:7 K:BB over 33 innings.