MLB Player News

Garcia (elbow) threw another side session Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports, and per MLB.com the veteran reliever is close to beginning a rehab assignment.

Garcia hasn't pitched in a big-league game since July 2 of last season, eventually undergoing surgery on his elbow in September to clean up scar tissue from a prior procedure. He's in the final stages of his recovery, and the Blue Jays remain optimistic the right-hander will be able to rejoin the bullpen by the end of April. Once he's activated and shakes off the rust, Garcia will provide another high-leverage bridge to closer Jeff Hoffman.

Dominguez earned the save Sunday against the Royals, allowing no runs on no hits and one walk while striking out two in the ninth inning.

Dominguez was the last of nine pitchers to take the mound for the White Sox, and he needed 15 pitches to snag a couple of strikeouts and finish off the game. It was the 31-year-old's third save of the season in four tries while serving as the team's undisputed top ninth-inning option. The right-hander owns a 3.18 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, seven strikeouts and four walks in 5.2 innings across six appearances.

Junis picked up the save in Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Dodgers. He allowed no hits and a walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning.

Junis was called upon to close Sunday's contest and did so successfully, allowing just a one-out walk to Will Smith en route to securing his third save of the season. It's been a stellar start to the campaign for the veteran right-hander, who has yet to allow a run through eight innings of work. The Rangers have been operating with a closer-by-committee approach, but Junis is emerging as a top ninth-inning option, converting a save in each of his past three appearances.

Fleming and the Blue Jays agreed on a minor-league deal Sunday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Fleming elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Tuesday, but he has now returned to Toronto's organization. The southpaw tossed five scoreless innings with Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday, allowing four hits while striking out four in the team's 3-2 loss to Syracuse.

Englert earned the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees, allowing two earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out one over one inning of relief.

With the Rays up by three and normal high-leverage relievers Griffin Jax and Bryan Baker likely unavailable after both pitched Friday and Saturday, Englert was tasked with trying to wrap up the win. Things got dicey two batters in, as Aaron Judge cut the deficit to one with a home run. Later, the tying run reached second base and the go-ahead run was on first, but Englert was able to slam the door en route to earning the first save of his career. In five appearances this season, the 26-year-old has a 10.57 ERA and a 2.22 WHIP in 7.2 innings.

Bolton (back) will undergo additional imaging in the near future, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Bolton was forced to exit his outing Sunday against Seattle in the second inning with mid-back tightness, which is now understood to be related to his previous back issue from earlier in the week. The 27-year-old explained following the team's 6-1 loss to Seattle that the tightness occurred in the same area that he took a line drive off his back Monday in Colorado. Bolton attempted to pitch through it in an effort to give Houston some much-needed length on the mound Sunday, but the Astros now appear to be dealing with yet another injury to their pitching staff.

Soriano (4-0) earned the win Sunday against the Reds, allowing no runs on two hits and three walks in seven innings. He struck out 10.

Soriano continues to deal for the Angels, having now fired at least six innings while yielding one run or zero during his four-start win streak to open the new campaign. The right-hander has piled up 10 strikeouts in consecutive outings, and he threw a season-high 106 pitches Sunday. Soriano is in possession of a sterling 0.33 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 31:9 K:BB over 27 innings across his first four appearances, and he'll be aiming to keep the good times rolling his next time out versus the Padres.

Kuhnel picked up the save Sunday against the Mets, throwing a clean ninth inning.

Kuhnel made quick work of the Mets on Sunday, retiring the side on a mere four pitches (three strikes). It was the second save of the season for the right-hander, who may be working his way into the ninth-inning mix in the Athletics' unsettled closer picture. Kuhnel has tossed 3.1 scoreless innings so far this year, and it's worth noting that high-leverage arms Hogan Harris, Scott Barlow and Elvis Alvarado all worked ahead of Kuhnel on Sunday.

Bolton left Sunday's contest against the Mariners in bottom of the second inning with back tightness, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Bolton was far from sharp to open Sunday's matchup, hitting a batter while walking another and giving up a single and run in the bottom of the first. He then walked all three batters he faced in the second frame before being removed with back discomfort. The right-hander worked his way back from having been hit in his back by a line drive in the first inning of his previous start Monday versus the Rockies, and it's unclear if Sunday's issue is connected to that. More information on his status will likely be provided following the conclusion of the team's series finale with Seattle.

Yates (knee) is expected to pitch for High-A Rancho Cucamonga soon, per MLB.com.

It's not clear exactly when Yates will kick off his rehab assignment, but it's the logical next step given that he's recently been throwing to hitters. The veteran reliever may not need much time to get ready for activation from the IL since he's not dealing with an arm issue and was able to appear in four games during spring training. Yates could be headed for a high-leverage role, though Jordan Romano has gone 4-for-4 in converting save chances with a 0.00 ERA and likely has a strong hold on the closer role for the time being.