MLB Player News

Brentz (hamstring) thew a bullpen session Tuesday and remains on schedule, Byron Kerr of MLB.com reports.

Brentz was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain in mid-March. In the bullpen session Tuesday, he threw 20-30 pitches without any apparent setbacks. Brentz may soon be ready to face live hitters, although the Royals may opt to have him attempt at least one more bullpen before progressing to that next step.

The Mariners claimed Peralta off waivers from the White Sox on Tuesday.

Peralta notched a 4.05 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 18:11 K:BB over 20 innings out of the White Sox bullpen last season. He has two minor-league options remaining, so the Mariners will send him to Triple-A Tacoma to begin his tenure with the organization, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.

Munoz was credited with his first hold in a win over the Guardians on Monday, allowing an earned run on a solo home run while recording a strikeout in the eighth inning.

Munoz got the eighth-inning call with the Mariners holding a 5-3 lead and allowed a solo home run to Josh Naylor after getting Jose Ramirez to fly out to open the frame. The hard-throwing right-hander atoned for the hiccup by getting out of the inning without further damage, but manager Scott Servais entrusted Ryne Stanek with the save opportunity in the ninth inning. Despite the swap in roles Monday, Munoz remains Seattle's preferred closer option moving forward.

Cabrera's three-game suspension has been reduced to two games, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

Cabrera was given the suspension for shoving the Rays' Jose Caballero in Saturday's game, which resulted in the benches clearing. The reliever will begin serving the suspension Tuesday and will be available for the weekend series against the Yankees.

Anderson (0-1) allowed two runs on two hits without walking or striking out a batter over one-third of an inning to take the loss Monday versus the Orioles.

Andreson was tasked with the ninth inning in a 4-4 game, but he ended up giving up a walk-off two-run home run to Jordan Westburg. None of the Royals' top relievers have looked all that steady early in the season, so this misstep is unlikely to cost Anderson too much in what remains a fluid bullpen situation. He pitched a clean inning versus the Twins on Opening Day and should continue to see mid-to-high-leverage assignments.

Gonzalez picked up the save Monday against the Diamondbacks, surrendering no runs on one hit and no walks over one inning. He didn't generate a strikeout.

Gonzalez surprisingly was handed the ball in the ninth, filling in for closer Clay Holmes, who got the night off after making two straight appearances to end March. The 28-year-old capitalized on the opportunity, cashing in for his second career save -- his first since 2021. While he likely won't see many more save chances fall his way, Gonzalez landing ninth-inning work Monday likely serves as a vote of confidence from Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

Stanek notched a save Monday against the Guardians, striking out one batter in a perfect inning.

Andres Munoz is expected to be Seattle's primary closer, but he was deployed in the eighth inning Monday to face the heart of Cleveland's order. That left the ninth to Stanek, who looked very closer-like in slamming the door with a 1-2--3 frame for his fifth career save. Munoz should still get the bulk of the save opportunities for the Mariners this season, but his usage Monday suggests that others will get an opportunity from time to time when the situation calls for Munoz to enter earlier than the ninth.

Francis (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Astros, going 5.1 innings and allowing seven runs on 10 hits and a walk. He struck out seven.

Francis made his 22nd MLB appearance Monday. However, the outing marked his first start. The 28-year-old's lack of starting experience showed, as he served up a two-run homer to Kyle Tucker and a solo home run to Yainer Diaz in the first inning before being tagged by Jeremy Pena for a solo shot in the second frame. Despite the awful 2024 debut, fantasy managers should hold some level of hope for Francis if he makes another trip around the rotation considering his 1.73 ERA over 36.1 innings in 2023. While it's certainly possible the Blue Jays look elsewhere to fill in for Alek Manoah (shoulder), Francis is tentatively scheduled to face the Yankees on Sunday.

Blanco (1-0) tossed a no-hitter in Monday's 10-0 win over the Blue Jays, striking out seven and issuing two walks over nine innings.

Blanco claimed the first no-hitter of the 2024 campaign, spinning an absolute gem in just his eighth career start at the MLB level. The 30-year-old was pushed into the rotation with both Justin Verlander (shoulder) and Jose Urquidy (forearm) on the IL after not factoring into Houston's planned rotation this offseason. However, if Blanco continues to pitch this well, he could force Manager Joe Espada to keep him in the Astros fivesome. Blanco will close out what's expected to be a two-start week Sunday at Texas.

Pepiot (0-1) allowed six runs on four hits and four walks over 5.2 frames Monday, striking out three and taking a loss against Texas.

Pepiot served up a three-run homer to Josh Jung in the first inning but was able to keep the Rangers off the board for the next four frames. Texas broke through again in the sixth inning to tack on three more runs. Pepiot threw just 53 of 94 pitches for strikes, including 11 whiffs. He'll look for better results in his next outing, which is currently projected to be in Colorado this weekend.