MLB Player News

Kelly pitched a scoreless ninth inning to collect his first save of the season during Sunday's 2-1 win over Tampa Bay. He allowed two hits and struck out two batters.

Craig Kimbrel closed out the previous two games, so it wasn't surprising to see him receive the day off Sunday. Kelly allowed four runs and only retired a single batter during his appearance on Opening Day, so this was a much better showing, albeit on the shaky side. Both hits allowed were well-struck. The hard-throwing righty shouldn't be viewed as a reliable source of saves as long as Kimbrel is healthy.

Pruitt will start Monday's game against the Yankees, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Pruitt pitched two innings in relief during Thursday's win over the Red Sox, so the right-hander is likely to handle a limited pitch count while taking the mound on only three days' rest. Much like the team did Saturday when Andrew Kittredge started, it's expected that Monday will be a "bullpen game" for the Rays, with a couple of the team's long relievers likely to cover multiple innings once Pruitt departs. The Rays have yet to formalize their rotation beyond Chris Archer, Blake Snell and Jake Faria, so Pruitt could stake a claim to the No. 4 role with a strong showing Monday.

Fulmer (0-1) took the loss Sunday against the Pirates despite allowing just a single run over eight innings. He gave up four hits and two walks while striking out three.

Fulmer carried over his spring training success (2.12 ERA in 17 innings), but Detroit was held hitless through 6.1 innings and ended up losing 1-0. This could be a sign of things to come for Fulmer, as he often posts strong starts with modest strikeout totals, and the Tigers could struggle to score runs with Ian Kinsler and J.D. Martinez no longer around. Still, this was a good start to the season for the right-hander after he underwent elbow surgery in September, and he'll look to keep things rolling Saturday against the White Sox on the road.

Lopez will start Monday against the Blue Jays after his previously scheduled start Sunday against the Royals was postponed due to inclement weather.

Though Lopez will have to wait an extra day to make his first start of 2018, fantasy owners stand to benefit since the 24-year-old now lines up for a two-start week, with his second outing to come April 8 versus Detroit. The White Sox won't shorten their rotation due to the postponement, so Lopez will be followed by Miguel Gonzalez and Carson Fulmer in Toronto in what will mark the season debuts of all three hurlers.

Lawrence fired 2.2 scoreless innings in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Indians, recording two strikeouts.

He served as a mid-game stabilizer after starter James Paxton was touched up for six earned runs on six hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, racking up eight outs in efficient fashion. The performance was a carryover from Lawrence's impressive spring, in which he generated a 1.80 ERA over 15 innings. The 30-year-old projects to serve in a similar long-relief role while on the big-league roster this season, as his 168 career starts at the minor-league level corroborate his ability to pitch extended outings when necessary.

Norris will be available out of the bullpen for Sunday's doubleheader against the Pirates before rejoining the rotation for his first start of the season Wednesday against the Royals, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Buck Farmer and Warwick Saupold will likely be the Tigers' primary long-relief options for the twin bill, so don't expect manager Ron Gardenhire to use Norris if he can help it. If Norris is pressed into action, he may only be used for a pitch count equivalent to what he would cover in a pre-start bullpen session.

Lee (oblique) has resumed throwing off flat ground and is expected to pitch off a mound in the coming days, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The left-hander has been idle for a little over a month with a right oblique strain, which ended his bid for making the Opening Day roster. The Orioles optioned Lee to Triple-A Norfolk in March, so he's expected to hit the club's 7-day disabled list when its season begins April 6.

Lopez's scheduled start Sunday against the Royals was postponed due to inclement weather, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

The two teams will make up the contest as part of a day-night doubleheader April 28. The White Sox haven't announced how the postponement will affect their rotation plans, but it's likely that Lopez will simply be pushed back a day and take the hill for the first time this season Monday in Toronto, setting himself up for a two-start week.

Betances was handed the loss Saturday against the Blue Jays after serving up two runs on three hits and a walk over two innings. He struck out four batters in the outing.

Betances entered the game with the score knotted at 3-3 and served up the go-ahead home run to Yangervis Solarte in the eighth inning. It was the second home run he allowed in as many outings this season, continuing a trend of what had plagued him last September. Additionally, Betances was unable to control the run game, allowing four stolen bases -- including three by Kevin Pillar -- during his brief time on the mound. The two rough appearances to begin the season won't result in Betances falling out of the setup ranks just yet, but manager Aaron Boone could look to rest the big righty for a few days and lean more heavily on David Robertson, Chad Green and Tommy Kahnle to form the bridge to closer Aroldis Chapman.

Yarbrough struck out three and allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks over four innings in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Outside of some control problems, Yarbrough was a successful component of the Rays' first "bullpen day." He mostly kept a potent Red Sox lineup quiet in the middle innings, with the exception of a run-scoring double he allowed to Xander Bogaerts in the sixth. Yarbrough is slated to work similarly extended outings out of the bullpen whenever Kevin Cash utilizes multiple relievers as his de facto fifth starter this season.