MLB Player News

Montgomery had his contract purchased from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

As expected, the Yankees pulled their pitching prospect to the big leagues in order to make his major-league debut against the Rays. Montgomery has some excellent minor-league stats to his name (2.13 ERA, 8.7 K/9 in 2016), although he only appeared in 37 innings at Triple-A in his career. Montgomery will face off with Rays left-hander Blake Snell in his inaugural appearance. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, right-hander Johnny Barbato was designated for assignment.

Musgrove (1-0) held the Mariners to three runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings Tuesday, striking out two and walking one en route to his first win of the season.

The 24-year-old righty has been decidedly so-so in his first two starts, offering neither dominance nor longevity. Musgrove's keeper-league appeal is clear, but those in shallower single-season formats shouldn't be tied to owning him if there's quality out on the wire.

Hamels tossed seven innings in Anaheim on Tuesday, giving up a single run on four hits and four walks with five strikeouts.

Hamels was in line for the win, but closer Sam Dyson blew it for him in the ninth, leading to an eventual 10-inning loss. He's failed to come away with a win in his first two starts, and there are some warning signs underlying the 2.77 ERA that Hamels owns in the early going. The lefty hit a batter and gave up a homer in both starts, which isn't pleasant to see after he faded down the stretch last year (particularly in terms of control). That said, we're still talking about a guy who's struck out 200 hitters in four of the last five seasons, including last year. At 33, the tank clearly isn't empty for Hamels yet. He'll draw the Mariners on the road Sunday.

Carrasco (1-0) allowed only one run on four hits while striking out seven over seven innings Tuesday, but took a no-decision in a 2-1 extra-inning win over the White Sox.

The only blemish on his performance was a Todd Frazier solo homer in the fifth inning. Carrasco threw 61 of 95 pitches for strikes and now has a dominant 14:1 K:BB through his first 12.2 innings of the season. He'll next take the mound Sunday at home against the Tigers.

Bundy (1-1) took the loss in Tuesday's start versus the Red Sox, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and two walks across 6.1 innings. He struck out three.

Bundy didn't have his swing-and-miss stuff working as effectively as he did in his season debut, due in part to his inability to consistently throw strikes, but he left having allowed just two runs before Darren O'Day allowed an inherited runner to come around. He was still effective enough to limit what should be a potent offense and could've earned a win on another day with his second quality start in as many tries. Bundy seems to be finally realizing some of the potential that made him a top prospect a couple of years ago and will take a 2.70 ERA as well as a 11:2 K:BB into Sunday's start against the Blue Jays.

Whitley (1-0) tossed five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out six for Low-A Quad Cities on Tuesday.

Whitley, the Astros' first-round pick in 2016, was making his debut for a full-season affiliate. The 19-year-old Texan has a powerful arm and an advanced feel for pitching, so we won't be surprised if he skates through the Midwest League.

Asher is a possible option to start Saturday against the Blue Jays, Roch Kubatko of MASN reports.

Asher caught the eye of manager Buck Showalter during his only outing at Triple-A Norfolk, as he's being considered as the Orioles' final starter after allowing just four hits through 4.1 scoreless innings while striking out six batters. He posted a 2.28 ERA across 27.2 innings (five starts) last year with the Phillies before being traded to Baltimore in the offseason. The 25-year-old is competing with Jayson Aquino for the final rotation spot.

Boyd (1-1) tossed six shutout innings and picked up the win Tuesday against the Twins. He allowed just one hit and two walks and struck out six.

He held the Twins hitless until a Robbie Grossman single with two outs in the fifth inning. After a rough debut in which Boyd gave up five runs in just 2.1 innings, the young lefty turned things around in a big way in this one. His next start will come Sunday in Cleveland.

Odorizzi, who was hit in the leg by a line drive in Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays, isn't concerned about it having any residual impact in his Sunday start versus the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "It feels like a bruise," he said. "I don't think it'll be a big issue."

Odorizzi had a ball mark on his left leg a day later but otherwise wasn't feeling any concerning degree of pain. The right-hander has gone six innings over each of his first two starts, generating a 4.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 8:3 K:BB.

McKenzie gave up one run on three hits and two walks while striking out five over 5.2 innings in his debut start for High-A Lynchburg.

McKenzie is an extreme case of a projectable teenage hurler, as he is 6-foot-5, 165 pounds, and already boasts an impressive repertoire with excellent command. If he can pack on some muscle and bump his fastball from the low-90s to the mid-90s, McKenzie would profile nicely atop a rotation. He won't turn 20 until Aug. 2, and will look to break the 100-inning threshold for the first time as a professional this season.