MLB Player News

Norris will start the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Royals, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers will need a spot starter as they'll be playing six games in a five-day period. Norris has struggled to a 7.11 ERA in 6.1 innings of relief so far this year, though his 1.66 FIP indicates that he's pitching quite well. His 30 percent strikeout rate is far above his career average of 20 percent, but it's not uncommon for a pitcher's strikeout rate to jump up in the bullpen, so don't expect him to suddenly be a top-tier strikeout pitcher when he starts on Friday.

Kahnle was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with right shoulder tendinitis.

Kahnle's velocity had been trending downwards, something which often indicates an injury is present. His exact recovery timeline is not yet clear, but he'll miss at minimum 10 days. The Yankees remain hopeful that the issue is a minor one. Luis Cessa was called up from Triple-A to take his spot in the bullpen.

Barlow was recalled from Triple-A Omaha and will serve as the Royals' 26th man for Tuesday's doubleheader in Toronto, MLB.com reports.

Barlow, who had previously made two starts for Omaha, will give the Royals some length out of the bullpen in the event neither of the team's scheduled starters for the twin bill, Eric Skoglund and Danny Duffy, are able to work deep into their respective outings. Look for Barlow to return to Omaha once the doubleheader is completed.

Betances worked a scoreless inning in Monday's 12-1 win over the Marlins, giving up a hit and striking out two batters.

It was a little surprising to see Betances out there in the ninth inning while the Yankees held an 11-run lead, but manager Aaron Boone may just have wanted the right-hander to regain some confidence in a low-leverage spot after having been blitzed for three runs on five hits in his previous appearance Friday in Detroit. Betances worked around a harmless two-out single to retire the side on 15 pitches, with 11 going for strikes. While Betances continues to whiff batters at a prolific rate and hasn't experienced the significant walk issues that marred his 2017 campaign, he carries a 7.04 ERA through seven appearances. That mark is due in no small part to his .533 BABIP, along with the fact that all three of the flyballs he has yielded have gone over the fence.

Diaz worked around a walk with two strikeouts to pick up his seventh save Monday night against the Astros.

Diaz remains on fire this season, now with eight straight scoreless frames, each with at least one strikeout. Perhaps most remarkable, though, is that Diaz's walk Monday night was just his third of the season. Diaz walked 32 batters in just 66 innings last season, and that lack of control was the main thing keeping him out of the upper echelon of closers in 2017.

Lopez (0-2) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks and struck out 10 over six innings but still took the loss Monday against Oakland.

Lopez was wild, but he was able to keep the floodgates from bursting by reaching double digits in strikeouts for the second time in his career -- the first time since he struck out 11 for the Nationals on Aug. 18, 2016 against Atlanta. Lopez topped out at seven strikeouts for the White Sox in 2017, so it's extremely encouraging to see this kind of electricity back in his arm. Even though he has an 0-2 record to show for his efforts, Lopez has now thrown three quality starts to open the season.

Mengden (2-2) allowed just one run on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts over eight innings in a win Monday over the White Sox.

Mengden lasted into the sixth inning for the first time all season and nearly managed to go the distance. That's in part due to a rough White Sox lineup that managed to go 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, but Mengden drew 14 swinging strikes and tossed 20 first-pitch strikes to 30 hitters. He was as sharp as you could ask, and he brought his ERA all the way down to 4.50 in the process.

Hu was optioned to Triple-A Durham following Monday's win over the Rangers, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Hu will head back to the minors after just one day with the Rays. He allowed three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two in 2.2 innings of work Monday. Tampa Bay has elected to replace Hu with Hunter Wood in an effort to add a fresh arm to the bullpen.

Saupold was in line to be the Tigers' 26th man for a doubleheader Sunday, but with the games rained out, he got the start for Triple-A Toledo on Monday instead, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Saupold tossed three scoreless innings with three strikeouts in his start for the Mud Hens. The 28-year-old Australian is a versatile reliever who can work multiple innings, so he's likely to get other opportunities when a need arises at the MLB level. However, a long reliever who might bounce between Triple-A and the majors all season doesn't offer a ton of fantasy value.

Barnes has given up one run on nine hits while striking out 10 across 7.1 innings this season.

Barnes has been one of Toronto's more reliable arms out of the bullpen, with a 1.23 ERA, one win and two holds in eight appearances. He's also been able to demonstrate outstanding command, as he's yet to issue a walk in 2018. The Blue Jays will take on Kansas City on Tuesday after Monday's matchup was postponed.