MLB Player News

Kowar will be available to pitch in relief Friday against the Red Sox, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Kowar originally lined up to start the series opener, but the Royals are opting to utilize Kyle Zimmer as an opener in place of the struggling rookie. The Royals have not directly said that Kowar will serve as the bulk man out of the bullpen Friday, but he figures to be an option to provide length following Zimmer's presumed early exit.

Bolanos (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday.

Bolanos hit the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right flexor strain. The issue is evidently serious enough to keep him out for at least two months, ruling him out until mid-August. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for the Royals to select Anthony Swarzak's contract.

Kowar will not start Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Kowar was in line to take the ball for Friday's series opener, but it will be Kyle Zimmer toeing the rubber instead. Kowar struggled mightily in his first two starts, allowing a total of eight earned runs on eight hits and five walks while failing to work past the second inning in either outing. The plan going forward isn't entirely clear for the right-hander, but assuming he isn't sent down prior the game, he could be an option to provide length out of the bullpen Friday.

Zimmermann was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with left biceps tendinitis. The move is retroactive to June 15.

The left-hander was scheduled to start Friday's game versus the Blue Jays but now finds himself sidelined with a biceps injury. It's a tough break for Zimmermann, who pitched well over his past four starts with a 3.43 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB across 21 innings. It's unclear how long he's expected to be sidelined. Tom Eshelman had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk and will start in his place for the Orioles.

Miller was designated for assignment by the Rangers on Friday.

Miller was DFA'd by the Cubs on May 30 before being claimed off waivers by the Rangers and optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on June 4. With Texas claiming Shaun Anderson from the Twins on Friday, Miller once again found himself as the odd man out on a 40-man roster. The right-hander has little major-league experience, appearing in two games (one start) for the Cubs in 2020.

Fairbanks (1-2) was tagged with the loss and a blown save Thursday against the Mariners, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk across one-third of an inning.

Fairbanks entered the game with a one-run lead but couldn't close things out, and he was tagged with his first blown save of the season as a result. This was a woeful outing for the right-hander, and it ended a streak of 12 straight scoreless appearances (10.2 innings).

Santiago (1-1) earned the win Thursday against the Rays after tossing a scoreless inning, striking out all three batters he faced.

Santiago looked absolutely dominant as he struck out the side, needing 17 pitches to get the job done (11 strikes). The southpaw has made just seven appearances on the season and while he was hit hard in his debut, he's now recorded five straight scoreless outings.

Iglesias picked up the save Thursday against the Tigers, giving up one run on two hits and a walk while fanning two across two innings. He also tossed a wild pitch.

Iglesias fetched his second straight save and while his command wasn't entirely sharp, he still got the job done. The right-hander has allowed runs in each of his last three appearances but has the closer role completely locked down, as he has gone 12-for-15 in save chances throughout the year.

Mejia is scheduled to start Friday's game against the Pirates, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Mejia will be returning to the hill on three days' rest after he tossed four innings (55 pitches) while not factoring into the decision in his start during Monday's 4-3 win over the Orioles. Expect Cleveland to once again restrict Mejia's workload; he has been held under 60 pitches in each of his three starts to date.

The Mariners plan to select Nittoli's contract from Triple-A Tacoma ahead of Friday's game against the Rays, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

A 25th-round pick of the Mariners in 2014, Nittoli will get his first call-up to the majors at age 30 after bouncing around between affiliated ball, the Mexican League and the independent ranks over his eight years in the professional ranks. After re-signing with Seattle on a minor-league deal this winter, the right-hander was a revelation at Tacoma, posting a 3.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and a 26:5 K:BB in 18 innings across his 11 outings (four starts). He'll give the Mariners a fresh arm capable of covering multiple innings out of the bullpen after Seattle used five relievers over the final seven frames of Thursday's series-opening win following starter Justin Dunn's (shoulder) early exit.