MLB Player News

The Rays reinstated Kelly (glute) from the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Tampa Bay optioned right-hander Connor Seabold to Triple-A Durham to make room in the bullpen for Kelly, who had been on the shelf since April 11 due to a left gluteal strain. Kelly proved his health during a three-appearance rehab assignment in the minors and should step into a middle-relief role for Tampa Bay.

Gordon is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Rays in Houston.

With the Astros recently announcing that both Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco would need season-ending Tommy John surgery, Gordon and Ryan Gusto have moved into big-league rotation. The Astros will eventually get Spencer Arrighetti (thumb), Luis Garcia (elbow) and Cristian Javier (elbow) back from the injured list, but with none of their returns considered imminent, Gordon could have an extended run as a starter. Through his first three starts across two separate stints in the majors, Gordon owns a 5.52 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB over 14.2 innings.

Dobbins struck out one batter and allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks over three innings out of the bullpen in Wednesday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Brewers.

On Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Mike Monaco of ESPN that Dobbins would at least temporarily move to the bullpen as a result of Richard Fitts making his return from the 15-day injured list. Cora emphasized that Dobbins' move to the bullpen wasn't necessarily permanent, but because the Red Sox will have at least one day off for every week through early July, the team appears unlikely to expand its rotation to six men to make room for the rookie. Though he was able to get some extended work in Wednesday after starter Brayan Bello was lifted midway through the bottom of the fifth, Dobbins could end up heading back to Triple-A Worcester to make regular starts if his opportunities out of the Boston bullpen become more sporadic.

Lukes went 2-for-3 with a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Rangers.

The steal was his first of the season, on his third attempt. Lukes is slashing .293/.397/.466 through 22 games in May with three homers, 10 runs and 11 RBI as he establishes himself as the Blue Jays' regular starter in left field.

Schultz gave up one hit and struck out four over 2.2 scoreless innings in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Rangers.

Making his first career big-league start, Schultz lasted 45 pitches (28 strikes) before turning the ball over to Eric Lauer and the Blue Jays bullpen to complete a combined shutout. Schultz's 2.03 ERA through 13.1 innings with Toronto this season is a bit misleading -- he gave up four unearned runs May 25 against the Rays -- but his 17:3 K:BB and 0.98 WHIP are just as impressive. The 27-year-old rookie might head back to Triple-A Buffalo once the staff gets healthier, but Schultz is making a strong case to stick around in a long-relief or swingman role.

Lopez is slated to start Thursday's game against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Summoned from Triple-A Las Vegas last weekend to fill the opening in the rotation created by J.T. Ginn's (quadriceps) move to the injured list, Lopez stepped in and delivered a gem in his second start of the season for the Athletics. Though he ended up taking a loss, he limited the Phillies to one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven innings. The stellar performance will earn him at least one more start, and if Lopez can deliver another positive outing Thursday, he'll likely have a strong case for sticking around in the rotation over the struggling Gunnar Hoglund (5.13 ERA, 1.41 WHIP through five starts) once Ginn is back from the IL.

Jimenez (undisclosed) was activated from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 with a walk and three runs scored in his first game this season for the Bisons.

The 24-year-old shortstop missed nearly two months to begin the season, but Jimenez appears to be healthy now. He could provide some depth for the big-league infield later in the year if a spot opens up.

Roden has a .375/.467/.625 slash line with three homers, three steals, 11 RBI and 14 runs in 16 games since being optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.

The 25-year-old struggled in his first exposure to MLB pitching this season, managing a .522 OPS in his first 84 big-league plate appearances, but since returning to Triple-A, Roden has been locked in. He will likely be the first player called back up if the Blue Jays have a vacancy in their outfield.

Gusto is scheduled to start Thursday's game against the Rays in Houston.

Gusto will be making his second straight turn through the rotation and seventh start of the season after he struck out six and allowed two earned runs over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Mariners his last time out Friday. The righty owns a 5.96 ERA and 28:10 K:BB in 25.2 innings as a starter this season, but despite his poor numbers, he could have an extended runway in the rotation due to Hayden Wesneski (elbow) and Ronel Blanco (elbow) recently getting shut down for the season and with Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) and Luis Garcia (elbow) not especially close to returning from the injured list.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to Milwaukee.

Abreu's seventh-inning home run tied the game and set up the need for an extra frame. The blast was the 13th of the season for Abreu, who has struggled for much of the month of May. He's batting .188 (13-for-69) with just four RBI (all on solo home runs) over the last 19 games.