MLB Player News

Clase (shoulder) tossed a scoreless eighth inning in Game 1 of the Guardians' doubleheader against the Red Sox on Saturday, striking out two batters without allowing a walk or a hit.

Clase was experiencing right shoulder discomfort following his last outing against the Pirates on April 20. He was not used out of the Guardians' bullpen this past week, but he felt good enough to come in for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, striking out the first two batters he faced before forcing a Blake Sabol ground out to record his first hold. It appears to be a temporary break from ninth-inning duties for Clase, with Guardians manager Stephen Vogt saying after Game 1 that Clase "will be back in that closer role... he was great," per Brian Dulik of The Associated Press. Clase has a 7.15 ERA, 2.03 WHIP, four saves and an 11:3 K:BB across 11.1 innings this season.

Smith recorded his third save of the season in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, giving up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one batter.

Emmanuel Clase, who had been dealing with a sore shoulder, struck out two in a perfect eighth inning during the matinee as he saw his first game action since Sunday, leaving the ninth to Smith. Smith has been by far the more effective pitcher of the two in the early going, posting a 1.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 17:5 K:BB through 14 innings while converting all three of his save chances and adding seven holds, but the Guardians would prefer for Clase to regain his form and settle back in to closing duties.

Vest walked one and struck out two over 1.1 scoreless innings to record his third save of the season in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Orioles.

The 29-year-old righty continued a dominant stretch that has seen him reel off 11 straight scoreless appearances since giving up a solo homer to Mookie Betts on March 28. Vest appears to be the top option for saves right now in the Tigers' bullpen, posting a 0.75 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 14:4 K:BB through 12 innings on the season, although Tommy Kahnle -- who didn't pitch in Saturday's matinee -- also remains in the ninth-inning mix.

The Pirates activated Holderman (knee) from the 15-day injured list Saturday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Holderman landed on the 15-day IL due to a right knee sprain, but he's fully recovered after two rehab outings. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out one over 1.2 innings in the minors, and he'll look to improve on his 9.64 ERA and 2.14 WHIP in the majors upon his return to the Pirates' bullpen. To make room on the 26-man roster for Holderman, the Pirates optioned Mike Burrows to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move.

The Mariners plan to promote Evans from Triple-A Tacoma to start Sunday's game against the Marlins, Tim Booth of The Seattle Times reports.

The Mariners have an opening in their rotation with Logan Gilbert (elbow) now on the injured list, and it seems they will call upon one of their top pitching prospects to fill the gap. Evans, 23, has made five starts at Triple-A Tacoma, turning in a 3.86 ERA and 1.27 WHIP alongside a 23:4 K:BB across 25.2 innings. Whether he will remain in the rotation past Sunday's outing may depend on how he performs against a mediocre Marlins offense, though the fact that the M's are expected to be without both Gilbert and George Kirby (shoulder) for several more weeks certainly helps Evans' chances.

The Dodgers optioned Davis to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday.

Davis has allowed four runs (three earned) in 2.2 innings since being recalled from Triple-A on April 18. His poor performance will cause him to be sent down in favor of Yoendrys Gomez, who was claimed off waivers from the Yankees on Friday.

The Mariners recalled Taylor from Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.

Taylor has made one appearance for the Mariners this season, during which he surrendered three runs without recording a single out. He also owns a 10.13 ERA in Triple-A, so he'll almost certainly be limited to low-leverage work while with Seattle. He'll come up from the minors alongside Tayler Saucedo to replace Logan Gilbert (elbow), who landed on the injured list Saturday, and Casey Lawrence, who was designated for assignment.

The Mariners designated Lawrence for assignment Saturday.

It's the third time Lawrence has been DFA'd by the Mariners since his contract was initially selected from Triple-A Tacoma on April 9. He's appeared in four games for Seattle and has a 3.60 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 10 innings. Lawrence was outrighted to Tacoma after the first two times he was DFA'd by the Mariners and will likely follow the same route this time around unless a team opts to claim him off waivers.

The Mariners recalled Saucedo from Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.

Saucedo was sent to the minors in early April after allowing four earned runs in just 2.2 innings. Since then, he's given up only one run in 6.1 frames at Tacoma, and he'll now rejoin the Mariners' bullpen to give depth to a pitching staff that is now without Logan Gilbert (elbow).

The Orioles recalled Wolfram from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday

Wolfram began the season with Milwaukee but never appeared in a game before he was shipped to Baltimore on April 7. Since the trade, he's allowed six earned runs in just 5.2 innings while striking out six batters and walking three. He'll give the Orioles some extra bullpen depth for the second game of their doubleheader against Detroit, though he likely will only be used in low-leverage situations. Brandon Young was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.