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Michael King SP | SD
Yankees' Michael King: Starting Friday
King will start Friday's game against the Red Sox, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.
He has a 2.86 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 22 innings this season. King logged 2.1 innings in his most recent outing May 30 in Detroit and hasn't pitched more than three innings in a game since he logged six innings April 4.
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Josh Staumont RP | CIN
Royals' Josh Staumont: Throwing Thursday
Staumont (knee) threw live batting practice Thursday and has been tracking well since landing on the shelf, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Manager Mike Matheny said this throwing session will provide a good indication of where Staumont is in his recovery. He was sidelined in late May by a knee sprain and is eligible to return Sunday at the earliest.
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Caleb Thielbar RP | CHC
Twins' Caleb Thielbar: Bound for IL
The Twins will place Thielbar (groin) on the 10-day injured list prior to Thursday's game against the Royals, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Minnesota will call up Shaun Anderson to fill the opening on the 26-man active roster and in the bullpen after Thielbar suffered a strained left groin during his relief appearance Wednesday in Baltimore. Thielbar has been a key part of the bridge to closers Hansel Robles and Taylor Rogers this season, accruing a 4.29 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 31 strikeouts and five holds over 20 appearances.
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Thad Ward RP | WAS
Red Sox's Thaddeus Ward: Undergoes Tommy John surgery
Ward underwent Tommy John surgery Thursday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Ward is one of the Red Sox's more interesting prospects, as he cruised to a 2.14 ERA and a 29.9 percent strikeout rate in 25 starts at the Low-A and High-A levels in 2019 before losing all of last season due to the canceled minor-league schedule. He made just two starts this year before being shut down with what was originally called a forearm strain. A typical recovery timeline would sideline him until late in the 2022 campaign at the earliest, and there's a chance he doesn't throw his next competitive pitch until 2023.
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Collin McHugh RP | ATL
Rays' Collin McHugh: Thriving in multiple roles
McHugh, who fired two scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and a walk while recording five strikeouts in a loss to the Yankees on Wednesday, has an 0.69 ERA and 15.9 K/9 across the 13 innings covering his last nine appearances.
A conventional starter for most of his career, McHugh has mostly shifted to an opener/long-relief role with considerable success during his first season in Tampa Bay. The veteran right-hander has coaxed his ERA from an unsightly 10.13 to 3.44 during his aforementioned stretch of dominance and has displayed considerable versatility in terms of the different roles he's been able to take on effectively.
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Ryne Stanek RP | STL
Astros' Ryne Stanek: Grabs fifth hold
Stanek fired a perfect eighth inning to earn a hold in Wednesday's win over the Rockies.
Stanek retired the heart of the Red Sox's lineup in order to keep the three-run lead intact. The 29-year-old has a 3.24 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 25 innings. Besides a single outing in which he allowed four runs, he has a 1.82 ERA and 33:14 K:BB with five holds and one save this season.
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Sean Manaea SP | NYM
Athletics' Sean Manaea: Tosses second shutout of campaign
Manaea (4-2) earned the win over Seattle on Wednesday, hurling nine scoreless frames while allowing four hits and two walks. He struck out eight.
This was technically Manaea's second shutout of the season -- he tossed seven scoreless innings in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Twins in April. The southpaw was sharp Wednesday, inducing 19 swinging strikes and holding the Mariners without an extra-base hit. Over his past three starts, Manaea has allowed only two runs in 20.2 frames while posting a 22:7 K:BB. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which is lined up to come at home against Arizona next week.
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Shawn Armstrong RP | CLE
Orioles' Shawn Armstrong: Sloppy in first hold
Armstrong allowed two runs on two hits and struck out three in 1.1 innings to earn a hold in Wednesday's 6-3 win over Minnesota.
Armstrong got through the seventh inning with little trouble, but he struggled early in the eighth. A Ryan Jeffers triple put a run on Armstrong's line, and Paul Fry allowed an inherited runner to score on a sacrifice fly. With an 8.55 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 22:10 K:BB in 20 innings, Armstrong continues to see mainly low-leverage work. His hold Wednesday was his first of the year, and he's also been charged with a blown save.
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Ryan Pressly RP | CHC
Astros' Ryan Pressly: Notches eighth save
Pressly fired a scoreless ninth inning, allowing two hits while striking out one to earn the save in the win over the Red Sox on Wednesday.
After blowing his first save of the season in his previous outing, Pressly came back Wednesday to record his eight of the campaign. It wasn't perfect, though, with Pressly allowing the tying run to get in scoring position. The 32-year-old has a 2.25 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP with 25 punchouts in 24 innings. He has also done a great job limiting walks, as evidenced by his 1.5 BB/9.
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Nick Pivetta SP | SD
Red Sox's Nick Pivetta: Takes first loss Wednesday
Pivetta (6-1) allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out nine across six innings, taking the loss Wednesday against the Astros.
Pivetta delivered his fourth quality start but took his first loss of the season. The Red Sox offense provided just a single run in support of Pivetta. The 28-year-old leads Boston with six wins and has a 3.77 ERA. He has struck out nine batters in each of his last two starts and carries a 10.3 K/9. He'll look to get back in the win column Monday against the Marlins.