MLB Player News

The Blue Jays will start either Liam Hendriks or Todd Redmond Saturday, according to Sportsnet.

Marcus Stroman had been in consideration for the start, but he was sent down to Triple-A. Hendriks drew strong reviews from general manager Alex Anthopolous during his last start in the minors. Redmond has spent most of the year in the bullpen. The club will likely make the decision soon.

White Sox pitcher Zach Putnam picked up a win Monday after pitching two scoreless innings in his team's 7-6 victory over the Royals.

Putnam (2-0) struck out one and walked one while not giving up any hits in the fifth and six innings, and it was enough to earn him a win after starter Scott Carroll exited with just four innings in the bank. Putnam owns a 1.45 ERA and 12:7 K:BB ratio in 18 2/3 innings.

White Sox pitcher Scott Carroll didn't factor into the decision Monday after giving up six earned runs on nine hits and three walks in four innings while striking out two in his team's 7-6 win over the Royals.

Carroll was prevented from taking a loss when his offense racked up seven runs through the first five innings, but he didn't do much to avoid one, allowing five runs in the first inning and another in the fourth. He has now given up six runs in three straight starts, ballooning his ERA to 6.49 in 26 1/3 innings. Carroll is scheduled to face the Yankees Saturday.

Rangers pitcher Nick Martinez looked sharp in his start on Sunday, but failed to factor into the decision in a 6-2 victory over the Blue Jays.

Martinez surrendered a solo home run to Juan Francisco in the fourth inning for his only damage of the afternoon. The right-hander permitted one run on four hits and three walks while striking out three in five innings pitched. He tossed 84 pitches, 50 for strikes.

Martinez lowered his ERA from 2.38 to 2.28 after Sunday's start. He will likely make his next start Saturday at Detroit.

The Twins announced a pair of roster moves following Sunday's game against the Mariners, the Star Tribune reports. The team sent down pitcher Michael Tonkin to Triple-A Rochester and recalled catcher Chris Herrmann from Triple-A. 

Athletics starter Jesse Chavez yielded a pair of solo homers but little else in a 13-3 win over the Indians on Sunday. He allowed two earned runs on six hits over five innings, striking out six and walking three.

Now 4-1 with a 2.54 ERA, Chavez will face the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Yankees reliever David Robertson picked up a four-out save Sunday against the Pirates.

Robertson was perfect during the appearance. He managed to strike out three of the four batters he faced. Gaby Sanchez was the only hitter to put the ball in play against Robertson, and he grounded out to short. Robertson now has eight saves.

The Blue Jays don't need a fifth starting pitcher for another week, but they already seem to have an option in mind.

According to MLB.com, the team appears ready to tab Liam Hendriks to take the mound May 24 against the Athletics. General manager Alex Anthopolous went to Triple-A Buffalo to watch Hendriks pitch, and came away impressed.

"He's why I came. ... You want to see the 1.50 ERA for yourself," Anthopoulos told the Buffalo News. "He was good. Throws strikes, changes speeds. You know you don't have to have 60- or 80-pitch first appearance. He's fully stretched out."

Hendriks has been starting in the minors all season, while other potential candidates might not be ready to take on a full starting load. He has started 28 of his 30 appearances in the majors, posting a 6.06 ERA in 156 innings over three seasons with the Twins. 

The Mariners plan to skip pitcher Brandon Maurer's next scheduled start, the Tacoma News Tribune reports on Friday.

The Mariners will open a two-game series against the Rangers in Texas with Hisashi Iwakuma on Tuesday and Chris Young on Wednesday. On Thursday, Seattle will roll with Roenis Elias to start a four-game series at home against the Astros, followed by Felix Hernandez on Friday, Maurer on Saturday and Iwakuma on Saturday.

Astros pitcher Collin McHugh was pegged with his second loss of the season Friday night at home against the White Sox.

McHugh (2-2) made it through five shutout innings before serving up a three-run home run to Adam Dunn and a run-scoring single to Tyler Flowers in the sixth inning, which proved to be the difference. He yielded four runs on three hits and four walks while striking out seven in 5 1/3 innings of a 7-2 defeat.

Over his last three starts covering 15 2/3 innings, McHugh has allowed 11 earned runs. He will make his next start Wednesday against the Angels in Los Angeles.