MLB Player News

Pardinho is behind schedule in his return from Tommy John surgery after working through some setbacks, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Pardinho is reportedly only a few weeks behind his original schedule. It's not exactly clear when he'll be ready for game action, but he'll likely head to High-A Vancouver once he's ready to go.

Crochet was placed on the 10-day injured list with an upper-back strain Thursday.

Crochet dealt with a blister during his most recent outing Sunday, but it's an entirely separate issue that will send him to the injured list. The move can be backdated by three days, leaving Crochet eligible to return next Thursday, though it's not yet clear whether he's expected to do so. Luis Robert (illness) was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move.

Tapia was recalled by the Mariners on Thursday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Tapia joins the roster with Marco Gonzales (forearm) landing on the injured list. While he'll take Gonzales' roster spot, he's unlikely to fill in for him in the rotation, as he's been almost exclusively a reliever in recent seasons. He struggled to a 5.18 ERA in 66 innings at the Triple-A level in 2019 before allowing one run in 4.1 innings in his big-league debut for the Red Sox last year.

Rodriguez (2-0) pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one to earn the win in Wednesday's 4-3 victory over Texas.

The righty has impressed out of the Angels' bullpen early in 2021, pitching to a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 innings. Rodriguez figures to start at some point, be it this season or further down the line, but for now, he remains a relief weapon capable of getting through multiple innings per appearance. The 22-year-old has kept the ball in the park thus far in 2021 and may develop into a viable fantasy asset if he continues to do so.

Ottavino struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in one inning of work, recording the hold in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the Mets.

That's three consecutive scoreless outings for the veteran righty, whose command appears to have improved considerably from earlier in the season. When Ottavino paints the corners with his sinker and slider as he did Wednesday, he can be a dominant late-inning weapon. The hold was his fifth of 2021, and opportunities for more will be plentiful as long as Boston continues playing well.

Montero (2-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Astros after letting up four runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk with no strikeouts over two-thirds of an inning.

Montero entered in the eighth inning looking to preserve a two-run lead and left the game with the Mariners needing two runs to keep the game alive. The 30-year-old quickly found himself in danger with two men on and one out but had a chance to get out of it with a double-play ground ball; however, 2020 Gold Glove winner Evan White's throwing error extended the inning and allowed a run to score. Montero ended up allowing the next two men to reach, bringing home the tying run before manager Scott Servais had seen enough. His replacement wasn't much better, allowing two of the inherited runners to score before finally getting out of the nightmare inning. Montero had a nice stretch of four straight scoreless outings before Wednesday's collapse, but he now has four blown saves and a 4.09 ERA on the year. It wouldn't be surprising if Servais demoted the hard-throwing righty from a share of the closer's role due to his lack of consistency so far this season.

Stanek struck out one over a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his first save in Wednesday's 7-5 win over the Mariners.

Closer Ryan Pressly had thrown 31 pitches over the last two days, so he was skipped for this save opportunity. Instead, manager Dusty Baker opted for Stanek, who has emerged as Houston's eighth-inning reliever. The right-hander has fired blanks in nine of 12 outings and leapfrogged several relievers to claim a high-leverage role.

Staumont recorded his third save of the season Wednesday against the Pirates. He tossed 1.1 scoreless innings while fanning two.

Staumont tossed 12 of his 18 pitches for strikes and pitched more than one inning for the fourth time this season, though this was the first time he did so while notching a save. The right-hander has allowed just one earned run in 13.1 innings across 11 appearances and has gone 3-for-3 in save opportunities so far, so he appears to be making a strong case to hold down the closer's role on a full-time basis.

Iglesias did not allow a baserunner and struck out one to earn the save Wednesday against the Rangers.

Iglesias was called upon to protect a one-run lead, and he had no issues doing so to lock in his fourth save of the campaign. He's now 4-for-6 in save opportunities this season, though there is no indication that he is in danger of losing his role. Iglesias has a 6.00 ERA across nine innings for the campaign, though that's bloated when considering his excellent 13:1 K:BB.

Nelson pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout in Wednesday's 10-2 loss to the Twins.

Nelson made a solid first impression in his season debut. The 24-year-old southpaw isn't expected to see much high-leverage work while with the big club.