MLB Player News

The Blue Jays optioned Lee to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, reports Mitch Bannon of The Athletic.

Lee is being sent down to make space for Connor Seabold as the latter joins the big-league club after being acquired via trade from Detroit. Lee made just two appearances after being recalled to Toronto on May 19, giving up four walks and two earned runs over two frames.

Castillo is slated to work out of the bullpen and will piggyback starter Bryce Miller during Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks in Seattle, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Though both Castillo and Miller have expressed a reluctance to being used in a piggyback arrangement, the two pitchers will nonetheless operate in a tandem for a third consecutive turn through the rotation. The setup worked well the last time out Monday in Sacramento, with Castillo starting the game and delivering one of his better efforts of the season, as he struck out six and allowed just two hits and two walks over four scoreless frames. Miller followed with five innings of two-run ball and was credited with the win, but Castillo should have better odds of factoring into the decision Sunday while he and Miller are used in the opposite order. The Mariners will reassess their rotation plans after Sunday's contest, and Castillo may need another strong showing against Arizona to ensure that he avoids moving into a full-time relief role.

Rice went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in a 7-0 win against the Royals on Wednesday.

Rice opened the scoring with an RBI triple -- his first three-bagger of the season -- in the fourth inning. The slugger added a two-run single in the seventh. With his three RBI, Rice pushed his total to 37 on the campaign, tied for fifth most in the AL. He's added 16 homers, 11 doubles, 40 runs, two steals and an excellent .290/.383/.623 slash line.

Miller is scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks in Seattle and will be used in tandem with Luis Castillo, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Though both Miller and Castillo have expressed displeasure with being deployed in a piggyback arrangement, the two pitchers will nonetheless operate in a tandem for a third consecutive turn through the rotation. The setup worked well the last time out Monday in Sacramento, with Castillo delivering four shutout frames to open the game before Miller followed with four strikeouts over five innings of two-run ball en route to picking up his first win of the season. The two will pitch in the opposite order Sunday, and while being piggybacked by Castillo will likely suppress MIller's workload, the latter should still be able to reach the five innings he would need to hit to qualify for a win in a starting role. Since being activated from the injured list May 13, Miller has covered between five and 5.2 innings and 72 and 83 pitches over his three appearances while posting a 2.55 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.

Rojas will not start against the White Sox on Thursday due to posterior elbow soreness, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Rojas was slated to start his second game of the season but will instead be scratched due to the injury. Simeon Woods Richardson will take his place as the starter for the series finale against the White Sox. It is unclear yet whether this will lead to an injured-list stint for Rojas.

Woods Richardson will start Thursday's game versus the White Sox in place of the injured Kendry Rojas (elbow), Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Rojas had to be scratched because of a sore pitching elbow. Woods Richardson's last two appearances both came in relief, and he will be starting on just two days' rest after throwing 35 pitches over two frames Monday against Chicago. The right-hander's last start came more than two weeks ago, and he will be facing a restricted workload versus the White Sox.

The Tigers placed Jansen on the 15-day injured list Thursday with pelvic inflammation.

Jansen underwent an MRI after exiting his appearance Wednesday with right groin tightness, and although he hasn't been diagnosed with a strain, the Tigers will send him to the injured list anyway to give him time to recover. Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan are the leading candidates to close games for Detroit while Jansen is sidelined, and Drew Sommers will come up from Triple-A Toledo to round out the big-league bullpen.

The Tigers recalled Sommers from Triple-A Toledo on Thursday.

Sommers will be back with the big-league club after a brief three-day stint in Triple-A Toledo. Kenley Jansen (pelvis) was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier Thursday, so Sommers will take his place on the active roster. The 25-year-old has struggled in his four appearances with Detroit, allowing six earned runs over three innings.

Strahm (knee) threw live batting practice Wednesday and is slated to throw a bullpen session Friday, putting him on track to be activated from the injured list when eligible Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Strahm landed on the injured list May 16 but appears to be recovering well after receiving an injection May 21 to address inflammation in his right knee. Manager Matt Quatraro said the southpaw looked great during a live batting practice session Wednesday, so barring any setbacks during his upcoming bullpen session, Strahm appears likely to be activated from the injured list when first eligible Sunday. Prior to being shelved, he posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB across 16.1 innings.

Bubic (elbow) is still dealing with general left arm fatigue, MLB.com reports.

Bubic began a throwing program this past weekend and continues to play catch despite not yet feeling 100 percent. The southpaw will not be allowed to ramp things up until he's no longer feeling fatigue in his pitching arm, so there remains no timetable for Bubic's return to the Royals' rotation. He posted a 4.11 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 51:26 K:BB across 50.1 innings before landing on the 15-day injured list with left elbow discomfort in mid-May.