MLB Player News

Vespi (3-0) allowed a hit and struck out four over 1.2 innings to earn the win Monday against the Rays.

Vespi was called up as a fresh reliever after Rico Garcia was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday. With starter Austin Voth lasting only three innings, Vespi was able to provide solid pitching as one of five Orioles relievers to keep runs off the board. The southpaw has had only one awful outing -- a six-run disaster in Seattle in late June. That makes his 4.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP a little deceiving, as he's given up just two runs over 14.2 innings in his other 12 appearances. Vespi is still likely to be a middle reliever during his stay in the big leagues.

The Royals plan to recall Zerpa from Triple-A Omaha to start Tuesday's game against the Angels, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Zerpa will be rejoining the big club just a week and a half after he stepped in to make a spot start in Toronto while Kansas City was without two rotation options in Brad Keller and Brady Singer during its four-game series with the Blue Jays. This time around, Zerpa will be filling in as the Royals' No. 5 starter while both Daniel Lynch (hand) and Jonathan Heasley (shoulder) are on the injured list. Heasley made a rehab start over the weekend while Lynch is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, so Zerpa may not stick around in the rotation beyond this week. Over his three career big-league outings (two starts), Zerpa has given up three runs (one earned) on eight hits and three walks while striking out six over 12 innings.

The Guardians optioned Pilkington to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.

The left-hander was sent back to the minors after he served as the 27th man in Saturday's doubleheader with the White Sox. He drew his ninth start of the season with the big club in the second game of the twin bill, taking a no-decision while striking out three over five innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks. Though Pilkington will head to the minors for the time being, he could be called up in short order, as the Guardians have yet to settle on a permanent fifth starter while Aaron Civale (wrist) is on the 15-day injured list.

Guardians manager Terry Francona said Shaw will serve as the team's opening pitcher in Tuesday's game against the Red Sox, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The 34-year-old will be making his first big-league "start" after coming out of the bullpen for the first 732 appearances of his career. Since he hasn't tossed more than two innings at any point in 2022, Shaw is unlikely to make it even once through the order before Francona turns the game over to the bullpen. Meisel posits that Kirk McCarty will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to serve as a primary pitcher behind Shaw.

Voth didn't factor into the decision in Monday's 5-1 win over the Rays, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over three innings. He struck out two.

The right-hander tossed an inefficient 70 pitches (39 strikes) before exiting, and Voth wasn't able to stick around long enough to take advantage of the Orioles' offensive eruption in the fifth inning. The 30-year-old has made five starts among his last six appearances, but only once in that time has he even lasted five innings, giving him little fantasy utility despite a passable 3.48 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 18:8 K:BB through 20.2 innings over that stretch.

King isn't believed to be dealing with any major UCL damage to his fractured right elbow, making it likely that he'll avoid Tommy John surgery, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

King is still expected to require a procedure to address the fracture, but a recovery timeline for that surgery would put him on track to be available to pitch at some point in 2023, if not the start of spring training. The 27-year-old, who is expected to go under the knife later this week or in early August, concludes the 2022 campaign with a 2.29 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 66:16 K:BB in 51 innings to go with one save and 16 holds.

Leclerc walked one and struck out three over a scoreless ninth inning in Monday's 4-3 loss to Seattle.

This was the fifth consecutive appearance in the eighth inning or later for Leclerc, and the first time the right-hander has thrown back-to-back days since coming back from Tommy John surgery. Leclerc has fanned 16 and walked eight over 16.1 innings since his return, which largely mirrors his results pre-surgery.

Trivino earned a save against the Astros on Monday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out one batter over one inning.

Trivino entered in the ninth inning with Oakland holding a three-run lead, and he gave up a one-out solo homer to Chas McCormick. Things continued to get dicey from there, as two of the next three batters singled to put the tying run on base. However, the right-hander struck out Jeremy Pena to end the game and notch his ninth save. Trivino hasn't exactly been a pillar of consistency -- he allowed five earned runs over his past 5.2 innings -- but with seven saves in eight chances since June 25, he has been able to hold down the closer's role for the Athletics.

Oller (1-3) earned the victory over Houston on Monday, pitching five-plus innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters.

Oller gave up a run in the first inning on a solo homer by Jeremy Pena, but he settled down and held Houston scoreless in the following three frames. The Astros added another run against him in the fifth and put the first two runners on base against him in the sixth, at which point Oller was pulled. Though those two runners eventually came around to score, the right-hander got enough support from his offense to end up with the first win of his major-league career. Oller's ERA still sits at an unappealing 8.07 on the campaign, and it's unclear if his so-so start Monday will enable him to keep his tenuous spot in the rotation.

Karinchak struck out four in 1.2 perfect innings during Monday's 3-1 loss to the Red Sox.

Karinchak gave up three runs in his first two innings this season, but he's since settled down with 6.2 consecutive scoreless frames. Overall, he's pitched to a 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB in 8.2 innings, though he's pitched in a low-leverage role. The dominance of Emmanuel Clase essentially rules out any chance of closing duties, but continued success could earn Karinchak more of a look as a setup man later in the year.