MLB Player News

Ray (elbow) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker said Sunday that Ray is "really close" to making his return. Manager Charlie Montoyo didn't have an exact pitch count for Wednesday's throwing session but said that Ray could throw around 70-80 pitches. If all goes well Wednesday, Ray could return to game action in the near future.

Houck was optioned to Boston's alternate training site Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Houck recently moved to the bullpen, and he'll now be sent to the team's alternate camp in Worcester. His removal from the main roster will clear room for Eduardo Rodriguez (arm), who is expected to be activated from the injured list ahead of his scheduled start Thursday. Houck made two appearances (one start) to begin the year and allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out 10 in six innings.

Manager Scott Servais said that Paxton will undergo an MRI on Wednesday after Mariners team doctors gave the southpaw an initial diagnosis of a left forearm strain following his departure from Tuesday's 10-4 loss to the White Sox, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Making his first start of the season in his second stint with the Mariners, Paxton lasted just 1.1 innings and 24 pitches before exiting the contest due to the arm injury. Paxton told reporters after the game that he wasn't in as much pain Tuesday as he was when he suffered a Grade 1 forearm flexor strain late last season as a member of the Yankees, but the MRI will provide more clarity regarding the extent of his latest arm-related injury. Even if the MRI shows that his UCL is intact and confirms that he's dealing with a minor strain, Paxton still seems likely to land on the 10-day injured list.

Giolito (1-0) earned his first win, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out 10 over 5.1 innings against the Mariners on Tuesday.

Giolito cruised through the first two innings while striking out five straight Mariners at one point. After Zack Collins gave him a three-run lead on his first home run in the second inning, it looked like an easy night for Chicago's ace, but his defense forced extra throws during a 39-pitch third. Once the defensive follies ended, Giolito got back to work, retiring the final seven batters faced. He's penciled in to make his next start Monday at home against Cleveland.

Bassitt (0-2) gave up four runs on nine hits and one walk across six innings to take the loss against the Dodgers on Tuesday. He struck out four.

Bassitt got up to six innings and 102 pitches in his second start of the season, but the right-hander yielded nine hits -- including two home runs -- to suffer his second straight loss. Most of the damage against Bassitt came in the third inning, when a pair of Dodgers homers resulted in three runs. The 32-year-old hasn't been a disaster by any means at the start of the campaign, but he hasn't yet pitched well enough to provide hope that he can approach last season's career-best 2.29 ERA. He'll look for his first win in his next start, currently scheduled for Monday at Arizona.

Dunning (1-0) earned the win over Toronto on Tuesday, pitching five innings and allowing one run on three hits and no walks while striking out six.

The right-hander looked like he might be in for a tough night when Bo Bichette clubbed a solo home run off him in the first inning, but that was the only run Dunning allowed in the contest. The 26-year-old was expected to tandem start with Wes Benjamin on Tuesday, but Dunning was efficient enough with his pitch count -- he tossed 70 pitches in total (51 for strikes) -- that he remained in the game long enough to pick up the win. After a solid rookie campaign with the White Sox last season, Dunning is off to a strong start with his new team following an offseason trade. He's next expected to start Monday at Tampa Bay.

Glasnow allowed one earned run on four hits while walking two and striking out nine across six innings Tuesday against the Red Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

Glasnow allowed a run to score in the first inning on a wild pitch, but he mostly dominated the Red Sox from there. While his ability to generate whiffs is well established, Glasnow was able to stay in the strike zone effectively by starting 14 of the 24 batters he faced with a strike and racking up 60 strikes on 97 total pitches. Though he has yet to get in the win column, Glasnow has a strong 15:2 K:BB across 12 innings in two starts to begin the campaign. He's projected to draw his next start Monday at home against the Rangers.

Perez allowed three earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six across five innings Tuesday against the Rays. He did not factor into the decision.

Perez pitched well aside from a shaky third inning in which he allowed two earned runs on three singles, a walk and a hit batter. Otherwise, he piled up 15 called strikes and 12 swinging strikes on 92 total pitches and limited the Rays to only one extra-base hit. Perez figures to draw his next start in a tricky matchup Monday at Minnesota -- his former team.

Wells gave up one run on a hit and a walk and struck out one in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Yankees.

Wells walked Brett Gardner and then allowed an RBI double to Giancarlo Stanton for the Yankees' fourth run of the game. As a Rule 5 pick, the right-hander has to stay on the Orioles' roster all season for them to maintain his playing rights. He's expected to work in middle relief in 2021, although he could play his way into high-leverage assignments.

Paxton exited Tuesday's game against the White Sox with left elbow discomfort, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

The left-hander was removed during the second inning Tuesday only 24 pitches into his season debut, and it's now confirmed that he's dealing with an arm issue. The severity of the injury is unclear, but it's an ominous sign for Paxton, especially given his injury history.