MLB Player News

Matz will pitch out of the bullpen going forward, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Matz has given up 11 earned runs in just 4.2 combined innings between his last two starts, so the Rays will pull him out of the rotation and move him to the bullpen until he rights the ship. Mason Englert is expected to step into the rotation, either as a starter or bulk reliever, and Joe Boyle might be a candidate down the line since he's already started three games for the Rays this season and owns a spot on the 40-man roster.

Brown (shoulder) will make his next start at Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Manager Joe Espada said Friday that the Astros were debating whether to have Brown make another start in the minors, and they've officially decided to keep the right-hander in Triple-A for one more tuneup outing before activating him. Starting Wednesday would line him up to return from the 60-day IL on June 15 to face the Tigers at home.

Bennett is the top candidate to replace Brayan Bello in Boston's starting rotation, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Bello was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, and Boston will need to fill his spot next Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Bennett is the most logical option, given that he's made a couple of starts for Boston already this season. He last pitched Tuesday for the WooSox and will be on extra rest against the Rays.

Sandoval (biceps) walked one over 1.1 innings for Triple-A Worcester on Friday.

Sandoval had been scheduled to throw one inning, but he went back out after cruising through his first inning, per Triple-A Worcester's official site. The left-hander restarted a rehab assignment that was scrapped in April. At that time, he was rehabbing from an internal brace procedure on his elbow but was set back by the biceps.

Scherzer (forearm) gave up three runs on five hits and a walk over 3.2 innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Friday. He struck out five.

While the results weren't great, the 41-year-old right-hander topped out at 95.7 mph with his fastball while throwing 73 pitches (44 strikes), per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. Scherzer has dealt with a litany of healthy issues in the early part of the season, including right forearm tightness, but he's closing in on returning to the Blue Jays' rotation for the first time April 24. It's not yet clear whether the organization will activate him from the IL next week for a home series against the Phillies, or have Scherzer make one more rehab start.

Kay didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 8-6 loss to the Phillies, surrendering six runs on seven hits and two walks over four-plus innings. He struck out four.

The left-hander was taken off the hook for a loss when the White Sox tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the seventh inning, but Kay still stumbled to one of his worst starts of the season, with homers by Brandon Marsh in the second inning and Adolis Garcia in the fourth accounting for a big part of the damage off him. Kay will take a 4.40 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 46:26 K:BB through 61.1 innings into his next outing, which is set to come at home against Atlanta.

Burke is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Brandon Eisert during Saturday's game in Philadelphia, Brooke Fletcher of Chicago Sports Network reports.

The top half of the Philadelphia lineup often features three tough left-handed hitters in Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh, so the White Sox will have the left-handed Eisert open the contest in an effort to avoid an early deficit. Once Eisert works the first inning or two, Burke should take over in relief and handle something close to the workload he would typically handle as a starter. The right-hander has been solid out of the front end of the Chicago rotation this season, delivering a 3.72 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 60:18 K:BB in 65.1 innings across 12 appearances (10 starts).

Valdez (3-4) picked up the win in Friday's 7-3 victory over the Mariners, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw wasn't particularly efficient, needing 102 pitches (61 strikes) to record 15 outs, but Valdez didn't give up any extra-base hits and shut the door on Seattle after the visitors scratched out a first-inning run. It was Valdez's first win since April 19, and over eight starts since that date he's managed a 4.85 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 39:18 K:BB in 42.2 innings. He'll look to build on Friday's performance in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Twins.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay confirmed that Morris will start Saturday's game in Houston, Chris Correa of the Turlock Journal reports.

The Athletics called up Morris from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, and after he wasn't needed in relief in any of the ensuing four games, he'll make his MLB debut Saturday as the club's new fifth starter. Prior to receiving his promotion, Morris compiled a 4.45 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 49:26 K:BB over 60.2 innings with Las Vegas in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Since neither Luis Severino (shoulder) nor Aaron Civale (shoulder) appear especially close to returning from the injured list, Morris has a path to making multiple turns through the big-league rotation. If Morris performs poorly in Saturday's contest, however, the Athletics could swap him out of the rotation for Mason Barnett, who is stretched out enough to handle a starting role after tossing four shutout innings in long relief during Friday's 5-1 loss to the Astros.

Rocker didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Guardians. He allowed two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five across five innings.

Rocker gave up a solo homer to Travis Bazzana in the top of the first inning and an RBI single to Austin Hedges in the fourth, but that would be all the damage he allowed. The 26-year-old right-hander has given up two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts, going 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 28.2 innings in that stretch. He'll aim to continue that strong run in his next start, scheduled to come on the road against the Royals. Rocker recently faced Kansas City, tossing six scoreless innings at home May 30.