MLB Player News

Alexander won't make a star during the Tigers' weekend series with the Rays and isn't expected to rejoin the rotation until next week, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Detroit is listing Matthew Boyd, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal as its starters for the series with Tampa Bay, with all three pitchers returning to the mound on five days' rest. The Tigers' decision to skip Alexander's turn in the rotation was foreshadowed by his appearance out of the bullpen in Tuesday's loss to the Pirates, when he tossed a scoreless inning. Alexander should be available in relief for the rest of the week before likely slotting back into the rotation when a fifth starter is next needed Sept. 18 in Tampa Bay.

King (finger) struck out six over three innings in his rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He gave up one earned run on two hits and no walks in the 41-pitch outing.

King's appearance was his third in the minors since the Yankees shut him down shortly before the All-Star break with a right middle finger contusion. Before landing on the IL, King had been splitting time between starting and relief duty. With the Yankees having since added reinforcements to the rotation in the form of Corey Kluber, Nestor Cortes and Luis Gil since the right-hander has been on the shelf, King is likely to return in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen. According to Max Goodman of SI.com, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said King could be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as the end of the week.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Baumann will remain a bulk role out of the bullpen for his next appearance, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The right-hander made his MLB debut Tuesday and piggybacked off starter Alexander Wells, allowing one unearned run on two hits with one walk and one strikeout to pick up the win. It's uncertain when exactly Baumann will retake the mound, but if he sticks on a five-day pitching schedule, he lines up to work Sunday versus the Blue Jays, potentially following Wells again.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he's maintaining hope that Pivetta (illness) may be cleared to return from the COVID-19 injured list to start Saturday's game against the White Sox, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Pivetta was placed on the COVID-19 lL on Sunday and was revealed Tuesday to have tested positive for the virus, despite being fully vaccinated. Because Pivetta is vaccinated, Cora indicated there's a chance the right-hander could return earlier than anticipated, but Pivetta's availability will likely hinge on him exhibiting no symptoms while testing negative for the virus on consecutive occasions. The Red Sox would likely treat Saturday's game as a bullpen day if Pivetta isn't cleared to make the start.

Puk was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Puk was charged with two losses since the beginning of September, and he gave up five runs in 1.1 innings across three appearances since then. He'll attempt to get back on track with the minor-league club, while right-hander Miguel Romero was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

Romero was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Romero began the season in Las Vegas and posted a 6.40 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 71.2 innings across 26 appearances (13 starts). Although he had lackluster results in the minors, he'll be available to make his major-league debut out of Oakland's bullpen after A.J. Puk was sent down Wednesday.

Mayers will start Wednesday's game against the Padres, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Manager Joe Maddon will employ a bullpen game in the series finale at San Diego, and Mayers will be the first reliever to take the mound. He has a 4.16 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 76:20 K:BB across 62.2 innings this season and figures to pitch one or two frames Wednesday.

The Blue Jays placed Kay on the COVID-19-related injured list Wednesday.

Even though Toronto optioned Kay to Triple-A Buffalo in July, his move to the COVID-19 IL will still allow the big club to temporarily remove him from the 40-man roster. The Blue Jays will use the open roster spot to bring back reliever Julian Merryweather (oblique), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Assuming he isn't experiencing severe symptoms of the virus, Kay could have a chance to make it back in action for Buffalo before the end of the season, but he'll face an uphill battle to rejoin the big club's active roster at any point in September.

The Blue Jays optioned Baker to Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

Baker joined Toronto when the roster expanded from 26 to 28 men Sept. 1, but he'll head back to the minors less than a week later after the Blue Jays needed to open up a spot for reliever Julian Merryweather (oblique), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. During his first stint in the big leagues, Baker made one appearance out of the bullpen, striking out a batter in a scoreless inning.

The Blue Jays reinstated Merryweather (oblique) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

He'll rejoin the Toronto bullpen for the first time since mid-April, after he required just under five months to recover from a severe left oblique strain. Before being shut down with the injury, the hard-throwing Merryweather appeared to emerge as the Blue Jays' preferred option for saves, but his lengthy absence means he'll likely have to prove himself in lower-leverage spots before he regains the trust of manager Charlie Montoyo in the late innings. Jordan Romano still looks like the best bet for saves out of the Toronto bullpen.