MLB Player News

Pearson allowed one hit over five scoreless innings while striking out nine for High-A Dunedin on Sunday.

The Jays' top pitching prospect is simply overmatching Florida State League hitters, posting a 0.75 ERA and 17:1 K:BB through his first three outings (12 IP). Pearson's already 22, so while he has limited pro innings so far due to injury, he could get a quick promotion to Double-A if he keeps delivering video game numbers. He's highly unlikely to climb the ladder all the way to the majors this year no matter how he pitches, but Pearson could put himself in the club's 2020 rotation plans with a big campaign.

Brasier entered Sunday's game in the eighth inning with Boston leading 1-0 and worked around a walk and a hit in scoreless inning.

Brasier has closed out three games this season, but Matt Barnes was positioned to get the save in this one. The Red Sox scored three times in the bottom of the eighth, so no save was credited, but it does did shed some light on manager Alex Cora's planned usage. Starter David Price was allowed to pitch out of a minor jam in the seventh inning and got Boston into the eighth with the lead. That meant Cora did not have to burn Barnes early to squelch a budding threat, and the manager had Brasier enter to set up the potential save for Barnes. Both relievers are expected to get save chances going forward, with game circumstances dictating which one will be positioned for the save.

Barnes allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning of Sunday's 4-0 win over the Orioles.

This was heading toward a save situation, so manager Alex Cora had Barnes warming as Boston held a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning. After the Red Sox plated three in the bottom of the inning, the manager had Barnes preserve the victory in a non-save situation. Ryan Brasier pitched the eighth inning when the lower third of Baltimore's order was due up, which aligns with how Cora's deployed his late-inning relievers. Barnes has entered previous games earlier than the ninth inning for pivotal moments when opponents had the stronger part of their order due up.

Manaea (shoulder) is throwing from a distance of 120 feet, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The new distance represents a nice bump up for Manaea, who was throwing from 90 feet out in late March. The southpaw continues on track to return at some point this summer following his September 2018 surgery. Manaea will likely increase his throwing distance again in the near future and eventually graduate to bullpen sessions.

Hand (0-1) allowed one run on two hits and a walk while recording only one out in a loss against the Royals on Sunday.

This didn't count as a blown save because the game was tied, but Hand wasn't sharp. He hadn't allowed a baserunner in his previous 2.2 innings, but three players reached against him Sunday, erasing that good work in the WHIP category. Still, Hand has enjoyed a solid start t to the year, going 4-for-4 in save opportunities with a 2.70 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

Junis allowed five runs on eight hits and one walk with four strikeouts across 6.1 innings during a no-decision against the Indians on Sunday.

After spotting the Indians a 3-0 lead in the first inning, the Royals battled back to take their own three-run lead. However, Junis gave up two more runs in the fourth before the Royals bullpen allowed the Indians to tie the game in the seventh. Junis is striking out more than one batter per inning, and he's only walked six batters in four starts, but his opposing hitters are also batting .304. He is 1-1 with a 6.14 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 22 innings. His next start will be Friday on the road against the Yankees.

Norris allowed one run on six hits across three innings of relief work in Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Twins. He struck out two and did not walk anyone.

Norris came on in the fourth inning for an ineffective Jordan Zimmermann, and the lefty was able to keep the Twins off the board for three innings. However, Norris allowed a solo home run to Eddie Rosario to begin the seventh, then got the hook. The 25-year-old was in line to grab a spot start Friday, but the game was postponed due to inclement weather, and Norris should continue serving in a long-relief role for the Tigers, which limits his fantasy appeal.

Hildenberger struck out the final two batters of Sunday's game against Detroit to pick up his first save of the season.

Hildenberger entered the contest with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a two-run ballgame, but he fanned John Hicks and Grayson Greiner to secure the victory. Blake Parker has been the top option for Minnesota in save situations so far this season and began the frame, but he worked his way into a mess, giving Hildenberger a chance to slam the door. He's now tossed 5.1 scoreless frames in eight appearances to begin the year.

Colome earned his third save of the season after tossing a perfect inning Sunday against the Yankees.

Colome is now 3-for-3 on save opportunities this year following Sunday's flawless outing. He needed just 13 pitches (10 strikes) to retire the final three batters of the ballgame. The 30-year-old right-hander has posted a 3.00 ERA with six punchouts over six frames in 2019.

Leclerc gave up one hit while striking out three to record his third save of the season in Sunday's 8-7 win over the Athletics.

Texas didn't appear in line to even have save opportunity when it was down five runs in the fifth inning, but the Rangers bats came to life against the Oakland bullpen. It wasn't clear if the 25-year-old would get the save opportunity after two consecutive rough outings, but he looked dominant, allowing one hit and striking out three in one inning of work. Leclerc has three saves on the season with a 6.00 ERA and looks like the closer of choice for the time being.