MLB Player News

Lowther will be recalled from the alternate site Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Lowther is among the organization's best left-handed pitching prospects and started 26 games at Double-A Bowie in 2019. While he has come through the organization as a starter, he's expected to begin his big-league career in the bullpen.

Fleming will serve as the primary pitcher in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fleming has served as a traditional starter in his two appearances this season, working 5.0 and 5.1 innings, respectively. He's been effective, maintaining 0.87 ERA with a 5:2 K:BB across 10.1 frames. While Fleming will lose the chance for a quality start, he could be in a strong position to earn his second win of the campaign.

Patino will serve as the team's opener Sunday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's unclear exactly how long Patino will pitch. Josh Fleming will handle the majority of the workload. Patino made his major-league debut in 2020 with the Padres and posted a 5.19 ERA with a 21:14 K:BB across 17.1 innings.

Honeywell was optioned to the Rays' alternate site after pitching in Saturday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Honeywell allowed three runs on three hits and a walk across one inning in the game. Though he was ineffective, the Rays were able to come back to win the game, sparing him the loss. Honeywell was optioned to make a spot on the roster for Luis Patino, who is expected to pitch in Sunday's series finale.

Garcia was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left groin strain.

Garcia has thrown 6.1 innings out of the Giants' bullpen this season, though he's struggled to be effective as he has an 8.53 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with a 9:5 K:BB.

Kelly (shoulder) is expected to return in early or mid-May, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Kelly dealt with shoulder soreness throughout camp and opened the regular season on the injured list. He could serve as one of the team's top setup men upon his return with Corey Knebel (lat) expected to miss multiple months.

Cleavinger was called up by the Dodgers on Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Cleavinger joined the Dodgers from the Phillies as part of a three-team deal in December. He made a single big-league appearance last season, having previously never pitched above Double-A. He'll likely be limited to lower-leverage innings during his time in the big-league bullpen.

Santana was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday due to the side effects of his coronavirus vaccine shot, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The issue is unlikely to sideline Santana for more than a day or two. Garrett Cleavinger was recalled in a corresponding move.

Alzolay allowed two runs on two hits across 4.2 innings and did not factor into the decision Saturday against the Brewers. He walked two and struck out seven.

Alzolay was fairly sharp in this one, but it had been 12 days since his last MLB start, so manager David Ross decided to pull the righty after 83 pitches. The 26-year-old was recalled from the team's alternate site before this start and it's unclear if he'll stick around, but if he does, he lines up to face Atlanta on Thursday. The Cubs don't have an off-day before then, so it seems likely that Alzolay will earn that start, though Alec Mills remains in the mix as Ross looks to manage workloads early in the year.

Crowe will be called up to start Sunday's game against the Twins.

Crowe made a single brief relief appearance early this season before being sent to the minors. Combined with his three short starts from last year, he's now thrown nine major-league innings, giving up 12 earned runs on 15 hits and 10 walks.