MLB Player News

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.

The Athletics optioned Kelly to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

Kelly has allowed three runs with a 4:4 K:BB in his first 4.1 innings this season. He'll look to get reset at Las Vegas and earn another chance later this summer.

Funderburk walked one and hit one batter while not allowing a hit or a run in two-thirds of an inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the Tigers.

Funderburk made things interesting, but he managed to get the job done for his first save of the season. The Twins utilized Justin Topa and Cole Sands earlier in the contest, and Taylor Rogers may have been unavailable after pitching three times in the previous four days, leaving the bullpen short staffed. This was a fifth straight scoreless outing for Funderburk, who has pitched three hitless innings while issuing four walks in that span. He has a 3.18 ERA and 6:6 K:BB over 5.2 innings while adding a 1-1 record and three holds so far in 2026. While he may continue to see some high-leverage work, his early performance suggests his pitching will cause some stress. Funderburk is the fourth Twins pitcher to log a save this season, leaving no clarity to who will handle the bulk of the closing duties.

Kuhnel struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Yankees.

This was Kuhnel's second appearance of the season, and he was trusted with a one-run lead that the Athletics had earned in the top of the ninth inning. He got the job done on 12 pitches (eight strikes), finishing with a strikeout of Ryan McMahon. Mark Leiter had the Athletics' first save of the campaign, but he also leads the team with two blown saves, one of which was Tuesday. Scott Barlow and Hogan Harris were both utilized earlier in the game Wednesday while the score was tied at 2-2. The closer job could very well be up for grabs, but it's unclear if Kuhnel will be a serious contender for ninth-inning duties. With most of the Athletics' relievers getting hit hard early in the campaign, simply pitching at an average level could help Kuhnel at least secure high-leverage work.