MLB Player News

The Astros transferred Blanco (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Friday.

The Astros made a flurry of roster moves Friday, and moving Blanco to the 60-day IL opened up a spot on the 40-man roster for J.P. France, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Blanco is recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in June of 2025, so he won't be available for the Astros until the second half of the 2026 season.

Pepiot (hip) threw a live batting practice session Friday, John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's the first time Pepiot has faced hitters since he landed on the 15-day injured list just before Opening Day with right hip inflammation. Pepiot is expected to require at least one rehab start before rejoining the Rays' rotation, so it would be a push for him to make it back next week. That said, a season debut before the end of April for the right-hander is doable.

Sterner allowed no hits and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning in Thursday's win against the Yankees.

Entering in the eighth inning following seven stellar frames from Jeffrey Springs, Sterner had no trouble keeping the Yankees' bats quiet as he collected his third hold of the campaign. After allowing a run in his first outing, the right-hander has delivered 6.1 scoreless innings over his past five appearances. He has yet to be used in a save situation, but Sterner's strong early performances have earned him high-leverage work and, given the lack of an established closer for the A's, could lead to future opportunities in the ninth inning.

Dominguez recorded a save against the Royals on Thursday, issuing one walk and striking out two batters over one scoreless and hitless inning.

Dominguez entered in the ninth frame with Chicago up 2-0. He issued a leadoff walk to bring the tying run to the plate but then retired the next three batters in order, including the final two by strikeout. Dominguez has converted two of three save chances this season and is currently the clear top ninth-inning option for the White Sox.

Kay (1-0) earned the victory over Kansas City on Thursday, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six batters over 5.2 scoreless innings.

Kay tossed 100 pitches in the outing, racking up 13 whiffs among 63 total strikes. He did hit two batters, but neither instance cost him on the scoreboard. Kay has held his own in his return to the majors after spending the previous two years in Japan, though Thursday's outing was his first time completing five innings this season. Overall, he has a 2.45 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with an 11:8 K:BB over 14.2 frames spanning three appearances. With those numbers, he could start attracting attention even in mixed fantasy leagues, especially if he can start to consistently pitch deep enough to qualify for wins.

Orze earned his first save in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Tigers, recording one strikeout in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning.

With Kody Funderburk, Justin Topa and Cole Sands all pitching three of the previous four days, manager Derek Shelton went to Orze in the ninth inning Thursday. Orze threw 12 of his 14 pitches for strikes and set down the Tigers in order. Orze has a 1.59 ERA and 4:3 K:BB across 5.2 innings this season. Minnesota doesn't have a set-in-stone closer, as five different relievers all have one save to lead the team. Orze could get more save chances down the road, but there's currently no guarantees at the back end of the Twins' bullpen.

Vest (0-2) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk while only retiring two batters in relief to take the loss Thursday against the Twins.

Vest came on in the eighth inning with the game tied 1-1, and he quickly let things unravel before getting the hook in favor of Brant Hurter. Five of Vest's seven appearances so far this season have been scoreless efforts, but he's allowed five runs across his other two outings, which has ballooned the veteran righty's ERA at 7.94 overall. Vest had a 3.01 regular-season ERA for the Tigers in 2025, and he was below 3.00 in the two years before that, so his track record suggests that he'll be able to bounce back from this sluggish start.

Harris earned his first save in Thursday's 1-0 win over the Yankees, striking out one in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning.

With a trio of lefties in Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm and Ben Rice due up in the ninth for New York, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay went to lefty Harris for the save chance. He got Bellinger to foul out, Chisholm to fly out and Rice to strike out in a perfect ninth inning, ending a string of three straight outings with multiple walks issued. Harris now owns a 3.00 ERA and 8:10 K:BB across eight innings and eight appearances this season.

Estevez (foot) will throw a bullpen session Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Estevez was placed on the 15-day injured list more than a week ago with a left foot contusion, and this appears to be the first time he's thrown off a mound since the injury. The Royals plan to eventually send Estevez out on a rehab assignment, not only to make sure he's healthy but to also give him time in a less-pressurized setting to hopefully rediscover his velocity, which has been down since reporting for spring training. Lucas Erceg has been filling in as the Royals' closer and it's possible he won't relinquish the role when Estevez returns.

The White Sox recalled Eisert from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

Eisert will return to a middle-relief role in Chicago's bullpen after allowing one run in 3.2 innings over his first four appearances at Triple-A. Duncan Davitt will make the trip to the majors alongside Eisert, and the two pitchers will replace Tyler Schweitzer and Chris Murphy (elbow) on the big-league staff.