MLB Player News

Well, Marcus Stroman arrived this weekend after all, but not in the role everyone was thinking. The Blue Jays have confined him to the bullpen for now, where he'll await the next opening after J.A. Happ took the place of an injured Brandon Morrow.

I'm thinking that opening will develop sooner than later.

Stroman could even end up replacing Happ himself, who the Blue Jays probably felt they owned a chance after an injury caused him to get passed over for a job this spring. But given his 4.95 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 77 appearances, including 70 starts, since the start of 2011, the chances of Happ running away with the job are slim to none.

Maybe if the Blue Jays had the pitching depth of the Cardinals, I'd worry about Stroman getting stuck in Carlos Martinez purgatory, but the Blue Jays will need him sooner than later. And now that they've already started the arbitration clock, they won't hesitate to move him into the role once it becomes obvious.

His upside makes him worth stashing in the meantime. I'd still rather have Trevor Bauer, but when you begin dipping into the Bartolo Colon-Wade Miley class of starting pitchers, you might as well take a flier.

White Sox starter Chris Sale went through a 40-pitch bullpen session without any issues on Monday, he told ESPN Chicago. Sale remains without a timetable to return, but is starting to feel better as he works his way back from arm soreness. 

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish (2-1) put together a quality start on Sunday, earning his second win of the season in a 14-3 victory over the Angels. The right-hander got back on track, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out nine over 6 1/3 innings.

Darvish tossed 116 pitches, 71 for strikes, as his ERA stands at 2.87 through six starts. He has a 42:11 K:BB ratio over 37 2/3 innings pitched. He'll make his next start Friday at home against Boston. He is 0-1 with a 2.95 ERA in three home starts.

Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray, who pitched a complete-game shutout his last time out, kept rolling on Sunday against the Red Sox, but was unable to factor into the decision in a 3-2 win in extras. The right-hander permitted only two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three over six innings.

Gray threw 102 pitches, 60 for strikes. His ERA now stands at 1.91. Over his last two starts covering 15 innings, Gray has allowed only two earned runs. He'll look to keep it going Saturday at home against Washington. He is 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA in four starts at home.

Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander put together a quality start Sunday against Kansas City, scattering three runs on four hits over seven innings to improve to 4-1 on the year.

Verlander struck out seven and walked four, improving his ERA to 2.68. He tossed 107 pitches, 65 for strikes. Over his last four starts covering 26 innings, Verlander has allowed eight earned runs.

Following the 9-4 road victory, Verlander will look to keep it going Friday at home against Minnesota. He is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in four starts at home.

Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber struck out a career-high 13 batters Sunday against the White Sox and was in line for third win of the season before closer John Axford allowed Chicago to rally for a 4-3 win in the ninth inning.

Kluber's previous best was 11 strikeouts, which he achieved April 24 against the Royals.

He fell behind early, as Jose Abreu hit a solo home run with two outs in the first inning. But Kluber would soon settle down and eventually struck out a franchise-record seven straight batters. The streak started with Gordon Beckham striking out with one out in the third inning, and ended when Kluber issued a two-out walk to Leury Garcia in the fifth.

The right-hander allowed just one run on three hits and two walks in eight innings, lowering his ERA from 4.14 to 3.60. His next scheduled start is for Friday against the Rays.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said he expects starting pitchers Taijuan Walker (shoulder) and James Paxton (lat) to be back in the rotation by June, per MLB Network Radio.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who was placed on the disabled list in the minors with focal pneumonia, shouldn't be out too long, per MLB Network Radio. He is expected to miss 1-2 starts.

The Blue Jays promoted pitching prospect Marcus Stroman to the majors after Saturday's game and will use the highly-regarded youngster out of the bullpen initially, Sportsnet reports.

Stroman has done an excellent job with Triple-A Buffalo over the first month of the season, going 2 2 with a 1.69 ERA and 36:7 K:BB ratio in 26 2/3 innings over five starts. Despite his move to the major-league bullpen, he figures to join the team's rotation before long.

Tigers pitcher Drew Smyly brought his "A" game Saturday, surrendering just two hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings while striking out six to earn a win in his team's 9-2 victory over the Royals.

Smyly (2-1) has tossed back-to-back quality efforts after a shaky first start in mid-April. He'll get one more start Thursday against the Astros before potentially getting bumped to the bullpen when Anibal Sanchez returns from the disabled list. Smyly owns a 2.45 ERA and 21:6 K:BB ratio over 22 innings.