MLB Player News

Lakins was recalled from the Orioles' alternate training site Wednesday.

Lakins was sent down by the Orioles after he served as the 27th man for Tuesday's doubleheader against Seattle, but he'll now rejoin the club after right-hander Mac Sceroler (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Lakins made his season debut against the Mariners on Tuesday and struck out two in one clean relief inning.

The Red Sox announced that Mata (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Mata opted for the procedure after he was shut down during spring training when he was diagnosed with a slight tear of the UCL in his right elbow. The 21-year-old is expected to require a 12-to-16-month recovery from the surgery, meaning he'll likely be sidelined until the summer of 2022. Mata had been regarded as one of the Red Sox's top pitching prospects heading into the season.

Hernandez was optioned to the Royals' alternate training site Wednesday.

Hernandez had a shaky start to the 2021 campaign and will now head to the team's alternate camp to work things out. The right-hander made three relief appearances for the Royals to begin the year and allowed four runs on six hits and five walks while striking out five in 3.1 innings. Right-hander Josh Staumont was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.

Richards, recalled by the Rays on Monday, allowed two earned runs on three hits, a walk and a wild pitch over three innings in a loss to the Rangers on Tuesday. He struck out three.

Ryan Yarbrough threw 93 pitches over six difficult frames, and Richards was therefore called upon in his role as swingman to eat up some innings. The right-hander struggled to a career-worst 5.91 ERA and 1.72 WHIP across nine appearances (four starts) in 2020, so Tuesday's uneven outing wasn't exactly the most encouraging start to his new season.

The Royals reinstated Staumont from the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday.

Staumont was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday without a defined injury, but the Royals' ability to activate him a day later implies that he was sidelined due to COVID-19-related reasons. The hard-throwing right-hander has apparently cleared all health and safety protocols, so he should be be available out of the bullpen for Wednesday's game against the Angels.

Romano appears in line to handle the bulk of the save chances for Toronto for at least the next week and a half after Julian Merryweather (oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manager Charlie Montoyo had yet to anoint a pitcher as the team's closer this season, but Merryweather's initial usage seemed to suggest that he was the skipper's preferred option for the ninth inning. If Merryweather can move past the injury in the minimum amount of time or close to it, he should factor back into the closing picture, but Romano looks like the top candidate for saves out of the Toronto bullpen in the short term. Though he was tagged with a blown save earlier this season, Romano was Toronto's best reliever when healthy in 2020, submitting a 1.23 ERA and 0.89 WHIP while striking out 21 over 14.2 innings.

Merryweather was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain Wednesday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Merryweather was removed from Tuesday's win over the Yankees due to left hip irritation. It's not yet clear how much time he'll be forced to miss after he was diagnosed with a left oblique strain Wednesday, but Jordan Romano should be in line for most of the save chances while Merryweather is sidelined, and Rafael Dolis could also be in the mix. Right-hander Anthony Castro was recalled by the Blue Jays to serve as bullpen depth.

The Orioles optioned Lakins to their alternate training site Wednesday.

Baltimore dropped Lakins from its active roster after he served as the 27th man for Tuesday's doubleheader against the Mariners. He was used out of the bullpen in the first game of the twin bill, striking out two over a perfect inning.

The Rays recalled Fleming from their alternate training site Wednesday.

Fleming will slot into Tampa Bay's rotation for Wednesday's game against the Rangers as a replacement for Chris Archer (forearm), who was placed on the 10-day injured list over the weekend. As a rookie last season, the 24-year-old southpaw worked as a traditional starter and as a bulk reliever, but manager Kevin Cash suggested that Fleming would fill the former role Wednesday. According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Cash said Fleming is built up to handle five or six innings, so if he's performing well, the southpaw should be able to pitch at least half the game before turning things over to the bullpen.

The Red Sox called Bazardo up from their taxi squad ahead of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Twins.

The 25-year-old will be moving up to the big leagues for the first time in his career, but because he's being designated as the 27th man for the twin bill, he'll likely be headed back to the Red Sox's alternate site following the doubleheader. Bazardo will provide Boston with a fresh right-handed arm out of the bullpen Wednesday.