MLB Player News

Barlow walked one and struck out one in one inning to earn the save in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Tigers.

Barlow has had a messy June, allowing seven runs (five earned) in six innings while converting just three of five save chances. This was one of his less dramatic efforts lately, but he's kept runners off base in only one of his last six outings. The right-hander is 12-for-14 in save conversions overall while adding a 3.09 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB across 23.1 innings.

Lawrence is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Lawrence was slated to start for the Triple-A club Friday, but he'll instead provide length out of the Blue Jays' bullpen since the team used several relievers during Thursday's blowout loss to the Orioles. The 34-year-old made two relief appearances for Toronto in early May and allowed just one run in 3.1 innings.

Jimenez allowed a hit and no walks while failing to strike out a batter in 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Thursday's win over the Red Sox.

Jimenez blew a save Friday and pitched in a non-save situation Saturday, though he was called upon to preserve Oakland's one-run lead during Thursday's matchup. The right-hander has posted a 16.50 ERA and 2.33 WHIP in six innings over his last seven outings, but he converted his first save since May 25 during versus Boston. In spite of his recent struggles, Jimenez still appears to be the favorite for closing duties in the Athletics' bullpen.

Leclerc (elbow) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Leclerc missed most of the 2020 season due to a shoulder issue and was also sidelined for the entirety of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery last March. However, the right-hander began a rehab assignment in late May and posted a 5.00 ERA, 11:5 K:BB and 1.56 WHIP in nine innings over nine appearances between the Rangers' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. Leclerc earned double-digit saves in 2018 and 2019, but he may not be in the mix for closing duties right away since Joe Barlow has been effective in a ninth-inning role this year. However, it's possible Leclerc works his way back into a setup role now that he's fully healthy.

Martin (COVID-19) was activated ahead of Thursday's game against the Tigers, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

He last pitched June 5, so Martin's arm should be pretty fresh. The southpaw has a 4.34 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 18.2 innings this season.

The Yankees selected Weber's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

He'll be joining the 40-man and 26-man rosters as a replacement for Luis Severino, who was scratched ahead of his scheduled start Thursday against the Rays and placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. Clarke Schmidt is getting the spot start in Severino's stead, but because he hasn't worked more than 3.1 innings in any of his appearances in the majors or minors this season, he may not be able to work deep into the outing. With that in mind, Weber -- who covered 4.2 innings in his most recent outing for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 9 -- could end up serving as a primary pitcher behind Schmidt.

Baumann was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Baumann made the Orioles' Opening Day bullpen but has spent much of the season in the minors, posting a 4.91 ERA and 8:6 K:BB in 11 innings at the highest level. He's remained a reliever in the minors, where he's struggled to a 7.71 ERA across 16.1 frames. That suggests he could continue to pitch out of the pen going forward even though it's starter Bruce Zimmermann who he'll be replacing on the active roster.

The Orioles optioned Zimmermann to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Zimmermann's demotion comes after he was once again lit up in his most recent start Wednesday against the Blue Jays, who tagged him for six runs on 11 hits over 4.2 innings to bring his ERA and WHIP to 5.94 and 1.47, respectively, for the season. The southpaw served up three long balls in the loss and has given up an MLB-high 18 on the campaign. Mike Baumann was called up from Triple-A to fill Zimmermann's spot on the 26-man active roster, but the Orioles haven't announced which pitcher will replace the lefty in the rotation.

Peralta earned a hold against the Rays on Wednesday, striking out three batters over 1.2 perfect innings.

Peralta relieved starter Nestor Cortes with a pair of runners on base and one out in the sixth inning. He kept Tampa Bay off the scoreboard by retiring two straight batters and followed with a perfect seventh frame that included two strikeouts. Peralta has thrown eight scoreless innings over his past seven appearances and has been outstanding overall this season, posting a 1.50 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB over 24 frames while recording six holds and one save.

The Guardians optioned Pilkington to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Aaron Civale (thigh) completed his second minor-league rehab start Wednesday and looks like he'll be ready to return from the 15-day injured list next week when a fifth starter is needed, so Pilkington was on track to lose his spot in the rotation before being demoted. Pilkington made four starts during his latest stint with the Guardians, submitting a 1-0 record, 4.42 ERA and 1.80 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB in 18.1 innings. He could rejoin the big club before the end of the month, as the Guardians will have a need for a temporary sixth starter due to a June 28 doubleheader with the Twins.