MLB Player News

Sale allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out 14 across eight innings Wednesday against the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.

Sale was dominant in a positive matchup, generating 24 swinging strikes on 108 total pitches. His average fastball velocity was 93.8 mph -- still nearly two ticks below last season -- but he maxed out at nearly 97 mph. That's a positive sign, as is Sale's recent form as he's allowed just five earned runs across his last five starts -- spanning 26 innings -- while also whiffing 42 batters. He'll draw a tougher matchup his next time out, facing the Rockies in Boston on Tuesday.

Kikuchi (2-1) allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out three across 7.2 innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Yankees.

Kikuchi held the Yankees' offense in check, surrendering his only earned run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. While the outing wasn't particularly dominant -- he had only three strikeouts and eight swinging strikes -- he held the opposition to just one extra-base hit and continued to exhibit good control. After struggling a bit early on, Kikuchi has chewed up 14.2 innings across his last two starts, allowing just two earned runs while whiffing 13 batters in the process. He'll look to keep things going in his next start, likely to come Monday against the Athletics.

Cortes had his contract selected from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Wednesday's game, Conor Foley of The Scranton Times-Tribune reports.

Cortes has been with the RailRiders since early 2018 after he returned to the Yankees organization following his designation for assignment by the Orioles. The 24-year-old struggled in Baltimore as he allowed four runs on 10 hits over 4.2 innings during his only previous stint in the majors. Cortes has a 4.54 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 34:11 K:BB through 33.2 innings at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.

Gibson (3-1) allowed one earned run on two hits and one walk while striking out 11 across six innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Gibson tossed his best outing of the season, with his loan blemish coming on a solo home run by Billy McKinney. He otherwise held the Blue Jays without an extra-base hit and didn't allow any runners to reach scoring position. While Gibson didn't pitch especially deep into the game, his 11 strikeouts stand out and were backed by 19 swinging strikes on a total of just 88 pitches. He'll look to build on this effort, with his next start likely to come Tuesday against the Angels.

Boyd (4-2) gave up one run on three hits while striking out six through six innings in a win over the Angels on Wednesday.

Boyd delivered another dominant outing, only allowing three baserunners in six innings. He is on an impressive run of seven consecutive quality starts since his first outing of the season. The 28-year-old has a 3-1 record with a 2.75 ERA and 47:10 K:BB over the last month. Boyd will look to keep rolling in his next start Monday against the Astros.

Morton allowed two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and four walks across five innings in a no-decision against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

The veteran right-hander left with a deficit, but the Rays were able to rally to tie the game late to get Morton off the hook. Morton is putting together a very strong beginning to the season, as he's allowed more than two runs in just one of his eight starts. The veteran does have a 4.3 BB/9, but opposing hitters are batting only .208, and he's yielded only two homers. Morton is 3-0 with a 2.64 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 44.1 innings this season. He will make his next start Wednesday at the Marlins.

Ramirez (elbow) has progressed to throwing two-inning live batting practice sessions in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ramirez is now 12 months removed from the procedure and thus far appears to have avoided any significant setbacks. The Angels are hopeful he'll be ready to return by late June or early July.

Heaney (elbow) is scheduled to face live hitters Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Heaney apparently felt good during a live BP session over the weekend, clearing the way for him to ramp things up Friday -- he's expected to throw three innings and around 45 pitches. This is certainly a step in the right direction for the left-hander, who has been sidelined since early March with an elbow issue.

Baz was assigned to Low-A Bowling Green on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Baz has yet to make his 2019 debut while spending the past month at extended spring training. The decision wasn't the result of any concern about Baz's health but rather one designed to limit the young right-hander's innings count. He topped out at 52.1 innings between rookie and short-season ball in 2018 and should push close to 100 in 2019 if he avoids any setbacks over the next few months.

Suarez (shoulder) allowed two hits and one walk while striking out four over five scoreless innings in his return to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

A sore shoulder put Suarez on the 7-day IL to begin the season, but he showed no ill effects Sunday, throwing 78 pitches and allowing just a pair of singles. Suarez struggled during his time with Salt Lake last year, posting a 4.48 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 17 starts, but it's important to keep in mind that he was only 20 years old at the time. If he continues to show improvement at the Triple-A level, Suarez could get a look in the big-league rotation sometime this summer.