MLB Player News

Bazardo (lat) is receiving treatment and will undergo more testing to determine the extent of his injury, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Bazardo has been diagnosed with a right lat strain after he left his appearance for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. A better idea of his return timetable could come into focus once the results of his tests are known.

MLB suspended Duffey three games and handed him an undisclosed fine for intentionally throwing at the White Sox's Yermin Mercedes in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 5-4 win, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. Duffey is appealing the suspension.

Duffey's three-game ban comes after he attempted to get revenge on Mercedes for swinging away (and hitting a home run) on a 3-0 pitch in the ninth inning of a 15-4 game one day earlier. Though Duffey's pitch didn't hit Mercedes, the intent was obvious enough for MLB to levy punishment. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was also handed a one-game suspension, which he will serve in the second half of Minnesota's doubleheader with the Angels on Thursday. Expect Duffey's appeal to be heard in the next few days before an announcement is made regarding whether the three-game ban is upheld or reduced.

Quijada was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Quijada was recalled by the Angels on Tuesday, but he'll now return to the minors after he struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings Wednesday. The southpaw could be available as a low-leverage reliever later in the season.

Manager Dusty Baker said Thursday that Taylor (ankle) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment "in the next couple days," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Taylor was carted off the field in mid-April due to a severely sprained right ankle and has now been sidelined for over a month. However, the left-hander appears to be nearing his return to the major-league bullpen. Taylor is unlikely to need much time to build up once he begins his rehab assignment.

Yang is expected to get at least one more turn in the Rangers' rotation, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Yang was very much an afterthought heading into the season, as he failed to make the Rangers' Opening Day roster after signing a minor-league contract coming off a down season in Korea. After holding the Yankees to just two runs in 5.1 innings Wednesday, though, he now owns a 3.38 ERA through 21.1 major-league innings. There's been a fair portion of good luck involved, as seen in his .220 BABIP and 81.7 percent strand rate, so it's likely his ERA will rise significantly going forward. Both his 17.4 percent strikeout rate and his 10.5 percent walk rate are worse than league average, but the standards for being one of the Rangers' top five starters aren't particularly high, so there's a chance he sticks around as a fifth starter.

Tate (hamstring) will resume throwing off a mound in the next few days, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Tate has been on the injured list with a left hamstring strain since May 9, but he'll take a step in his recovery process when he's able to throw off the mound. The right-hander will need to face hitters before he's cleared to return to game action, but he appears to be trending in the right direction.

Barlow (2-1) allowed one walk and struck out two batters without allowing a run in two-thirds of an inning to earn the win Wednesday versus Milwaukee.

Barlow notched the last two outs of the seventh inning and became the pitcher of record when Kansas City pulled ahead in the bottom of the seventh. The right-hander has found a decent amount of success in a high-leverage role with a 2.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB across 22.2 innings. While he hasn't been the primary closer, he's logged one save, seven holds and a blown save in 21 appearances.

Clase allowed one hit but pitched a scoreless eighth and secured his second hold of the year in a 3-2 win over the Angels on Wednesday.

Clase was brought in for the hold in the eighth with manager Terry Francona opting to go with James Karinchak in the ninth for a second straight game. The 23-year-old Clase still leads the team with seven saves on the year but Karinchak's recent usage in the closer role suggests Francona may be leaning towards a timeshare. Clase is in the midst of an excellent season, as he owns a 0.95 ERA and a 19:9 K:BB over 19 innings.

Karinchak earned his fifth save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Angels on Wednesday after throwing a hitless ninth while walking a batter and striking out two.

Karinchak was able to record two quick outs before walking Justin Upton, but he struck out Jose Rojas to end the game. Cleveland's closer situation is something worth paying attention to, as Emmanuel Clase still leads the team with seven saves and has been very good for a majority of the season but Karinchak has now tallied back-to-back saves.

Yang (0-1) allowed two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out two over 5.1 innings as he was charged with a loss against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Yang held the Yankees scoreless for the first five innings largely due to three double-play balls that got him out of potential trouble. The 33-year-old couldn't make it out of the sixth after he allowed two runs on a triple, two walks and a sacrifice fly before being taken out of the game. Yang has split his time between the bullpen and rotation so far this season while posting a 3.38 ERA and a 15:9 K:BB over 21.1 innings. It's unclear whether manager Chris Woodward plans to give him another start or move him back to the bullpen.