MLB Player News

Pruitt will piggyback starter Ryne Stanek in Thursday's game against the Mariners and is expected to cover most of the innings for the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though the Rays have no healthy full-time starters at the moment beyond Blake Snell and Nathan Eovaldi, it doesn't appear manager Kevin Cash is itching to fill the remaining two openings in the rotation. Instead, the Rays will continue to mix and match relievers as "openers" for games when needed, with Ryan Yarbrough and Pruitt acting as de facto starters and maintaining more regimented pitching schedules. The unorthodox usage pattern has seemingly suited Pruitt well, as he has posted a 1.78 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over the five games this season in which he has thrown at least four innings out of the bullpen.

Beeks was called up by the Red Sox prior to Thursday's start against Detroit.

In a corresponding move, the team optioned reliever Bobby Poyner to Triple-A Pawtucket. Through 10 starts with Pawtucket this year, Beeks has accumulated a 2.56 ERA with an 80:14 K:BB in 56.1 innings.

Yarbrough didn't factor into the decision in a loss to the Nationals on Wednesday and allowed five runs (four earned) on 10 hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out three.

After opening pitcher Jonny Venters managed to only record one out, Yarbrough came on even earlier than expected and put in a rocky long-relief effort. The 26-year-old southpaw has been vulnerable of late, allowing at least one earned run in six straight outings, and 16 runs overall during that span. Yarbrough still offers solid strikeout upside, but occasional issues with both the long ball and location have conspired to get him into trouble on multiple occasions recently.

Hendriks allowed two earned runs on three walks over 1.2 innings in a loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. He struck out one.

The veteran made his first appearance since returning from an extended disabled list stint due to groin and hip issues, and he encountered problems with his location in his second and final frame. The two runs that went on his ledger crossed the plate after Hendriks had gotten the hook, but partly came about as a result of the three walks he'd issued to Delino DeShields, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nomar Mazara. Now that he's apparently back to health, Hendriks will look to gain a rhythm and improve on the unsightly 9.64 ERA and 2.79 WHIP he's generated across his first 4.2 innings this season.

May (elbow) was reinstated from the 60-day DL on Thursday and subsequently optioned to Triple-A Rochester, Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage reports.

May just hasn't been able to find any consistency over the past month on his rehab assignment. Through five starts at the Triple-A level, he posted a 7.07 ERA and 1.79 WHIP over 14 innings of work. Manager Paul Molitor is hopeful that May will be able to rebuild his arm without having the pressure of competing in the majors, though the club doesn't have a specific timeline in place for his eventual return to Minnesota. In order to make room for May on the Twins' 40-man roster, Jason Castro was transferred to the 60-day DL (knee).

Staumont has moved back to the rotation for Triple-A Omaha, giving up two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out nine over 8.2 innings across two starts.

Staumont's stuff is so electric that he is fantasy relevant as a starter or reliever, but there's a bit more upside if he is able to make it as a starter long term. It's only been two starts, but the fact he has just one walk over that span is very encouraging. A blow-up outing could be right around the corner, but if he can string together some good outings and continue to limit the free passes, he could join the big-league rotation sometime this summer.

Santiago (2-2) allowed two runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts through five innings in a win Wednesday over Minnesota.

Santiago was shaky, but he managed to keep the ball in the ballpark and kept the floodgates from bursting. He needed a ridiculous 104 pitches to get through five innings, though, and even if he is lucky enough to strand seven of nine runners in future starts, counting on the White Sox offense and bullpen to help him hold onto wins in the later innings is a risky proposition at best. With the White Sox expected to welcome Carlos Rodon (shoulder) back from the 60-day disabled list this weekend in Boston, Santiago could be at risk of moving back to the bullpen.

Mengden allowed six runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts over just four innings in a loss Wednesday against the Rangers.

Of the five hits Mengden allowed, a ridiculous four were home runs, and none of them were cheap, as Jurickson Profar's 395 foot blast in the third inning was the shortest of the four. Mengden had allowed just six home runs in his first 12 starts and had a stingy 0.7 HR/9, a major improvement from the 1.2 HR/9 he posted in his first two seasons. That improvement is all but erased now, as his 2018 HR/9 now sits at 1.1. Mengden still owns a solid 51:11 K:BB with a 3.45 ERA, and Texas is known as a hitters' paradise, but this is concerning, as Mengden's ability to suppress the home run was a big factor behind his early success. He'll get a chance to prove Wednesday's start was just a fluke Tuesday against Houston.

Chapman gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless 13th inning Wednesday to record his 15th save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Blue Jays.

The left-hander's now converted eight straight save chances over the last month, posting a 0.84 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB in 10.2 innings during that stretch. Chapman's 16.1 K/9 so far this season is his highest mark since 2014.

Bummer was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The White Sox are expected to announce a corresponding roster move prior to Thursday's series finale against the Twins. Bummer owns a solid 3.26 ERA and 21:6 K:BB across 19.1 innings this season, so he'll likely be back with the big club when a fresh reliever is needed.