MLB Player News

Kay covered 2.2 frames in relief Sunday in the Blue Jays' 6-5 loss to the Rays in 10 innings. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out two in the 43-pitch appearance.

After breaking summer camp as a member of the 30-man Opening Day roster, Kay looked like he may have clinched a spot in the Toronto rotation, but manager Charlie Montoyo instead elected to treat the fifth starter's role as a bullpen day. Thomas Hatch served as the opener for the game, with he and Kay combining to cover the first five innings of the contest. Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet reports that the Blue Jays intend to call up top pitching prospect Nate Pearson to start Wednesday's game against the Nationals, so he'll presumably bump both Kay and Hatch to the bullpen on a more permanent basis.

Hamilton was called up by the White Sox on Monday.

Hamilton will take Reynaldo Lopez's (shoulder) place on the roster, though he's been strictly a reliever throughout his professional career, so he won't be taking Lopez's place in the rotation. Hamilton allowed four runs in eight innings in his big-league debut but did not make a major-league appearance in 2019, missing most of the year after requiring surgery to repair multiple facial fractures after he was struck in the face by a line drive during a Triple-A game.

Pearson will be called up to start Wednesday against the Nationals, Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet reports.

Pearson was evidently not considered big-league ready on Opening Day but is suddenly ready less than a week later, which happens to be the first day on which the Blue Jays can call him up while denying him a full year of service time. The highly-touted prospect has appeared in just three Triple-A games, but his overall 2.30 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 30.7 percent strikeout rate in 25 starts across the three highest levels of the minors last season certainly suggest he'll have a good shot to hit the ground running in his major-league debut. While the Blue Jays are technically the "home" team, the game will take place in Washington.

Bass will be the Blue Jays' closer in the absence of Ken Giles (elbow), Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Just how long Bass will hold the role remains to be seen, as the results of Giles' MRI are not yet known. Bass saved five games for the Mariners last season but is hardly a prototypical closer, as his decent 3.56 ERA in 48 innings came with a modest 22.8 percent strikeout rate.

Lopez was placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder soreness Monday.

Lopez left his start Sunday against the Twins before completing the first inning due to the injury. His return timeline is not yet clear, but he'll miss at least one turn in the rotation. Reliever Ian Hamilton was recalled in a corresponding move.

Giles is still awaiting the results of his elbow MRI but will head to the injured list Monday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Giles left his appearance Sunday against the Rays with what was originally called elbow soreness. While his exact return timeline remains unclear, the act that he's already been placed on the injured list even before his MRI results are available certainly doesn't seem to be a good sign. Anthony Bass will be the closer in his absence.

Lovelady was optioned by the Royals on Monday.

Lovelady made one appearance in the Royals' first three games, allowing a run on a solo homer in his lone inning Sunday. He'll make way on the roster for Ryan O'Hearn, who was activated from the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.

Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said Sunday that he expects Alexander to fill a more traditional bullpen role this season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

During summer camp, Gardenhire floated the possibility of using Alexander and Michael Fulmer as part of a piggyback tandem for the fourth spot in the rotation while the latter eases back from March 2019 Tommy John surgery, but that plan has seemingly been scrapped. Alexander worked 1.2 innings (22 pitches) in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Reds, and while he should be available Monday when Fulmer serves as the Tigers' opening pitcher against the Royals, the lefty likely won't be tasked with the bulk-relief role. Instead, Beau Burrows and Kyle Funkhouser may be better candidates to handle the majority of the innings behind Fulmer.

Misiewicz earned his first hold in a win over the Astros on Sunday, firing a scoreless eighth inning in which he allowed no hits or walks and recorded one strikeout.

The 25-year-old southpaw had previously been identified by manager Scott Servais as a potential candidate for save chances while Yoshihisa Hirano (illness) remained out. While Misiewicz's Sunday assignment didn't unfold in the ninth inning, it did come with the Mariners nursing a two-run lead in the eighth. Misiewicz came through in fine fashion in a frame that included a swinging strikeout of Carlos Correa, and he could certainly be in line for more late-game work moving forward.

Edwards, who fired a scoreless sixth inning during which he allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts in a win over the Astros on Sunday, has been impressing manager Scott Servais with his stuff since summer camp began, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "C.J.'s stuff has really started to come back," Servais said. "The last couple outings you've seen the velocity come and he's got good late movement to his fastball. We're going to need him. He's one of the guys with some experience in our bullpen. It's nice to see the ball coming out his hand good again."

The 28-year-old arrived in Seattle looking to put an utterly forgettable 2019 behind him, a season he finished with an 8.47 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 22 appearances with the Cubs and Padres. Sunday's ultra-efficient outing -- one in which he threw eight of 11 pitches for strikes while mowing down Martin Maldonado and Jose Altuve on swinging strikeouts -- was preceded by an Opening Night appearance in which the one hit and run he allowed came on a Carlos Correa flyball that Jose Marmolejos lost sight of in left field. Edwards use for an inning apiece in two of the first three games of the season would seem to bode well for his overall volume expectations, considering he proved capable of handling a heavy workload during multiple seasons with the Cubs earlier in his career.