MLB Player News

Howard will serve as the primary pitcher behind opener Garrett Richards during Friday's game against Atlanta, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Howard worked behind an opener while returning from a finger injury Sunday against the Athletics, and he allowed two runs on two hits and no walks while striking out four across two innings to take the loss. He'll presumably attempt to increase his pitch count after tossing 39 pitches during his last outing.

Marinaccio was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

Marinaccio tossed 2.1 scoreless innings during his first two appearances of the season, but he allowed five runs in 1.2 innings over his last two outings. The right-hander posted a 2.03 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 66.1 minor-league relief innings last year and will attempt to turn things around at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Giles (finger) has been cleared to resume throwing Thursday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Giles sustained a tendon injury in his right middle finger in early April and has been on the injured list all season. Although it's encouraging that he's throwing again, the right-hander will need time to rebuild his arm strength following the lengthy shutdown. A better idea of his return timetable should come into focus once he's able to ramp up his throwing program.

Snead recorded his fourth hold in a win over the Giants on Wednesday, firing a scoreless one-third of an inning.

The southpaw was brought on to face Brandon Belt in a same-handed matchup with Austin Slater on second base and two out. Snead induced an inning-ending flyout from Belt in a five-pitch at-bat, making it a short but effective night for the 27-year-old. After allowing two earned runs to the Phillies in his first appearance of the season, Snead has now generated six consecutive scoreless efforts.

Sborz (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.

Sborz has been on the 10-day IL with right elbow soreness since April 16, but he'll now start the final portion of his rehab process. Since the right-hander pitches out of the bullpen, he's unlikely to require a lengthy stint in the minors prior to rejoining the Rangers.

Ramirez was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Ramirez made the Mariners' Opening Day roster this year and posted a 7.56 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 8.1 innings over seven relief appearances. The right-hander will attempt to sort things out in the minors, while Wyatt Mills and Penn Murfee were called up to provide additional bullpen depth.

Mills was recalled by the Mariners on Thursday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Mills began the season at Triple-A Tacoma and logged a 1.94 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 9.1 innings during six relief appearances. In spite of his minor-league success early in the year, he's likely to be utilized mainly as a low-leverage reliever after he posted a 9.95 ERA and 2.05 WHIP in 12.2 major-league innings last season.

Murfee's contract was selected by the Mariners on Thursday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Murfee was returned to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, but he'll rejoin the major-league club a day later after Yohan Ramirez and Cal Raleigh were sent down. Murfee didn't appear out of the bullpen during his recent six-day stint with Seattle but will have the opportunity to make his major-league debut at some point now that he's back with the Mariners.

Francis didn't allow a run over two-thirds of an inning during Wednesday's 7-1 loss to the Red Sox. He struck out one and didn't record a walk.

Francis was called up by the Blue Jays on Monday and made his MLB debut Wednesday. He entered the game with runners on first and third and immediately gave up an RBI double, though the run was charged to Andrew Vasquez. However, Francis bounced back against the subsequent hitter, Enrique Hernandez, and recorded his first MLB strikeout and finished the outing by inducing an inning-ending groundout.

Vasquez allowed two runs on two hits across one-third of an inning during Wednesday's 7-1 loss to the Red Sox.

With Ryan Borucki (finger) on the 10-day injured list, Vasquez was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo before Wednesday's contest. The lefty had a rough start to his 2022 campaign, allowing three of the four hitters he faced to reach base. Vasquez has made just four appearances since 2018.