MLB Player News

Brash (2-2) got the win against the Cardinals on Saturday, firing a scoreless seventh inning during which he hit a batter and struck out the side.

Brash's occasional control issues surfaced when he plunked Alec Burleson during what would have otherwise been a perfect inning. Beyond that blip, the right-hander was stellar while picking up his second win, notably erasing the trio of Lars Nootbaar, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado on swinging strikeouts. The clean frame marked Brash's fourth scoreless effort in his last five trips to the mound and came in the wake of an ugly one-inning appearance against the Brewers on Wednesday when he allowed three earned runs.

Vest tossed two scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts in Saturday's loss to the Orioles.

Vest was recalled from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day and immediately looked comfortable in the MLB bullpen. The righty posted a 4.00 ERA with a 63:22 K:BB over 63 innings last season for the Tigers, so it was a bit of a surprise that he didn't make the Opening Day roster despite some struggles in spring training. He could stick around now, however, with Detroit lacking in established bullpen options.

Tate (forearm) said Sunday that he'll need to make 5-to-6 minor-league rehab appearances before he's able to return from the 15-day injured list, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Tate is set to begin his rehab assignment Tuesday with Single-A Aberdeen. In addition to making five or six appearances before being activated, Tate added that he'll need to pitch on consecutive days for the Orioles to feel comfortable about his availability out of the big-league bullpen. He should have a chance to return from the IL in early May if he experiences no setbacks in his recovery from a right flexor strain.

Sborz allowed one run on one hit and struck out four over two innings in Saturday's 18-3 win over the Athletics.

He was also part of a rarity, getting an at-bat against a position player -- he struck out looking against Oakland third baseman Jace Peterson. If it's a blowout, Sborz is likely to make an appearance. He entered Saturday with Texas leading by 14. Since coming off the injured list April 14, the right-hander has made four appearances, all in mop-up situations with the Rangers winning or losing by a significant margin.

The Twins optioned Woods Richardson to Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

After starter Kenta Maeda lasted just two innings in Friday's 3-2 loss to Washington in the series opener while battling an ankle injury, the Twins summoned Woods Richardson from Triple-A on Saturday to give a fresh arm to an overtaxed bullpen. The 22-year-old right-hander ended up serving as an innings eater in relief in the Twins' 10-4 loss Saturday, covering 4.2 frames and striking out five but giving up five earned runs on seven hits and three walks. Woods Richardson will head back to St. Paul a day later with the Twins needing to open up a roster spot for Sunday's starter, Bailey Ober, who was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Fujinami (0-4) took the loss Saturday, allowing eight runs on seven hits and three walks over 2.1 innings against Texas. He struck out two.

Fujinami has gotten off to a brutal start this season, posting a 14.40 ERA and 2.07 WHIP over four appearances. The rookie has plenty of time to right the ship, but he cannot be trusted in fantasy until he strings together some quality starts. The right-hander is tentatively slated to face the Angels on the road in his next appearance.

Cuas (1-0) allowed two runs on two hits and struck out two over one inning but earned the win Saturday over the Angels.

Cuas surrendered a two-run home run to Matt Thaiss in the eighth inning that put the Royals behind 8-6. They rallied for five runs in the ninth, and that allowed Cuas to back into the win. The right-hander has been far from steady so far -- he's been scored on in six of his nine outings while yielding three home runs in 9.1 innings. He has a 6.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB. With Scott Barlow and Aroldis Chapman seeing the bulk of the high-leverage work, Cuas is likely to remain a middle reliever.

Sewald earned a save against the Cardinals on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out two batters.

Sewald entered in the top of the ninth inning with Seattle up by two runs. He gave up a one-out homer to Tommy Edman but retired the other three batters he faced, including two by strikeout. The save was Sewald's second in as many days, and he's a perfect 6-for-6 in save chances on the campaign. Among MLB hurlers, only David Bednar, Jordan Romano and Josh Hader have more saves than Sewald at this point in the campaign.

Quijada (0-1) blew the save and took the loss against the Royals on Saturday, allowing five runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning.

Quijada had been great this season coming into Saturday, holding opponents scoreless and notching four saves while posting an 8:1 BB:K over eight innings. However, he couldn't seal the deal in the ninth inning against Kansas City, allowing six of the eight batters he faced to reach base. The southpaw plunked two hitters and walked another two while throwing just 15 of 27 pitches for strikes, so he clearly didn't have his stuff working for him. Despite the poor outing, Quijada's strong start to the campaign should allow him to remain in contention for save chances alongside Carlos Estevez for the Angels.

Barlow earned the save against the Angels on Saturday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning.

Aroldis Chapman hasn't been scored upon this season, leading many to assume that he would take over as Kansas City's closer, but the left-hander was used in the seventh inning of a tie game Saturday. Meanwhile, after the Royals scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead, Barlow was called upon to close things out, and he did so with a pair of punchouts while retiring the side in order on 12 pitches. Barlow has been very shaky this season while Chapman has been outstanding, but the former appears to still have traction as the Royals' closer given the relievers' usage Saturday.