MLB Player News

Stanek (0-1) was charged with the loss Friday against the Mariners, surrendering one run on two walks while registering two outs.

Stanek took the loss despite not giving up a hit. He recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning with ease, but walked the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth inning before he was pulled. Ryan Pressly entered the game and allowed the winning run to score, leaving Stanek with the loss. The 29-year-old has only surrendered two runs and owns an 11.7 K/9.

Merryweather's oblique injury is believed to be a fairly long-term issue, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

Merryweather has been on the 10-day injured list since Wednesday due to a left oblique strain, and he's expected to miss considerable time as a result. A timetable for his return hasn't yet been established. Rafael Dolis could see save chances for the Blue Jays while Merryweather and Jordan Romano (elbow) are sidelined. However, Romano's injury is believed to be a short-term issue, so he could step in as the team's closer once he's cleared to return.

Gilbreath was called up to serve as the extra man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Mets.

If Gilbreath appears in either half of the twin bill, it will be not just his first career big-league appearance but also his first appearance above High-A. He wasn't particularly impressive in 28 starts at that level in 2019, posting a 5.81 ERA and 1.68 WHIP.

Hill (0-2) took the loss against the Dodgers on Friday, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits while striking out one across 1.1 innings.

Hill entered in the 11th inning and racked up three quick outs to keep the contest tied. He stayed in the game for the 12th frame and yielded a two-run homer to Corey Seager leading off the inning, then saw four more batters reach base (three by single and one by error) before he was pulled. The left-hander has given up three home runs across 7.2 innings on the season, though he has posted a strong 10:1 K:BB.

Romano's elbow injury is believed to be a short-term issue, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

Romano was placed on the 10-day injured list with right ulnar neuritis Thursday, but he isn't expected to spend much more than the minimum amount of time on the IL. Since Julian Merryweather (oblique) is believed to have more of a long-term injury, Romano could see save chances for the Blue Jays once he's back in action.

Strop was returned to the Cubs' alternate training site Saturday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Strop had joined the major-league roster as a replacement player over the past several days, and he tossed two scoreless innings in two relief appearances. However, he'll head back to the team's alternate camp after Brandon Workman and Dan Winkler were reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list.

Biddle's contract was selected by Atlanta on Saturday.

Biddle joined his former team on a minor-league deal in early April and won't have to wait long for his first opportunity of the season. He'll replace fellow lefty Sean Newcomb, who landed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons.

Hentges was recalled from Cleveland's alternate training site Saturday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Hentges will be in line to make his major-league debut at some point in the near future after outfielder Ben Gamel was sent down in a corresponding move. Although Hentges has solely worked as a starter in the minors recently, he could fill a long-relief role for the major-league club. In 26 starts with Double-A Akron in 2019, Hentges posted a 5.11 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 128.2 innings.

Wilson was recalled from the alternate training site Saturday.

Wilson was sent down in late March but was expected to return sometime in mid-April when the team needed a fifth starter. That has indeed happened, though Wilson could potentially stick around longer than originally planned, as Max Fried (hamstring) and Drew Smyly (forearm) have joined Mike Soroka (Achilles/shoulder) on the injured list.

Lovelady has been called up to serve as the 27th man in Saturday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lovelady has made 26 relief appearances for the Royals in the past two seasons and posted a 7.71 ERA and 1.90 WHIP in 21 innings during that time. He'll be available as bullpen depth Saturday but should return to the team's alternate camp following the doubleheader.