MLB Player News

Montero (elbow) is on track to be activated from the injured list Friday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Montero has been sidelined all season with right elbow tendinitis, but he's set to rejoin the Rangers ahead of Friday's series opener against the Angels. The right-hander should assume a high-leverage relief role after posting a 2.48 ERA and 0.97 WHIP across 29 innings with Texas last season. With an unproven cast of characters making up the current closing committee in Texas, Montero could start getting save opportunities if he proves he is back to pitching as effectively as he did in 2019.

The Mariners optioned Shaw to their alternate training site Thursday.

Seattle signed Shaw ahead of Opening Day with the hope that he might rebound after he struggled the past two years while pitching at altitude in Colorado, but the veteran right-hander was a disaster through his first four games of the bullpen. In just 3.1 innings, Shaw gave up 10 runs on 10 hits and four walks while striking out just one. Though he'll retain a spot on the 40-man roster, Shaw's poor results thus far could make the Mariners reluctant to call him up anytime soon.

The Yankees optioned Nelson to their alternate training site Thursday.

With the Yankees having to reduce their active roster from 30 to 28 men ahead of Thursday's series finale with the Phillies, Nelson found himself as the odd man out in manager Aaron Boone's nine-man bullpen. Nelson's demotion was likely solidified after he was hit hard in long relief Wednesday in the Yankees' 11-7 loss in the first game of a doubleheader. He recorded five outs and surrendered seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and a walk.

Edwards notched his first save of the season Wednesday against the Angels. He tossed a scoreless inning, striking out two.

Edwards has looked impressive to start the season, tossing four straight scoreless appearances while fanning six in 3.2 innings across that stretch. It remains to be seen if he will handle the closer role on a permanent basis moving forward, but he should remain one of Seattle's main relievers for the foreseeable future.

Bass worked around a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning against the Braves on Wednesday to earn his second save of the season.

He also worked around the worst missed-strike call in MLB this season, a pitch right down the heart of the plate called a ball. Bass did not have a single swinging strike on 16 pitches, but he got the job done regardless and it's clear that he has the job pretty much all to himself while Ken Giles (forearm) is sidelined.

Hand worked around a walk in a scoreless ninth inning against the Reds on Wednesday en route to his fourth save of the season. He struck out two batters.

The closer carousel is in full swing in MLB, though Hand seems to be regaining his footing in the role after closing out back-to-back games. James Karinchak is breathing down Hand's neck, but it's clear that Hand is still the preferred option in the ninth.

Gibaut (0-1) allowed two runs on two hits and struck out three over one inning, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Athletics.

Gibaut struck out Stephen Piscotty to start the seventh inning, but allowed Tony Kemp to reach on a single. Austin Allen's two-run blast a batter later put the Athletics ahead for good. Gibaut has allowed six runs in six appearances this season. The 26-year-old is likely to remain in a middle-relief role.

Loaisiga allowed one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out three across 2.1 innings in the second game of the Yankees' doubleheader against the Phillies on Wednesday. He did not factor into the decision.

Loaisiga was used as a starter given the doubleheader, though the team still limited his workload to 51 pitches. The lone run he surrendered came in the second inning, when he allowed an RBI single to Andrew Knapp. Loaisiga will likely return to a multi-inning reliever role.

Manaea allowed four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over 3.1 innings versus the Rangers on Wednesday. He did not factor in the decision.

Manaea was on the hook for the loss until Austin Allen hit a go-ahead homer for the Athletics in the seventh inning. The 28-year-old Manaea has struggled to mitigate the scoring in his three starts this year -- he's got an 8.03 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 12.1 innings. The southpaw will try to right the ship Monday on the road against the Angels.

Yarbrough (0-2) allowed five earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five across five innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Yarbrough had a scoreless outing through 3.2 innings, but surrendered a two-run home run to Alex Verdugo to open the scoring. He completely fell apart in the sixth inning, as he allowed all five batters he faced to reach base, with the big blow being a two-run home run off the bat of Michael Chavis. Despite the poor outing, Yarbrough has maintained a 3.78 ERA across 16.2 innings to begin the season. His next start is currently projected for Monday in a rematch against the Red Sox.