MLB Player News

Gibaut (lat) will open the year on the 7-day IL with Triple-A Durham, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Gibaut is perhaps the best reliever on a loaded Durham pitching staff, but a mild lat strain that he suffered in February is still bothering him. When he gets healthy, it may not be long before he joins the big-league bullpen. Long term, he profiles as a high-end setup man.

The Giants traded Law to the Blue Jays on Wednesday along with infielder Alen Hanson and pitcher Juan De Paula in exchange for outfielder Kevin Pillar.

Law posted an impressive 2.13 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over 61 relief appearances as a rookie with the Giants in 2016, but he's fallen on hard times ever since. After back-to-back rough seasons, Law lost his spot on the Giants' 40-man roster in February, which indicated that he wasn't a major part of the team's future plans. He'll look for a fresh start in a new organization but will probably need to find success with Triple-A Buffalo before receiving the call to Toronto.

Armstrong (oblique) threw a successful bullpen session Sunday and will throw again Tuesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Armstrong appears to be on track for a return at some point over the next several days. The right-hander is likely to log one minor-league rehab outing if he gets through Tuesday's session without setbacks and could be a candidate for activation by this coming weekend.

Chapman struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Monday to record his first save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Tigers.

His first pitch of the night clocked in at 95 mph, but by the time an overmatched Mikie Mahtook got to the plate, Chapman was humming at 97-98 mph and ended the game with a four-pitch strikeout. That's still a step back from the 99 mph he averaged last season, but it's progress, and there's no reason to think his velocity will pick up further as the weather gets warmer. Chapman's collected at least 30 saves in six of the last seven seasons, and is now on his way to making it seven of eight.

Yarbrough (1-0) allowed one run on three hits in 4.1 innings during Monday's 7-1 victory over Colorado. He struck out three and earned the win.

Yarbrough started the second frame after Ryne Stanek tossed a scoreless first. His offense spotted him a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning before he allowed his lone run on a Nolan Arenado double in the sixth. Like in 2018, the 6-foot-5 lefty will likely be the primary pitcher after an opener starts for most of the season. Yarbrough should next face San Francisco on Sunday.

Stanek struck out three batters and allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to open Monday's 7-1 win over the Rockies.

Stanek was arguably the most successful opener for Tampa Bay last season and it's working well so far in 2019. He won't see many win or save opportunities, but he could be useful in the ERA and strikeout categories in deeper leagues.

Hand pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts to post his second save of the season Monday.

The 29-year-old allowed two walks and a hit in his first two outings, so it was nice to see Hand pitch his first perfect frame of the year Monday. Hand posted a career-high 32 saves with the Padres and Indians last season, but closing for a contending team over all of 2019, Hand could easily set another high-water mark in the category. He's certainly off to a good start with two saves in the first four games.

Sadzeck was traded to the Mariners from the Rangers in exchange for Grant Anderson on Monday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Sadzeck will join Seattle's active roster following the trade, and he figures to slot into a bullpen role. He posted a 0.96 ERA with a 7:11 K:BB over 9.1 innings a season ago through 13 appearances (two starts).

Borucki (elbow) will throw a side session Wednesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Borucki's season debut has been delayed by elbow inflammation, but he's making progress. Toronto is tentatively targeting a two-game series against the Giants on April 23 and 24 for his return.

Yarbrough will serve as the Rays' primary pitcher out of the bullpen in Monday's game against the Rockies, Rodney Page of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

As he often did throughout the 2018 campaign, Yarbrough will enter the game after Ryne Stanek, who is expected to cover an inning or two as the opener before departing. Yarbrough covered four innings in his final exhibition appearance, so that probably represents the lower end of what kind of workload he'll receive in his 2019 regular-season debut.