MLB Player News

Quijada was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Quijada was recalled by the Angels on Tuesday, but he'll now return to the minors after he struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings Wednesday. The southpaw could be available as a low-leverage reliever later in the season.

Manager Dusty Baker said Thursday that Taylor (ankle) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment "in the next couple days," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Taylor was carted off the field in mid-April due to a severely sprained right ankle and has now been sidelined for over a month. However, the left-hander appears to be nearing his return to the major-league bullpen. Taylor is unlikely to need much time to build up once he begins his rehab assignment.

Jansen struck out a pair of batters in a 1-2-3 ninth inning en route to earning his ninth save of the season Wednesday in the Dodgers' 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Joe Kelly, Victor Gonzalez and Jansen put the clamps on Arizona after starter Clayton Kershaw exited following the sixth inning. The relievers allowed only one of the 10 batters they faced to reach base, guiding Los Angeles to its seventh win in eight games in the process. With four consecutive stress-free saves under his belt, Jansen looks to have settled in nicely after a somewhat rocky start to the season. The save he notched Wednesday was the 321st of his career, tying Jansen with Jose Mesa for 20th in MLB history.

Yang is expected to get at least one more turn in the Rangers' rotation, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Yang was very much an afterthought heading into the season, as he failed to make the Rangers' Opening Day roster after signing a minor-league contract coming off a down season in Korea. After holding the Yankees to just two runs in 5.1 innings Wednesday, though, he now owns a 3.38 ERA through 21.1 major-league innings. There's been a fair portion of good luck involved, as seen in his .220 BABIP and 81.7 percent strand rate, so it's likely his ERA will rise significantly going forward. Both his 17.4 percent strikeout rate and his 10.5 percent walk rate are worse than league average, but the standards for being one of the Rangers' top five starters aren't particularly high, so there's a chance he sticks around as a fifth starter.

Tate (hamstring) will resume throwing off a mound in the next few days, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Tate has been on the injured list with a left hamstring strain since May 9, but he'll take a step in his recovery process when he's able to throw off the mound. The right-hander will need to face hitters before he's cleared to return to game action, but he appears to be trending in the right direction.

Barlow (2-1) allowed one walk and struck out two batters without allowing a run in two-thirds of an inning to earn the win Wednesday versus Milwaukee.

Barlow notched the last two outs of the seventh inning and became the pitcher of record when Kansas City pulled ahead in the bottom of the seventh. The right-hander has found a decent amount of success in a high-leverage role with a 2.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB across 22.2 innings. While he hasn't been the primary closer, he's logged one save, seven holds and a blown save in 21 appearances.

Feyereisen allowed two earned runs in an inning of relief and took the loss Wednesday as the Brewers fell to the Royals.

Feyereisen did not give up an earned run over his first 17 appearances of the season, but he allowed at least one earned run -- and seven runs in all -- in three of his last four trips to the mound. He remains in the third spot in the Brewers' bullpen for the time being, but he's going to have to get back on track in order to hang onto it.

Clase allowed one hit but pitched a scoreless eighth and secured his second hold of the year in a 3-2 win over the Angels on Wednesday.

Clase was brought in for the hold in the eighth with manager Terry Francona opting to go with James Karinchak in the ninth for a second straight game. The 23-year-old Clase still leads the team with seven saves on the year but Karinchak's recent usage in the closer role suggests Francona may be leaning towards a timeshare. Clase is in the midst of an excellent season, as he owns a 0.95 ERA and a 19:9 K:BB over 19 innings.

Karinchak earned his fifth save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Angels on Wednesday after throwing a hitless ninth while walking a batter and striking out two.

Karinchak was able to record two quick outs before walking Justin Upton, but he struck out Jose Rojas to end the game. Cleveland's closer situation is something worth paying attention to, as Emmanuel Clase still leads the team with seven saves and has been very good for a majority of the season but Karinchak has now tallied back-to-back saves.

Reyes gave up a hit and struck out the side in the ninth inning Wednesday to record his 13th save of the season in an 8-5 win over the Pirates.

The right-hander flashed better control in this one, tossing 11 of 15 pitches for strikes and not issuing a free pass for the first time in six appearances. Walks are the only blemish on Reyes' line so far this season, however, as he's a perfect 13-for-13 on save chances with a 0.39 ERA and 31:20 K:BB through 23 innings.