MLB Player News

Manager John Schneider said Friday that Berrios will be used out of the bullpen going forward, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The arrival of Trey Yesavage on Monday left the Blue Jays with six arms in their rotation, so the team will clear the logjam by shifting Berrios to a long-relief role. The 31-year-old right-hander owns a 4.06 ERA and 1.29 WHIP alongside a 135:54 K:BB through 164 innings on the year, and he could make his first relief appearance of the season soon, considering he hasn't pitched since Tuesday.

Jensen went 3-for-7 with three doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 20-1 victory over Toronto.

The Kansas City rookie batted leadoff and collected the second three-hit performance of his nascent career, doubling twice off Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer in the first. Jensen is off to a roaring start, slashing .344/.447/.688 with two homers, five doubles, seven runs scored and nine RBI in 38 plate appearances across 12 games. The 22-year-old has been garnering plenty of playing time while he splits catching and designated hitter duties with veteran backstop Salvador Perez.

Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-0 win over Houston.

The homer was Rodriguez's first since Sept. 6 in Atlanta and his fourth of the month. He's three stolen bases away from his second career 30-homer, 30-steal campaign, and Rodriguez has been a five-category fantasy producer since the start of July. The All-Star center fielder had a .722 OPS at the end of June, but he's batting .282 with 20 long balls, 52 RBI, 49 runs scored and 16 thefts over his last 70 outings to raise his OPS to an even .800 for the year.

Lorenzen (6-11) earned the win in Friday's 20-1 rout of the Blue Jays, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over 7.2 innings. He struck out four.

After conceding a solo homer to George Springer in the first, Lorenzen was able to settle in because his offense provided seven runs of support in the bottom of the inning. The veteran righty fired 113 total pitches in this outing, 71 of them being strikes, and took home his ninth quality start of the season. Through 136 total frames, Lorenzen has pitched to a 4.70 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 118:39 K:BB. The 33-year-old currently projects to make his next start on the road against the Angels.

Rasmussen did not factor into the decision in Friday's 11-7 loss to the Red Sox, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts over three innings.

Rasmussen needed 76 pitches to get through just three innings, generating only four whiffs in his shortest outing since the All-Star break. After closing August with four straight quality starts, the 30-year-old has failed to complete more than five frames in any of his four September outings. He owns a 2.80 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 124:35 K:BB across 147.2 innings this season and will aim to finish strong in a road matchup with the Orioles next week.

Crochet (17-5) earned the win against the Rays on Friday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks with nine strikeouts over six innings.

Crochet threw just 56 of 98 pitches for strikes and gave up a run in each of his first three innings before settling in to finish with three scoreless frames. The 26-year-old has bounced back from a seven-run blowup Sept. 2 with three straight quality starts and leads the majors with 197.1 innings across 31 outings this season. For the season, he owns a 2.69 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 249:46 K:BB, and he'll try to reach the 200-inning mark for the first time in a road matchup with the Blue Jays next week.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 7-6 win over the Angels.

Freeman is heating up at the plate -- he now has at least one hit in six of his last seven games. The utility man got off to a fast start this season, turning in an .878 OPS through July 9, but his production has tapered off considerably ever since. Over his last 58 games (250 plate appearances), Freeman is slashing .244/.310/.307 with 11 extra-base hits, 18 RBI and six stolen bases to drop his OPS to .723 for the year.

Scherzer (5-4) coughed up seven runs on seven hits and one walk over two-thirds of an inning to take the loss Friday at Kansas City. He struck out two.

The future Hall of Famer posted the second-shortest start of his 18-year career, with the briefest being a one-out appearance June 11, 2021 he left with injury. Despite generating a respectable eight whiffs out of his 45 total pitches, Scherzer was pounded by the Royals, as five of the seven hits he allowed went for extra bases. Overall, the 41-year-old now sports a 5.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 77:23 K:BB while giving up 18 long balls in 80 total frames. Scherzer will look to bounce back in his next outing, currently slated to come at home against the Rays next weekend.

Vodnik earned the save Friday against the Angels, allowing one hit and no walks in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one.

The save was the ninth of the season for Vodnik, who's given up just one run since Aug. 6. Seth Halvorsen (elbow) is running out of time to return in 2025, putting Vodnik in position to continue to split save opportunities with Juan Mejia going forward. Through 48.1 innings, Vodnik has a 2.98 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 46:23 K:BB.

Akin earned the save in Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

Akin was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning and did so on just nine pitches. The 30-year-old has enjoyed a strong September, converting all five of his save chances while allowing only two earned runs over nine outings. For the season, he's posted a 3.10 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 58:31 K:BB with 16 holds and eight saves across 61 innings.