MLB Player News

Rodriguez (oblique) will start a rehab assignment this week, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Rodriguez has missed the first month of the 2023 campaign while dealing with an oblique strain he suffered during Grapefruit League play. The left-hander will likely need at least a handful of games before he's ready to rejoin the Boston bullpen, but he'll be a welcome addition considering how many injuries the Red Sox pitching staff has dealt with in 2023.

Phillips picked up a hold against St. Louis on Saturday, walking one batter and striking out two in a scoreless inning.

Following seven sterling scoreless innings by starter Clayton Kershaw, Phillips was handed the ball in the eighth with Los Angeles clinging to a 1-0 lead. The right-hander issued a two-out walk and then saw another batter reach on a Chris Taylor error, but he was able to get out of the frame by inducing a Brendan Donovan lineout. In the ninth, manager Dave Roberts turned to Brusdar Graterol, who closed out the contest to pick up a save. Early in the campaign, Phillips looked to be the Dodgers reliever to roster in fantasy, as he picked up two saves in early April. It now appears that Graterol is the better option, as he's notched two saves over the past week. Los Angeles hasn't committed to either reliever as the full-time closer, so the situation remains fluid.

Swanson (1-0) issued one walk and struck out three over a scoreless inning of relief en route to claiming his first win of the season in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Mariners.

Though the Blue Jays forked over outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to bring back Swanson and lefty pitching prospect Adam Macko from Seattle over the offseason, the veteran reliever has been well worth the acquisition price thus far. He hasn't allowed a run over his last eight appearances, collecting a win and five holds to go with a 0.60 WHIP and 14 strikeouts across 8.1 innings during that stretch.

The Cubs selected Borucki's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Borucki will have a chance to make his 2023 debut with the Cubs after signing with the club as a non-roster invitee over the winter. The left-hander will be an option in the middle innings while with Chicago. Caleb Kilian was optioned to Iowa in the corresponding transaction.

The Cubs optioned Kilian to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Kilian was ineffective in his first start of the season with the Cubs on Saturday against the Marlins, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in just 3.1 innings. The right-hander could be a starting option again for Chicago if necessary, but Saturday's outing didn't exactly inspire much confidence. Ryan Borucki was brought up from Iowa in a corresponding transaction.

The Nationals selected Machado's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.

Machado gives the Nationals a fresh arm in the bullpen and has pitched solidly in the International League with a 2.92 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 12.1 innings in 10 appearances. He'll likely serve as a middle-relief arm initially.

The Nationals designated Banda for assignment Sunday.

He'll lose his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster after the Nationals called up reliever Andres Machado from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move. In 10 appearances across seven innings for the Nationals, Banda struggled to a 6.43 ERA and 6:5 K:BB.

The Rays will add Guerra to their 26-man roster Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 27-year-old was acquired from the Brewers on Saturday and will officially join his new team ahead of Sunday's series finale versus the White Sox. He finished last season with Tampa Bay before being dealt to Milwaukee during the offseason. Guerra surrendered eight runs on 10 hits with a 5:9 K:BB across 8.1 innings with the Brewers this season, and he should fill a low-leverage role for the Rays.

Tampa Bay optioned Faucher to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

With Javy Guerra reporting to the Rays on Sunday after being acquired from Milwaukee, Faucher's demotion is necessary to create room on the 26-man roster. Faucher had been serving as an opener of late for Tampa Bay and had allowed a run in all but one of his appearances in April while registering a 6.43 ERA and 11:6 K:BB across 14 innings. He could be back with Tampa Bay in the coming weeks when the big club requires a fresh arm.

Barlow gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his fourth save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Twins.

He was dialed in, firing 14 of his 15 pitches for strikes, and after giving up a pair of one-out singles he retired Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach to secure Kansas City's seventh win of the year. A couple implosions have tainted Barlow's ratios, but he remains the preferred option in the ninth inning over Aroldis Chapman despite his 6.10 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 13:7 K:BB through 10.1 innings.