MLB Player News

Kansas City transferred Yarbrough (head) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Yarbrough was placed on the IL on May 8 after he was diagnosed with multiple fractures upon being hit in the head by a line drive in his start against Oakland a day prior. Kansas City won't look to rush him back from the serious injury, as Yarbrough will now miss at least two months after being moved to the 60-day IL. The southpaw's removal from the 40-man roster opens up a spot for right-hander Mike Mayers, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Omaha prior to Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Kansas City selected Mayers' contract from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Mayers will join the 26-man active roster as the replacement for Amir Garrett, who was placed on the family medical emergency list Wednesday. Signed to a minor-league contract in December, Mayers has registered a 6.88 ERA over 34 innings with a 1.68 WHIP in eight appearances for Omaha. He had been working in a starting role for Omaha and made his last appearance May 10, so Mayers should be available as a bulk-relief option Wednesday in San Diego behind opener Carlos Hernandez, who is unlikely to work more than two or three innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Smith struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his eight save of the season in a 7-4 win over Atlanta.

It didn't look like the veteran lefty would be needed in this one until Jonathan Hernandez served up two homers in the eighth, shrinking a 6-1 Rangers lead. Smith is 8-for-9 in converting save chances this season with a 2.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB through 15.1 innings, and his reunion with manager Bruce Bochy has been a resounding success so far -- Smith saved 48 games for Bochy's Giants in 2018-19.

Pivetta (3-3) picked up the win in Tuesday's 9-4 victory over the Mariners, giving up four runs on six hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.

It wasn't pretty, but Pivetta pitched just well enough to benefit from the run support Boston's hitters provided. The right-hander threw only 58 of 98 pitches for strikes before exiting, and he's issued multiple free passes in six of his eight starts this season while serving up at least one homer in seven of them. That dangerous combination has led to a 6.30 ERA and 1.55 WHIP through 40 innings, and he'll be a volatile fantasy option in his next outing, likely to come on the road early next week against the Angels.

Peralta walked one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his third save of the season in a 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.

The Yankees' bullpen got taxed early when Domingo German was ejected ahead of the fourth inning, but Clay Holmes was still saved for the eighth inning and Peralta for the ninth. Michael King, who had thrown 1.1 inning Monday, wasn't used. Peralta has now picked up a save in each of his last three appearances, and at least for now he appears to be manager Aaron Boone's preferred closing option. Holmes has a 10:1 K:BB over the course of a six-game scoreless streak, however, so it may not take much of a stumble from Peralta to drop him back into a setup role.

Beeks pitched two scoreless innings in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Mets while serving as the Rays' opening pitcher. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

Beeks cruised through the opening two frames on 26 pitches while allowing just an infield single to Francisco Lindor. He and Yonny Chirinos have worked as a tandem on two straight occasions now, and manager Kevin Cash may continue to roll with the pairing at least until Tyler Glasnow (oblique) is ready to return to the rotation. Beeks now has four consecutive scoreless outings and has pitched more than an inning in four of his six appearances in May. He sits at a 4.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 18:10 K:BB over 22 innings.

Pruitt (1-1) earned the win in Tuesday's 9-8 victory over the Diamondbacks. He allowed one walk while striking out one over three scoreless innings.

Pruitt picked up his first win of the season in a nail-biting extra-innings victory over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, stretching out to three innings after having not gone deeper than 1.2 innings this season. He was incredibly effective in high-leverage situations, taking over in the 10th inning and allowing no baserunners outside of intentionally walking Corbin Carroll in the 11th. Since being called up from Triple-A in early May, Pruitt owns a 4.00 ERA with six strikeouts over nine innings (seven appearances) but could be in line for more work after Tuesday's impressive outing.

Hernandez will start Wednesday's game versus the Padres, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The specifics of the Royals' pitching plan were not revealed, but Hernandez last pitched Saturday, so he's unlikely to be available for more than three innings. He's been a full-time reliever this season after coming up through the minors as a starter. Hernandez owns a 4.50 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 24:8 K:BB over 20 innings across 18 relief outings in 2023. With Daniel Lynch (shoulder) a possibility to return next week, Hernandez is unlikely to get more than one turn as a starter.

Barlow struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Padres.

Barlow's pitched 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings, and he hasn't allowed a baserunner in his last three outings. Saves remain hard to come by -- he hadn't converted one since April 29, though the Royals hadn't produced a save opportunity in that span. The right-hander's recent work should keep him in place as the primary closer. He's bounced back from a rough start to the year to get his ERA down to 3.86 with a 1.22 WHIP, 23:8 K:BB and five saves in 16 appearances (16.1 innings) this season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters after Tuesday's win over the Blue Jays that Hamilton (groin) will head back to New York to be evaluated, but he's likely to miss extended time, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

"I think he's going to be down for a little bit," Boone said in regard to Hamilton. After Domingo German was ejected from Tuesday's start against Toronto, Hamilton went two-thirds of an inning before leaving with tightness in his groin. There's a very good chance the right-hander will be placed on the injured list before Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, and at the very least he appears to be unavailable for that contest.