MLB Player News

Santiago (1-0) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out four over five innings in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Royals.

It wasn't the most efficient outing, as Santiago needed 88 pitches to get through five innings, but despite falling behind in the count most of the day he was able to induce weak contact or get a strikeout when it mattered. The left-hander has consistently out-performed his FIP throughout his career, but after managing an ugly 5.58 ERA in 11 starts after being acquired by Minnesota last season, Santiago will be looking to get his ERA back under 4.00 as it was in 2013-15. His next start is scheduled for Tuesday in Detroit.

Strahm was hit hard once again Wednesday, giving up a walk and a home run to Eduardo Escobar while recording only one out in a 9-1 loss to the Twins.

The young lefty has now given up six runs in his first two appearances, saddling him with an 81.00 ERA, while Strahm's 0:3 K:BB in 0.2 innings is just as disconcerting. The trendy sleeper pick could merely be experiencing some early-season jitters after breaking camp with the big club for the first time, but if he doesn't right the ship soon, the Royals may have little choice but to send him back to the minors.

Giles will get the day off after pitching two straight days, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

After earning his second save in as many days, it appears manager A.J. Hinch will give his ninth-inning man a day off. Giles has been stellar so far this year, striking out five of eight batters while allowing just two baserunners through two innings. Hinch will likely turn to Will Harris if an opportunity arises in the ninth inning Wednesday.

Manager John Farrell said that Pomeranz (forearm) will be cleared to come off the 10-day disabled list to start Sunday's game against the Tigers, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

The Red Sox could be at risk of a rainout for their series finale Thursday against the Pirates, but if the weather holds up, Pomeranz will remain on schedule to take the hill before the weekend draws to a close. Pomeranz was able to throw six innings in a minor-league outing Monday and the Red Sox came away pleased with his performance, so it doesn't sound like he'll face any significant pitch count restrictions in his season debut. Pomeranz should be in store for at least a handful of starts before David Price (elbow) returns from the DL, at which point Farrell would have to drop one of Pomeranz, Steven Wright or Eduardo Rodriguez from the rotation.

Yates was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Yates was designated for assignment after failing to earn a spot in the Angels bullpen coming out of spring training, and the other 29 teams evidently determined he wasn't worthy of a 40-man roster spot. As a result, Yates will stick in the organization and will need to turn heads in the minors before earning a longer look from the parent club.

Axford was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained shoulder, MLB.com's Jane Lee reports.

Axford hadn't pitched in either of the Athletics' first two games, so it seems likely that he may have been nursing the injury coming out of spring training. Though the Athletics' closing situation remains quite unsettled, it's unlikely that Axford will get a chance to throw his hat in the ring for those duties once he's healthy again after submitting an unremarkable 3.97 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 65.2 innings last season.

Junis will begin the 2017 season as a member of the starting rotation for Triple-A Omaha, MLB.com's Jim Callis reports.

The right-hander began last season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and went 9-7 with a 3.25 ERA over 119 innings (21 starts). Junis was later promoted to Triple-A, where he struggled mightily (7.20 ERA) in six outings to end the year. The 24-year-old has flown a bit under the radar compared to other pitchers in the Royals system, but Junis has demonstrated above-average control while posting decent strikeout rates throughout his five minor-league seasons. With a full season of quality outings at Triple-A, he'll become a contender for a major-league rotation spot next spring.

Staumont moved up in levels and will begin the 2017 season at Triple-A Omaha, MLB.com's Jim Callis reports.

The right-hander, whose fastball has been clocked at 102 mph, led the minor leagues last season with a 12.2 K/9 over 26 games split between High-A and Double-A. Staumont continues to quickly ascend through the Royals' system and it wouldn't be a surprise if the club's No. 2 prospect made his MLB debut later in 2017.

Shaw allowed one hit and recorded three outs Tuesday against the Rangers to earn his first hold of the season.

The reliever wasted no time picking up where he left off in 2016, a season in which he notched a career-high 25 holds. Over the past three years, Shaw's 72 holds are good for fifth-best in MLB during that span. He'll continue to see a ton of opportunities this season.

Norris is now scheduled to start Sunday against the Red Sox.

Following another postponement Wednesday, the Tigers moved Norris all the way back to Sunday, behind Matt Boyd, Michael Fulmer and Jordan ZImmermann in the rotation. Norris battled through dead arm late in spring training, but he convinced manager Brad Ausmus that he had worked through it in an abbreviated outing last weekend, with his fastball returning to the mid-90s range.