MLB Player News

Manager Aaron Boone said that Green will likely serve as the Yankees' opening pitcher for Friday's game against the Royals, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The Yankees will likely wait and see which pitchers are needed in relief in Thursday's series finale with the Orioles before formally locking in Green -- or anyone else -- as the opener Friday. Assuming Green does in fact receive the nod, he would likely cover one or two frames before Boone turns the game over the bullpen. Luis Cessa, David Hale and Nestor Cortes are all multi-inning relievers who could be called upon after Green exits.

Cordero isn't listed on the Blue Jays' lineup card for Thursday's game against the Red Sox, signaling that he's been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Cordero will surrender his spot on the active roster with the Blue Jays activating Clayton Richard (knee) from the 10-day injured list to start the series finale. The righty reliever was only up with the big club for two days, appearing in Wednesday's contest and giving up a run on two hits in 1.1 innings.

Lakins was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Tyler Thornburg (hip) landed on the injured list, so the Red Sox needed bullpen reinforcements. Lakins has a 4.02 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 15:10 K:BB in 15.2 innings at Triple-A. He will be used in low-leverage spots.

Johnson (elbow) will likely need two more rehab appearances with Triple-A Pawtucket, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

Johnson pitched in relief for the PawSox on Tuesday and allowed two runs on three hits and one walk in 1.2 innings. "He was very inconsistent with his delivery, not consistent with his breaking ball," manager Alex Cora said. "We'll see how he does with the next one. We need him to get right. Physically he felt better. As far as the other stuff, be consistent with the windup. His arm speed wasn't there. So he probably needs a few more." Johnson has been on the injured list since April 6.

Norris allowed just two runs over six innings but did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Marlins. He gave up six hits and no walks while striking out five.

This was a step in the right direction for Norris, who coughed up six runs on seven hits across 5.1 innings in his last start. The lefty has been a bit up and down this season, and he now has a 4.30 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 33:11 K:BB through 46 innings. Norris will look to build on this positive outing his next time out, which is scheduled for Monday against the Orioles on the road.

Chapman picked up the save against the Orioles on Wednesday, working around a walk to post a scoreless ninth inning and preserve the Yankees' 7-5 victory. He struck out one.

It was the 13th save of the season for the dominant lefty, who has been locked in lately. Chapman hasn't given up an earned run since May 9, lowering his ERA to 1.83 and his WHIP to 0.92 to go along with 31 strikeouts over 19.2 innings. He has very much retained his customary status as one of the most reliable closers in baseball to start 2019.

Jurado pitched an inning of relief in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Seattle. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two.

Jurado is still on schedule to start Sunday against the Angels, so Wednesday's appearance was merely an in-between starts throwing session. Rangers manager Chris Woodward needs to be ready to use anyone in relief given the shaky nature of the rotation. Texas' starters rank 27th in ERA (5.44) and 28th in innings pitched per start (4.7).

Weber will start Thursday's game in Toronto, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

While it is a favorable matchup, Weber had a 5.04 ERA and 18:5 K:BB in 25 innings as a starter at Triple-A this season, so he is hardly an appealing streamer in fantasy leagues. Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) is at least a couple weeks away from returning to the big-league rotation, so Weber could make a few MLB starts if he can keep his head above water.

Honeywell (elbow) will rest for another week before potentially resuming throwing, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Honeywell has been shut down since mid-April due to a nerve issue as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Given the length of his absence, he'll need to build up for quite a while before returning to game action.

The Rays are expected to call up Yarbrough from Triple-A Durham and use him as a bulk reliever for Thursday's game against the Indians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Heading into the week, the Rays didn't require a fifth starter/primary pitcher until Saturday, but the team decided to push Blake Snell and Charlie Morton back a day for rest purposes. That creates a need for an extra long-relief arm in the series opener in Cleveland, with Yarbrough representing the most obvious candidate to fill the void. Though he struggled in his most recent appearance with the big club back on April 24, Yarbrough has found success over his four outings with Durham, posting a 2.14 ERA and 30:3 K:BB in 21 innings.