MLB Player News

The Rangers activated Otto (lat) from the 60-day injured list Friday.

Otto has been on the shelf all season with a right lat strain and will now rejoin the Rangers' pitching staff. He looked good during his rehab assignment, surrendering three runs on six hits while striking out 14 batters and walking only one across 10 Triple-A innings. Given the strength of Texas' rotation, it's likely he'll be relegated to the bullpen -- even if the team chooses to run with a six-man rotation, he'd have to compete with Cody Bradford for the final spot.

King was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

King will head to Round Rock after being called up May 11, having posted a 6.61 ERA and 1.59 WHIP with nine strikeouts over 16.1 big-league innings. With the Rangers acquiring Aroldis Chapman via trade from the Royals, King was the odd man out in the major-league bullpen and will look to earn another call-up later this season.

Chapman was traded to the Rangers in exchange for left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans and minor-league outfielder Roni Cabrera on Friday.

Chapman will head to Texas after he posted a 2.45 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with 53 strikeouts, eight holds and two saves over 29.1 innings in 31 outings with the Royals this season. He'll join a bullpen with an established closer in left-hander Will Smith and will likely operate in a set-up role with the Rangers. Now that he's seemingly rounded back into form in 2023, Chapman will serve as a significant piece for a Texas team that's in first place in the AL West.

Green (elbow) is scheduled to throw another round of live batting practice Saturday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Now more than 12 months removed from Tommy John surgery, Green would appear to be close to embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment and might be able to make his Blue Jays debut before the end of July. The 32-year-old reliever signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with Toronto in January.

Oakland activated Snead (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Friday.

Finally recovered from the shoulder strain he suffered back at the beginning of spring training, Snead will join the Athletics' bullpen ahead of Friday night's series opener against the White Sox. He allowed seven earned runs over seven innings on a not-so-encouraging minor-league rehab assignment, but the A's badly need fresh relief arms.

Tate (forearm/elbow) is getting a second opinion Friday on his right elbow, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Tate was able to restart a minor-league rehab assignment earlier this month, but he's hit yet another snag in his recovery from ongoing elbow and forearm issues. The 29-year-old has not appeared in a major-league game this season and has no projectable timeline for his 2023 debut.

Mederos will be called up by the Angels prior to Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Francys Romero of MLB.com reports.

The 22-year-old right-hander has just a 5.98 ERA in 12 starts this season with Double-A Rocket City, although it's worth noting that he's used the pre-tacked balls many pitchers in the Southern League have had issues with, and Mederos has fanned 71 over 55.2 innings for the Trash Pandas. It's not clear at this point whether the plan is to use him as a reliever or starter. He'll be making his major-league debut when he gets into a game.

Garcia was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Garcia has made three appearances in the majors this season, yielding five runs over three innings. The 29-year-old will give the Athletics a fresh arm after the team's pitching staff allowed double-digit runs in back-to-back games and needed 8.2 total innings from the bullpen.

The Royals optioned McArthur to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

McArthur made his MLB debut Wednesday, surrendering seven runs on six hits and a walk over just one inning. He'll now return to the minors to make room for Alec Marsh, who will be filling in as the Royals' starter Friday in place of Jordan Lyles (illness).

Kelly was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

Kelly has been up with the Guardians a couple times this season but has yet to make an appearance. He's clearing out to make room for the return of Friday's starter, Cal Quantrill.