MLB Player News

Sears (3-3) yielded four runs on five hits and two walks over 4.1 innings Sunday, striking out four and taking a loss against the Royals.

Sears stumbled out of the gate by allowing two runs in the first inning but kept the Royals quiet until coughing up two more runs in the fifth. He's failed to complete at least six innings in three straight outings, posting a 5.40 ERA during that span. His ERA has climbed back up to 4.31 with a 39:16 K:BB through 54.1 innings. Sears has allowed at least four runs in five of his 10 starts this year but given up just two total runs in his other five appearances. His next outing is expected to be at home against the Astros next weekend.

Singer (4-2) allowed a run on six hits and a walk over six innings Sunday, striking out nine and earning a win over the Athletics.

Aside from an RBI double by Tyler Soderstrom in the fourth inning, Oakland had nothing going against Singer. Out of 10 starts this season, Singer has allowed two or fewer runs in eight of them. He posted a disappointing 5.52 ERA through 159.2 innings last season but has taken a massive step forward in 2024. Singer lowered his ERA to 2.70 with a 61:17 K:BB through 56.2 innings. His next start is lined up to be in Tampa Bay next weekend.

Pivetta (2-2) earned the win Sunday, allowing one run on one hit over six innings against the Cardinals. He struck out eight.

A fourth-inning solo homer by Lars Nootbaar was the only blemish against Pivetta, who needed just 72 pitches to retire 18 of the 19 batters he faced. It was the second consecutive start for Pivetta with eight punchouts, as he's struck out 16 over 11.2 innings while allowing only three runs during that stretch. However, it should be noted that all three runs were scored by way of the long ball, and Pivetta has now allowed six homers, including five of the solo variety, over his last three appearances. Pivetta will look to carry the momentum into his next start, tentatively slated to take place next weekend when the Red Sox welcome the Brewers into Fenway for a three-game set.

Schultz was promoted to Double-A Birmingham on Sunday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Schultz has produced a 3.95 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 42 strikeouts over 27.1 innings in seven starts with Single-A Winston-Salem so far this season, and he'll now move up another step in Chicago's farm system. The left-hander was selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the White Sox, and he's considered one of the organization's top pitching prospects.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Sunday that Urquidy (forearm) will make another rehab start in the next few days, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old allowed four earned runs and threw 59 pitches over four innings during his second rehab start Saturday, and he'll require one more start before potentially joining the Astros. If Urquidy remains on a five-day pitching schedule, he could make his season debut as early as May 28 in Seattle.

Bradford (ribs) said Sunday he's been shut down from throwing since he's not recovering as quickly as expected, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander apparently wasn't experiencing any pain since recently starting up a throwing program, but his recovery also wasn't moving forward. It's unclear when Bradford is expected to restart the throwing program, and he should be considered out indefinitely until his status is updated.

Flaherty (1-3) allowed two runs on five hits across six innings to earn the win Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He walked two and struck out nine.

Flaherty was sharp as he lowered his ERA to 3.79 and picked up his first win of the season. Despite having only the one win so far, the righty has had a nice bounceback campaign to this point after posting a 4.99 ERA with the Orioles and Cardinals last year. Flaherty has been buoyed by a rise in strikeouts, as he now has an 11.9 K/9 this season, up from 9.2 in 2023. He'll look to keep rolling in his next scheduled outing, which is is penciled in for Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Garcia (elbow) threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Garcia has been throwing bullpen sessions since April but is purposefully being brought along slowly by the Astros. He'll require a lengthy rehab stint and will remain sidelined until at least halfway through the regular season.

Urquidy (forearm) threw 59 pitches and completed four innings in a rehab appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday.

Urquidy was scheduled to complete four innings in the rehab appearance, and he had a successful outing. He threw 38 of his pitches for strikes and reached 93 mph with his fastball. Urquidy could require one more rehab appearance, but he's expected to be activated from the injured list by late May.

Pepiot (leg) threw a three-inning bullpen session ahead of Friday's game against the Blue Jays, MLB.com reports.

Pepiot continues to make progress toward a return, as he's now thrown three successful bullpen sessions. His activation could come as soon as the Rays' upcoming series against the Red Sox, though no final decision has been reached.