MLB Player News

Romano struck out a batter in a scoreless frame en route to earning his fifth hold of the season Tuesday in the Blue Jays' 5-4 win over the Marlins in 10 innings.

Romano hasn't gotten a look as the Blue Jays' closer since Ken Giles was shut down July 26 with a forearm strain, but the 27-year-old has unquestionably been the team's most dominant reliever in the early going. He's opened the season with eight scoreless appearances, striking out 11 while giving up no hits and three walks. Fill-in closer Anthony Bass coughed up a three-run lead Tuesday to blow his first save, potentially loosening his hold on the ninth-inning job.

Thornton (elbow) is expected to play catch from 120 feet Wednesday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Thornton is "progressing" and could be cleared for mound work in the near future if everything goes well during his long-toss session. The right-hander has been on the IL since Aug. 6 with elbow inflammation.

Weber was recalled by Boston on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Weber made three poor starts for the Red Sox earlier this season, posing a 9.90 ERA, a 2.40 and a 3:9 K:BB. There's been no indication that he'll be a starter this time around, as he'll return to the roster in place of outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who landed on the injured list with a strained right rib cage in a corresponding move.

Chapman (illness) will throw another simulated game Friday, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

A battle with COVID-19 cost Chapman most of summer camp. He's been back with the team for nearly two weeks and is presumably closing in on his return, though the Yankees have yet to announce exactly when they expect that to happen.

Kittredge was diagnosed with a sprained right UCL on Wednesday and placed on the 45-day injured list, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Kittredge left Tuesday's start after just five pitches with what was originally called elbow soreness, but the injury was evidently much more severe than that. The timing of the injury means that Kittredge could technically be eligible to return for the final three games of the year, but the nature of the injury makes that seem highly unlikely. Surgery could potentially be on the table for the righty, though that's yet to be announced.

Mengden came on in relief of Mike Fiers in the fourth inning of a loss to the Angels on Tuesday and allowed an earned run on five hits and two walks over 3.1 innings. He struck out two.

The right-hander threw 58 pitches overall while eating up some important innings in the middle of the contest in what was his first appearance since making a spot start July 28 against the Rockies. With Jesus Luzardo back in the rotation and Chris Bassitt thriving as a starter as well, Mengden, whose arm is built up for multiple innings, could serve as a valuable resource for manager Bob Melvin in instances such as Tuesday's when starters don't log a normal workload, which makes the 14 days between outings somewhat confounding.

The Royals added Hernandez to their 60-man roster pool Tuesday.

Hernandez already possesses a spot on the Royals' 40-man roster, so his inclusion in the pool wasn't totally unexpected. That being said, the 23-year-old right-hander has yet to pitch above the Low-A level, so he won't rank near the top of the list for a callup if the big club requires reinforcements in the rotation.

Chapman took part in a simulated game at the Yankees' alternate training site Tuesday, unofficially throwing 25 pitches and facing eight batters, Conor Foley of the Scranton Time-Tribune reports.

Per Foley, Chapman walked one batter and struck out two during his appearance. The outing against live batters represents another step in Chapman's progression to returning to game action after he tested positive for COVID-19 in July. The Yankees have not provided a timeline for Chapman's return, but he should resume his customary closer role upon joining the active roster.

Lopez (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a two-inning simulated game at the White Sox's alternate training site later this week, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The news is an indication that Lopez's inflamed left shoulder responded well to the side session he tossed over the weekend. The White Sox haven't officially specified what Lopez's role will look like once he's activated from the 10-day injured list, but expect him to at least build up his arm for starting duty to give the team another option in the rotation. After failing to escape the first inning of his first start before landing on the IL, Lopez was replaced in the rotation by Gio Gonzalez, who has posted a 4.26 ERA, 2.05 WHIP and 7.8 K/9 across three starts.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Tuesday that Bummer's biceps is "loosening up," but the lefty has yet to begin a throwing program, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox have been encouraged with how Bummer has bounced back from the left biceps strain after landing on the 10-day injured list Saturday, but a target date for his return probably won't be established until he's cleared to resume mound work. Before getting shut down with the injury, Bummer had served as Chicago's top setup man, giving up one earned run on four hits and four walks over 7.1 innings while striking out 12 and collecting three holds.