MLB Player News

Montas (1-0) picked up the win against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, giving up just one earned run on three hits over six innings, striking out seven and walking two as Oakland bagged a 2-1 victory.

After getting called up from Triple-A Nashville before this start to get the first crack at filling the spot in Oakland's rotation for the injured Brett Anderson (shoulder), Montas looked sharp in his first outing of the year, throwing six strong innings before exiting the contest after tossing 82 pitches. This was likely a good enough showing to earn Montas another go-around in the rotation with Anderson out. However, it's not clear what that would mean for his fantasy prospects, as the 25-year-old had only thrown 47 career big-league innings coming into this start and had an unimpressive 6.32 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP over that time.

Eovaldi (elbow) will be activated from the 60-day disabled list this week and will start Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Previous reports suggested Eovaldi would take the hill Tuesday, but he'll instead be bumped back a day in the pitching schedule in order to pick up extra rest following his 71-pitch rehab outing March 23 with Triple-A Durham. Eovaldi was roughed up for eight runs on 10 hits over four innings during that outing, casting a blight on a otherwise solid four-start rehab assignment. The right-hander may have his pitch count capped Wednesday as he makes his first big-league appearance in nearly two years following a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he shouldn't face strict limitations in his starts to follow.

Cole didn't factor into the decision during Sunday's loss to the Indians as he gave up three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight across seven innings.

Cole gave up a two-run home run to Jose Ramirez in the bottom of the first, but he calmed down to give Houston seven solid innings in what turned out to be a losing effort. The 27-year-old right-hander has been putting together a spectacular season, posting a 2.05 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 109 strikeouts over 74.2 innings. He figures to make his 12th start of the season Friday against the Red Sox.

Sale (5-2) allowed six runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight across 4.1 innings Sunday as he was tabbed with the loss against the Braves.

The Braves were able to get to Sale early, as they struck for three runs in the second inning, followed by three more in the fifth. Sale was removed after recording one out in the fifth, replaced by Brian Johnson, who allowed both of his inherited runners to score. The most alarming aspect of Sunday's start was his sloppy control. He entered the season with a 2.1 BB/9 but has walked nine batters over his last 17 innings. Despite a poor outing, Sale sits with a 2.76 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, while his next chance to improve those marks should come Friday against the Astros.

The Tigers are listing Boyd (oblique) as their scheduled starter for Monday's game against the Angels, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Boyd departed in the fifth inning of his last start May 22 against the Twins with oblique spasms, but his inclusion among Detroit's probable assignments for the upcoming four-game series suggests he completed a bullpen session over the weekend without incident. Though he has seen his velocity drop a few ticks from 2017, Boyd has been the most dependable member of the Detroit rotation this season, allowing no more than four earned runs in any of his nine starts this season and posting a 41:17 K:BB across 52 frames. Boyd is in store for a double dip during the Tigers' seven-game week, with his second turn falling Saturday at home against the Blue Jays.

Blackburn (forearm) threw four innings during his start at extended spring training Friday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Blackburn came out of the outing with no further setbacks in his recovery from the forearm strain, so he'll kick off a rehab assignment with High-A Stockton later this week. The right-hander is expected to work up to 60 pitches in his first rehab outing and will likely require at least 2-to-3 starts in the minors beyond that before the Athletics entertain activating him from the 60-day disabled list.

The Athletics optioned Bassitt to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Bassitt's demotion clears a spot on the 25-man roster for Frankie Montas, who was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move to start Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. The 29-year-old right-hander was up with the Athletics for just one day and went unused out of the bullpen in Saturday's 3-0 victory.

Montas was recalled from Triple-A Nashville ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the Diamondbacks, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Montas will step into the rotation spot of Brett Anderson (shoulder), who was replaced by long reliever Josh Lucas last week as part of a bullpen game. The 25-year-old Montas, who has worked exclusively as a starter at Triple-A this season and has produced a 4.39 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 41 innings, offers a more conventional rotation replacement, but he'll need to perform adequately Sunday to earn additional starts. If Montas is unable to deliver quality innings for the Athletics, Kendall Graveman would likely be next in line for a promotion from Triple-A to fill Anderson's spot.

Nicasio fired two perfect frames in an extra-innings win over the Twins on Saturday, recording five strikeouts.

Nicasio continues to bounce back in impressive fashion from a rough start to May, as he's now posted four consecutive scoreless efforts during which he's recorded seven strikeouts. The 31-year-old has whittled his ERA down just under a full run from 6.10 to 5.11 during that span, but he may see his workload as a setup option take a hit going forward with the arrival of Alex Colome via trade from the Rays.

Carrasco (6-3) picked up the win in Saturday's 8-6 victory over the Astros, surrendering five runs on seven hits and two walks over 5.2 innings while striking out eight.

The right-hander threw 70 of 108 pitches for strikes in snapping his personal two-game losing streak, but Carrasco's overall struggles continued Saturday. He sports a 5.55 ERA over his last six starts (37.1 innings) thanks mainly to a 1.7 HR/9, as his 43:10 K:BB has remained sharp over that stretch. He'll try to turn things around Thursday on the road against the Twins.