MLB Player News

The Blue Jays optioned Andrews to Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

Andrews logged a pair of scoreless appearances after getting his first big-league promotion earlier this week. The Blue Jays are replacing him with a fresh bullpen arm in Austin Voth, who was called up from Triple-A.

Kirk (thumb) is aiming to start hitting off a pitching machine this weekend before beginning a rehab assignment by the start of the Blue Jays' June 5-14 homestand, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Kirk has been catching bullpen sessions and taking live batting practice at the club's spring training complex in Florida, and game action is just around the corner. Assuming he's able to kick off a rehab assignment at the start of the Blue Jays' next homestand, he should be activated by mid-June. Kirk has been shelved since early April after having surgery to repair a fractured left thumb.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Barger (elbow) will resume throwing "probably [Thursday]," Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Barger's recovery from right elbow inflammation has come along more slowly than expected, but he's poised to take a big step forward Thursday. He's already missed more than two weeks and could require a rehab assignment before returning to the Blue Jays' active roster.

Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Valenzuela will be rested for Wednesday's matinee affair after he went 2-for-4 with a run scored while catching all nine innings of the Blue Jays' 8-1 win Tuesday night. Tyler Heineman will replace Valenzuela behind the dish in the series finale.

Guerrero (elbow) will start at first base and bat second in Wednesday's game versus the Marlins.

Guerrero missed the last two contests with a right elbow contusion, but he's improved enough to give it a go in Wednesday's series finale. The slugger has had a rough May, as he will enter action Wednesday having slashed only .187/.312/.227 this month.

Springer is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Toronto is concluding its three-game series against Miami with an afternoon game following a night game, so Springer will exit the starting nine in what looks to be a planned rest day. Jesus Sanchez will get a turn as Toronto's designated hitter in place of Springer, who had started each of the last nine games. After struggling mightily at the plate initially upon his return from the injured list April 30, Springer has rounded into form over those last nine starts, slashing .289/.357/.579 with three home runs, two stolen bases, six RBI and five runs.

Murakami went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's extra-innings loss to the Twins.

Murakami blasted his 19th homer of the season with a rocket to right, and he ranks second in the majors in that category, trailing only Kyle Schwarber. The power is real for Murakami, who has an outstanding .313 ISO and .917 OPS in 54 games this season. He's the definition of a three-true-outcomes hitter, as he also has 77 strikeouts and 41 walks across 235 plate appearances. He's either homered, struck out or walked in nearly 59 percent of his plate appearances this season.

Montero didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 10-6 loss to the Angels, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out seven.

The right-hander was lifted after 89 pitches (57 strikes) having tied his season high in Ks, but Montero watched the bullpen implode to cost him his third win of the year. Montero has failed to complete six innings in three straight trips to the mound, and over five starts in May he managed a 4.18 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 16:10 K:BB through 28 innings. He'll continue plugging a hole in Detroit's injury-depleted rotation, with his next outing set to come on the road this weekend against the White Sox.

Bailey is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Austin Hedges will handle the catching duties for the matinee Wednesday while Bailey rests up after he was behind the plate for six innings of the Guardians' 6-3 loss Tuesday night. Since being acquired from the Giants earlier this month, Bailey has gone 3-for-25 (.120 average) with one home run, one double, two walks and three RBI through his first nine games with Cleveland.

Burke didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Twins after allowing two runs on three hits and two walks across seven innings. He struck out eight.

Burke finally pitched past the fifth inning -- something he hadn't accomplished since May 2 -- and delivered a strong outing, matching his previous season-high mark in strikeouts. The lack of consistency has been an issue for Burke, but it's worth noting he has allowed two or fewer runs in five of his last seven starts. A couple of subpar outings have saddled him with a 4.78 ERA in May. Burke, who has a 3.90 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 11 appearances (nine starts) this season, is scheduled to make his next start over the weekend at home against the Tigers.