-
Jesse Chavez RP | ATL
Braves' Jesse Chavez: Slated to start Thursday
Chavez will start Thursday's game against the Reds, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Chavez was let go by the Angels in late March, but he signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta in April and began the season with Triple-A Gwinnett. The 37-year-old posted a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 20 innings across 13 relief appearances, and he'll make a spot start Thursday. Since the right-hander has only pitched out of the bullpen across the past two seasons, Atlanta could rely heavily on its bullpen in Thursday's matchup.
-
Sam Hentges RP | SF
Indians' Sam Hentges: In line for another start
Hentges will remain in the rotation and start Saturday's game against the Twins, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
After working in relief in his first three outings of June, Hentges moved back into the rotation last weekend, when a fifth starter was needed with Zach Plesac (thumb) and Shane Bieber (shoulder) on the injured list. Hentges delivered an excellent start against the Pirates, working five scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and a walk. He'll be awarded a second straight start on the back of his strong effort, and the 24-year-old lefty likely gained some additional security in the rotation Monday, when Aaron Civale (finger) suffered an injury that will likely keep him on the shelf until late July or early August.
-
Ryan Rolison RP | CHC
Rockies' Ryan Rolison: Recovering from appendicitis
Triple-A Albuquerque placed Rolison on the 7-day injured list June 14 after he had his appendix removed, MLB.com reports. Rockies manager Bud Black said Rolison is expected to be on the shelf for about six weeks.
Rolison, one of the Rockies' top pitching prospects in the upper levels of the minors, compiled a 4.38 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 12.1 innings over his first three starts with Albuquerque following his promotion from Double-A Hartford. He's not expected to rejoin the Albuquerque rotation until early August, which could hamper the 23-year-old lefty's chances of receiving a late-season call-up to the majors.
-
Lucas Sims RP | CHW
Reds' Lucas Sims: Out with elbow sprain
Sims was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a sprained right elbow.
Elbow issues are always worrisome for any pitcher, and they're especially worrisome for Sims, as he dealt with elbow troubles throughout the offseason and most of spring training. After a slow start to the season, he'd begun to settle down, allowing just one run over a stretch of 11 appearances while posting an 18:4 K:BB, but he was lit up for three runs while failing to record a single out Tuesday against the Twins. He leads the Reds in saves with seven, though the team has stuck with a committee approach, so fellow committee members Tejay Antone and Amir Garrett should pick up most of the slack going forward.
-
Dillon Tate RP | TOR
Orioles' Dillon Tate: Continues solid work in June
Tate allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three over 1.2 scoreless innings in Wednesday's 13-0 loss to Houston.
Through 11.1 innings in June, Tate has a 2.38 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB. The biggest flaw in the right-hander's pitching so far is a 3.5 BB/9, but he's been able to more effectively limit run-scoring opportunities lately. With a 3.81 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 18:10 K:BB in 26 innings overall, Tate could be in line to see more high-leverage work, although such opportunities aren't going to be common given Baltimore's struggles as a team this year.
-
Josh Staumont RP | CIN
Royals' Josh Staumont: Logs 1.1 scoreless innings
Staumont allowed a hit and a walk with one strikeout in 1.1 scoreless innings in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees.
In five outings since he's returned from a knee injury, Staumont has not logged a save, hold or decision. He's given up three runs on six hits and two walks across 5.1 innings in that span. The 27-year-old saw time as the closer earlier in the season, but it appears Greg Holland -- who blew a save Wednesday -- has moved ahead of him in the pecking order for now. Kyle Zimmer is also a possibility for saves, although he's seen a more versatile role this year.
-
Nate Pearson RP | KC
Blue Jays' Nate Pearson: Getting multiple opinions on injury
Blue Jays team president Mark Shapiro said Thursday that Pearson will soon receive a fourth medical opinion on his strained right groin, Arash Mardani of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The multiple medical opinions would seemingly suggest the Blue Jays have a high degree of concern about Pearson's injury, which is an aggravation of the same groin he strained back in spring training. The previous injury was a Grade 1 strain, but Pearson could be dealing with a moderate or more severe strain this time around. Expect the Blue Jays to provide a formal update on Pearson along with a potential recovery timeline once the organization is satisfied with the medical evaluations it has received.
-
Jordan Romano RP | COL
Blue Jays' Jordan Romano: Racks up fifth save
Romano gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Marlins.
The right-hander didn't pick up his first save in June until Tuesday, but he's now converted chances on back-to-back days. As a result, Romano will likely be unavailable Thursday to begin a home series against the O's, but he appears to have a firm grasp of the closer role for Toronto.
-
Edwin Diaz RP | LAD
Mets' Edwin Diaz: Nails down 16th save
Diaz walked one and struck out two over 1.2 scoreless innings to record his 16th save of the season in Wednesday's 7-3 win over Atlanta.
He entered the game in the eighth inning to protect a 6-3 lead with runners on first and second and one out, but Diaz had little trouble converting his second five-out save of the year. The right-hander has reeled off seven straight conversions, posting a 1.08 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB through 8.1 innings over that stretch.
-
Corbin Martin RP | CHC
Diamondbacks' Corbin Martin: Starting Friday
Martin will start Friday's series opener against the Padres in San Diego, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo confirmed the assignment for Martin, who has not gotten off to a good start with the team. The 25-year-old right-hander has an 8.62 ERA and 2.04 WHIP over four outings (two starts). Martin believes he's trying to be too fine with his pitches, particularly with two strikes. "I think I'm picking the zone a little bit too much," he said. "I would say that at some point I try to be too perfect with two strikes and that's when I'm losing guys." Opposing batters are hitting .281/.395/.563 off Martin with two strikes, while the league average in those situations is .161/.237/.259.