MLB Player News

The Guardians selected Allard's contract from Triple-A Columbus on Monday.

Allard inked a minor-league deal with the Guardians in early February and opened the regular season in Triple-A, but the 28-year-old southpaw will get an early call up to the majors. He appeared in 33 regular-season games for the Guardians (two starts) in 2025 and postd a 2.63 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, three holds and a 42:14 K:BB across 65 innings. To make room on the roster for Allard, Cleveland optioned Colin Holderman to Columbus and designated Doug Nikhazy for assignment.

Bieber (elbow) will throw off a mound Saturday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

It will mark the first time Bieber will throw off a mound this season, as the right-hander had been limited to flat-ground work during spring training. Bieber obviously has several more hurdles to clear before he's making starts for the Blue Jays, as he needs to build his arm up and will likely require multiple rehab starts. There's a chance Bieber will be ready to pitch for Toronto sometime in May.

Yesavage (shoulder) will throw a simulated game Friday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Yesavage will throw 45 pitches in the simulated game, the latest step in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement. After not appearing in any spring training games, Yesavage is still building his arm up. He'll likely need multiple starts on a rehab assignment before he's ready to join the Blue Jays' rotation.

The Astros optioned Roa to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Houston is replacing Roa in the bullpen with Cody Bolton, who had his contract selected from Sugar Land in a corresponding move. Roa pitched in two games out of the Astros' bullpen in the opening series against the Angels and allowed one run on one hit and two walks across 1.1 innings. He struck out a pair.

Cease has more confidence in his changeup this season and seems committed to broadening his arsenal, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander has been essentially a two-pitch pitcher during his big-league career, throwing his two-seam fastball and slider over 40 percent of the time last season with the Padres, but in his first outing for the Blue Jays on Saturday, neither pitch reached that mark while his knuckle curve, two-seamer, changeup and sweeper all sat with usage rates between 7.8 percent and 10.0 percent. The changeup was especially impressive, as he's firmed it up a bit to give it more velocity and arm-side run but less vertical drop. The result was eight whiffs on eight changeups that averaged 83.7 mph, as batters sold out to try and meet his usual high-90s heat. "I'm going to keep fine-tuning it," Cease said. "Trying to find a little more consistency with command, but I like where it's at." With batters having more to think about than ever before when facing Cease, he struck out 12 batters in 5.1 innings -- setting a franchise record for Ks in a Blue Jays debut in the process.

Cecconi said Sunday that he woke up feeling under the weather, which resulted in diminished velocity, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Sunday's results were discouraging after Cecconi's preseason work suggested a pitcher about to take the next level. "I gave everything I had. Just all my velocities were down," Cecconi said. "Still, I think I executed pretty well. I think they got a few runs on some executed pitches and a few that weren't." His four-seamer averaged 92.3 mph, down two ticks from 94.3 it registered in 2025. In addition to reduced velocity, the right-hander also walked three and hit two batters. Cecconi will look to rebound this coming weekend against the Cubs.

Cecconi (0-1) took the loss Sunday against the Mariners, allowing six runs on six hits and three walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander managed to make it through three scoreless innings to begin his outing, but the Mariners throttled him for six runs across the fourth and fifth frames. Three of the hits he allowed went for extra bases, though Cecconi was at least able to stretch out to 93 pitches in his first start of the campaign. Cecconi has a difficult assignment slated for next weekend versus the Cubs, which might limit his streaming appeal.

Hancock (1-0) earned the win Sunday against the Guardians, allowing no runs on no hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out nine.

Hancock is taking Bryce Miller's (oblique) place in Seattle's starting rotation for the time being, and the former filled in admirably during his first turn through the rotation. Hancock set a career high in strikeouts Sunday, completely silencing the Cleveland bats in the hit column. The right-hander should be able to remain a starter for the Mariners for at least the next few weeks, and he figures to be a popular fantasy pickup ahead of his next scheduled start against the division-rival Angels.

Imai did not factor into the decision in the Astros' 9-7 win over the Angels on Sunday. He allowed four runs on three hits and four walks while striking out four across 2.2 innings.

Imai looked poised over the first two innings of his MLB debut, striking out four of the first eight batters he faced. However, things unravelled in the third, when he ran up his pitch count and yielded four runs in the frame before being pulled. Imai struggled with his control, with only 36 of his 74 pitches resulting in strikes (48.6 percent). It might take some time for him to adjust to his new surroundings after spending nine years with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, but the expectations will still be high given the three-year, $54 million contract that he signed with Houston during the offseason. Imai will look for a better result in his next start, which is tentatively slated for next weekend on the road against the Athletics.

Kochanowicz did not factor into the decision for Sunday's 9-7 loss to the Astros. He allowed six runs (five earned) on four hits and five walks while striking out three across four innings.

Kochanowicz put the Halos in a hole early after giving up four runs in the second inning. The Angels gave the 25-year-old right-hander plenty of run support, but he was unable to record an out in the fifth and was tagged with another run after being pulled. Kochanowicz generated 11 whiffs on 94 pitches but tossed only 55 strikes, and it probably wasn't the start he was hoping for after beating out Alek Manoah (finger) for the fifth spot in the Angels' rotation at the end of training camp. Kochanowicz is tentatively slated to start next weekend at home against the Mariners.