MLB Player News

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.

Kolek (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Kolek suffered a left oblique strain in late February and has finally been cleared to pitch in games again. He will need at least a couple rehab outings before being an option for the Royals' rotation or bullpen.

The White Sox placed Murphy on the 15-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to Wednesday, with a left elbow impingement.

Murphy gave up one earned run on a solo homer in two-thirds of an inning during his last appearance Tuesday, and he appears to have come away from his latest outing with a nerve issue in his elbow. He'll be sidelined for at least the next two weeks as a result, and with Tyler Schweitzer on his way back to Triple-A, the White Sox will bring Duncan Davitt and Brandon Eisert up from Charlotte to fill the holes on their pitching staff.

The Royals optioned Cruz to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Cruz has struggled with consistency since being recalled to the big leagues at the beginning of the month, allowing eight earned runs over five innings despite going unscored upon in three of his five appearances. He'll aim to right the ship in the minors; meanwhile, Eli Morgan will come up from Omaha to fill the vacancy in Kansas City's bullpen.

The Royals recalled Morgan from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Morgan came up from Triple-A as the 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers, during which he gave up a hit and a walk while striking out five batters over three shutout innings. He'll now return to Kansas City alongside Mitch Spence to give the Royals a couple of fresh bullpen arms, replacing Luinder Avila and Steven Cruz.

The Rays optioned Scholtens to Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

The 32-year-old righty was recalled from Triple-A on Wednesday to give Tampa Bay an extra bullpen arm while Drew Rasmussen was away on paternity leave. Scholtens delivered a strong performance with the Rays, firing 4.2 shutout innings against the Cubs on Wednesday, but his stint in the majors will last just 24 hours, suggesting that Rasmussen will rejoin the team to start against the Yankees on Friday.