MLB Player News

Swanson (forearm) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Swanson felt "really good" after his session Saturday, and the right-hander will likely throw another bullpen before progressing to facing live hitters. Swanson has been battling forearm inflammation since mid-March but seems to be trending toward a short stay on the injured list.

Perez was removed from Saturday's game against the Angels due to an apparent injury, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Perez looked to be grabbing at his right side near his hip/lower back before leaving the game with a trainer in the ninth inning. The Orioles will take a closer look at him and should offer more information in the near future.

The Yankees designated Ramirez for assignment Saturday.

Ramirez failed to win a spot on the Yankees' roster during spring training, and he'll now be squeezed off the 40-man to make room for Tanner Tully, who was selected from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. The 34-year-old Ramirez posted a 2.66 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across 40.2 innings last season and may receive some attention on the waiver wire from teams in search of bullpen depth.

The Yankees optioned Beeter to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The move corresponds with the Yankees calling up Tanner Tully. Beeter made New York's Opening Day roster as part of the bullpen, and he threw a scoreless ninth inning in Friday's win over the Astros. Beeter will get some reps in Triple-A and work towards returning to the majors.

The Astros activated Abreu from the restricted list Saturday, per MLB's transaction log.

Abreu has served his two-game suspension for intentionally throwing at the Rangers' Adolis Garcia in Game 5 of the ALCS in 2023. Abreu will be available for Saturday's game against the Yankees.

Stephenson (shoulder) threw off the mound Friday and noted that he hopes to be back by the end of April, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson has been dealing with right shoulder soreness since late February. His availability for Opening Day was taken off the table during spring training before he was ultimately placed on the Angels' 15-day injured list Thursday. Stephenson spent the 2023 season between the Pirates and Rays, posting a 3.10 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 77:16 K:BB over 52.1 innings.

Beeter allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning during Friday's game against Houston.

Beeter's MLB debut came in the bottom of the ninth frame with New York up 7-1. His first pitch was grounded by Jose Altuve to right field for a single, but Beeter then induced a one-pitch double play groundout off the bat of Yordan Alvarez before getting Kyle Tucker to fly out on one pitch. Altogether, Beeter needed just three pitches to get through the frame. The right-hander didn't win a starting job out of camp despite a strong spring training, but he made the Opening Day roster as a long reliever and could be first in line to move into a starting role should another injury hit the Yankees' rotation.

The Orioles optioned Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday.

Vespi was called up to the Orioles' 26-man roster for the season opener Thursday after Jacob Webb (personal) was placed on the team's paternity list. Vespi will now return to Triple-A and await his next call up to the majors. With Norfolk last season, Vespi posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB over 38.2 innings while tallying seven saves.

Stanek was credited with a hold in the win over the Red Sox on Friday, allowing a hit and a walk over two-thirds of a scoreless inning. He struck out one.

Stanek was far from his sharpest, but the veteran setup man managed to prevent any damage to the Mariners' razor-thin one-run lead in the eighth with the help of Andres Munoz, who closed out the frame with runners on the corners. The fact Stanek was a bit rusty -- he threw just seven of 17 pitches for strikes -- isn't necessarily surprising, considering he worked just three innings for the Mariners in Cactus League play after being acquired from the Astros on March 8.

The Orioles reinstated Webb (personal) from the paternity list Saturday.

Webb missed the Orioles' season opener Thursday due to the birth of his child. He earned the last spot in Baltimore's bullpen by posting a 4.91 ERA over 7.1 innings in spring training.