MLB Player News

Bazardo (lat) has resumed throwing, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Bazardo was shut down for several weeks after he sustained a right lat strain in mid-May, but it's encouraging to see him throwing again. The right-hander will likely need to build back up following his shutdown, so he could be held out of game action until sometime in July.

Yang cleared waivers Saturday and was assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

No team claimed the lefty pitcher after he was designed for assignment Thursday. Despite his struggles, which are highlighted by a 5.59 ERA in 29 innings with a 19:15 K:BB ratio, Yang may find himself back in the Rangers' depth-deprived rotation or bullpen at some point this season.

Diekman went into Saturday's game against the Yankees with holds in each of three consecutive scoreless, one-inning appearances.

The veteran southpaw saw action for the first time in four days Friday night in the series-opening win over the Yankees, sandwiching strikeouts of Clint Frazier and Aaron Judge around a DJ LeMahieu groundout to forge a perfect eighth inning. Diekman was nearly unhittable last season (0.42 ERA, 0.94 WHIP), and even though he's fallen back down to earth some in 2021, his 1.35 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 over the 6.2 innings covering his last seven outings may be an indication he's started to rediscover his form.

King will begin building up to pitch longer outings and possibly start games, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The lefty will appear in relief Saturday and will begin pitching on a more regular schedule afterwards. Texas hopes King, who posted a 2.40 ERA in 19 minor-league starts in 2019, can provide some much-needed rotation depth.

Mejia (1-2) took the loss in Friday's 11-10 defeat at the hands of the Pirates, coughing up six runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

Starting on only three days rest, Mejia certainly didn't look very fresh when Pittsburgh ambushed him for five runs in the first inning. The rookie right-hander was able to steady the ship after that, however, and wound up giving Cleveland his longest outing so far in the majors. Mejia's 6.11 ERA isn't reflected in his 3.67 FIP, and his 1.25 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB through 17.2 innings are solid. Injuries will keep him in the rotation despite this rough outing.

Scott walked one and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn a hold in Friday's 7-1 win over Toronto.

Scott has allowed just three hits and four walks across his last eight innings, and he's struck out 16 in that span. After a shaky start to the year, he's found success in limiting baserunners recently. He has a 2.73 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 39:21 K:BB and 12 holds across 26.1 innings overall. Scott will likely remain in a high-leverage role, although Baltimore's poor performance as a team has limited those opportunities.

Harvey struck out two in a perfect inning to earn a hold in Friday's 7-1 win over Toronto.

The right-hander preserved a one-run lead in the top of the eighth inning before Baltimore rallied for five runs in its half of the frame. The hold was Harvey's first of the season. It remains to be seen if he'll get any save chances, although Baltimore's 23-46 record hasn't presented many closing opportunities. Harvey has pitched well with a 1.35 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 4:1 K:BB across 6.2 innings since he returned from a left oblique strain.

Sborz (3-3) allowed three runs (two earned) on a hit and three walks while striking out two in two-thirds of an inning Friday. He took the extra-inning loss versus Minnesota.

Sborz allowed the initial runner to score on a Luis Arraez triple, then loaded the bases and walked in a run. Demarcus Evans also allowed an inherited runner to score before escaping the jam. Sborz has allowed nine runs (eight earned) in 7.1 innings across his last nine outings. He has a 4.94 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 38:12 K:BB across 27.1 innings overall with a save, two holds and three blown saves.

Robles (3-3) struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the extra-inning win Friday versus Texas.

Robles pitched the ninth inning of a tied game and kept it that way. Minnesota's offense rallied for the lead in the 10th to make him the pitcher of record when Tyler Duffey locked down the save. Robles has a 2.93 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 32:19 K:BB across 30.2 innings this year. He's collected five saves, 11 holds and two blown saves while sharing closing duties with Taylor Rogers, who logged a perfect eighth inning Friday.

Duffey allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out one in one inning to earn the save in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning win over Texas.

With Taylor Rogers and Hansel Robles both logging perfect innings earlier in the contest, Duffey was called on to lock down a save in the bottom of the 10th. He allowed an RBI single to Joey Gallo, but the right-hander was otherwise effective in his second save of the year. He's pitched to a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 24:13 K:BB in 26 innings this season. Duffey has also picked up eight holds in 28 outings, often serving as a setup option.