MLB Player News

The Dodgers optioned Vesia to their taxi squad Sunday.

Vesia's demotion clears a spot in the Dodgers bullpen for Brusdar Graterol (conditioning), who was activated from the injured list ahead of Sunday's series finale in San Diego. The 25-year-old lefty was up with the Dodgers for only one day and didn't appear in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Padres.

The Dodgers activated Graterol (conditioning) from the 10-day injured list Sunday.

Graterol is ready to make his 2021 debut after a bout with COVID-19 earlier in the spring kept him behind the rest of the Dodgers' bullpen arms during camp. The hard-throwing right-hander has since been able to regain full conditioning at the Dodgers' alternate site, and his addition to the active roster should strengthen the bridge to closer Kenley Jansen. In his first season with Los Angeles in 2020, Graterol supplied a 3.09 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB in 23.1 innings.

Romano (elbow) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list when eligible Saturday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The 27-year-old landed on the injured list April 15 with right ulnar neuritis, but he's throwing a side session Sunday since it's apparently a minor issue. Romano should be back next weekend if he avoids any setbacks throughout the week. The right-hander could step in as Toronto's closer since Julian Merryweather (oblique) is likely facing a longer absence.

Harvey (oblique) was able to play catch Sunday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Harvey's ability to throw off flat ground represents his first tangible sign of progress since being shut down in mid-March with a severe left oblique strain. The Orioles placed Harvey on the 60-day injured list as a result, making him ineligible to rejoin the big club until at least the second half of May. Provided Harvey experiences no setbacks while building back up following the injury, he should be able to return from the IL in close to the minimum 60 days. Once activated, Harvey could re-enter the Orioles' closing picture.

Pitching coach Pete Walker said Pearson (groin) "feels really good" and is scheduled to throw live batting practice Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The 24-year-old has been throwing at 100 percent intensity since the start of last week, and he has another live batting practice session on tap Tuesday. Pearson began the season on the injured list after aggravating a groin injury in mid-March, but he appears to be closing in on his season debut.

McHugh was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a strain in his lower back.

The 33-year-old apparently suffered the injury Saturday while recording only one out and surrendering one run on two hits. McHugh will be eligible to return April 28, though it's unclear if he's expected to be healthy at that point. Chris Mazza was recalled from the taxi squad in a corresponding move.

Sulser was recalled from the Orioles' alternate training site Sunday.

The 31-year-old joined Baltimore as the 27th man for Thursday's doubleheader, but he returned to the alternate site after delivering a scoreless frame. Sulser has a 5:0 K:BB through three innings across his first two appearances of the season.

Suero was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a left oblique strain, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Suero was removed from Saturday's win over Arizona with what was initially labeled as a left side injury, but follow-up tests revealed that he was dealing with a more serious oblique strain. Given the volatile recovery timelines associated with oblique injuries, Suero could be sidelined longer than the minimum 10 days. Washington recalled right-hander Ryne Harper from its alternate site to fill Suero's spot in the bullpen.

Stiever was recalled from the alternate training site to serve as the 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader in Boston.

The 23-year-old missed out on the Opening Day roster but will join the big-league club Sunday for the first time this season. The White Sox have yet to announce their official starter for Game 2, but Stiever is a strong bet to take the mound with Dallas Keuchel starting the matinee. The young right-hander made his major-league debut last year and surrendered seven runs with a 3:4 K:BB over 6.1 innings.

The Diamondbacks recalled Bukauskas from their taxi squad Sunday.

The 24-year-old right-hander will receive his first MLB call-up on the heels of an impressive spring training. Arizona may let Bukauskas get his feet wet in lower-leverage spots out of the bullpen initially, but he could quickly seize a more prominent role given the club's lack of reliable late-inning arms. Bukauskas boasts a mid-90s fastball and plus slider that should allow him to find success out of the bullpen.