MLB Player News

The Royals recalled Cruz from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

He'll take the roster spot vacated by Carlos Estevez (foot), who was placed on the 15-day injured list. Cruz posted a 3.74 ERA and 38:18 K:BB over 45.2 frames for the Royals last season and should work low-leverage innings.

The Royals placed Estevez (foot) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Estevez suffered a left foot contusion during an appearance Saturday in Atlanta when he was struck by a line drive. The reliever has also been dealing with velocity and delivery issues that have affected his overall effectiveness, and he'll get a chance to get back on track while on the IL and when he presumably goes on a rehab assignment. Estevez will be eligible to be reinstated April 14, but his timetable to return is currently up in the air. Lucas Erceg has stepped in as closer for the Royals and should continue in that role indefinitely.

Baldwin went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and four RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the A's.

The second-year backstop continues to swing a hot bat, fueling Atlanta's offense Wednesday with a two-run single in the second inning and a two-run double in the fourth. Baldwin has started all six games in the season's first week, four at catcher and two at DH, and he's hit second in the order against both lefties and righties. During that hot streak, he's batting .318 (7-for-22) with three homers, six runs and seven RBI.

Sale (2-0) allowed one run on one hit over six innings Wednesday to record the win as Atlanta downed the A's 5-1. He struck out three without walking a batter.

Shea Langeliers' solo shot in the fourth inning ended up being the only runner to reach base against Sale over 79 pitches (57 strikes). The veteran southpaw has been brilliant to begin the season, delivering two straight quality starts with a 0.75 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB in 12 innings. Sale will look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week against the Angels.

Langeliers went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to Atlanta.

The 28-year-old slugger broke up Chris Sale's early bid for a perfect game by lifting a fastball into the left-field bullpen at Truist Park with two outs in the fourth inning. It was Langeliers' fifth homer in six games, a power surge that has fueled a stunning .375/.400/1.000 slash line with eight RBI through the first week of the season.

Severino (0-1) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up four runs on four hits and five walks over 3.1 innings as the A's fell 5-1 to Atlanta. He struck out seven.

The right-hander managed only 49 strikes among his 91 pitches, but Severino salvaged some value for his fantasy GMs with the strikeouts. Through his first 8.1 innings to begin the year, Severino has a 6.48 ERA and 10:8 K:BB, a worrisome start for a pitcher who posted a BB/9 below 3.0 in each of the last two seasons. He'll try to tighten up his control in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week in his old stomping grounds at Yankee Stadium.

Caratini will start at first base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Caratini will be included in the lineup for the third game in a row, with two starts coming at first base and one at catcher. With the Twins facing a lefty starter (Noah Cameron) for the second straight game, Caratini will fill in at first base for the left-handed-hitting Kody Clemens, who should continue to occupy the large side of a platoon moving forward. Caratini's playing time versus right-handed pitching will likely be more sporadic, but he'll see occasional starts against them either at catcher or designated hitter.

Clemens is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

With the Twins facing a lefty starter (Noah Cameron) for the second day in a row, the left-handed-hitting Clemens will hit the bench for another game. Victor Caratini will step in for Clemens at first base and bat seventh.

Larnach is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

With the Twins facing a lefty starter (Noah Cameron) for the second day in a row, the left-handed-hitting Larnach will head to the bench for another game. Austin Martin will take Larnach's spot in left field and will bat leadoff.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Crawford (wrist) is expected to make his first minor-league rehab start in about two weeks, MLB.com reports.

Per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, Crawford threw four innings in a simulated game Monday at the Red Sox's spring training facility, but the right-hander looks like he'll continue to build up in Florida a little while longer before joining a minor-league affiliate. Meanwhile, fellow rehabbing pitcher Patrick Sandoval (elbow) is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at Double-A Portland, and he would appear to be on track to beat Crawford back from the 15-day injured list. The Red Sox don't have room in the big-league rotation for either pitcher at the moment, so Crawford -- who has two minor-league options remaining -- could be assigned to Triple-A Worcester once he completes his rehab assignment and gets activated from the IL.