MLB Player News

Hendriks allowed one hit and struck out three in a scoreless inning of work for the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Mariners.

Hendriks struck out Evan White leading off the frame before Shed Long got aboard with a single. Hendriks then retired Kyle Seager in an 11-pitch at-bat and whiffed Austin Nola to complete the outing. The 31-year-old Hendriks is now 3-for-4 in save chances after a rough first outing.

Pearson will start Thursday's game against Atlanta, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Pearson impressed in his major-league debut Wednesday, but the Blue Jays were forced to reconfigure their rotation order after their weekend series was canceled. As a result, the right-hander will attempt to repeat his production in the team's series finale against Atlanta.

Robles is not available to pitch Sunday after pitching two days in a row, but manager Joe Maddon has not changed him out of the closer role yet, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports. "Robles will not pitch today after two in a row," Maddon said. "If, in fact, I wanted to do something like that (remove Robles as the closer), I would not tell you guys first."

Maddon's quote is obviously not a confirmation that Robles will keep the job, and it's not comforting that he won't announce a role change before it happens. In fact, even if someone else gets the save chance Sunday, there's no guarantee that Robles won't be called upon when the next opportunity for a save arises..

Smeltzer (1-0) allowed one earned run on two hits and a walk while striking out two across 2.2 innings to earn the win Sunday against Cleveland.

Smeltzer followed Tyler Clippard and entered the game to start the third frame. He worked a clean inning but allowed a leadoff double to Cesar Hernandez to start the fourth frame, accounting for his one earned run. It was a bounceback performance for Smeltzer, who was roughed up for five earned runs across two innings in his first appearance of 2020.

Adams (knee) is picking up his intensity in throwing sessions but remains without a firm timetable for his 2020 debut, in part due to the Mariners' upcoming schedule, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I'd love to get him off the mound or face some hitters before we go out on the road," manager Scott Servais said. "We just don't have as much time or field access on the road as we did in the past, so to do a live BP or simulated game on the road is really challenging."

The Mariners are currently in the midst of a homestand that runs through next Sunday. Based on Servais' comments, it's therefore likely Adams has to wait until at least Aug. 19, when Seattle returns from a nine-day road trip, to be activated. COVID-19 protocols do not allow players to be flown in during a road trip, either, meaning Adams would have to demonstrate he's ready for activation over the course of the next week to have a chance to travel with the team.

The Mariners recalled Swanson from their alternate training site prior to Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Swanson missed out on a spot on the Mariners' season-opening 30-man roster, but he'll now move up to the big club to reinforce the bullpen in the short term. Third catcher Joe Odom was optioned to the Mariners' alternate camp in a corresponding move.

Norris was activated off the injured list ahead of his start in Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Reds.

The Tigers had already confirmed the 27-year-old as the starter for Game 2, but it's now official after the roster move. Norris missed most of summer camp due to COVID-19 protocols but is reportedly stretched out to about 70 pitches, so he could cover at least four or five innings during the seven-inning contest.

Nelson (1-0) pitched three scoreless and hitless innings to earn the win against Boston on Saturday, issuing two walks while striking out four.

Nelson was summoned to start the fifth inning and exited after the seventh without allowing a hit. His control was shaky -- only 23 of his 41 pitches were strikes, and he yielded two free passes -- but he avoided any damage by inducing eight swinging strikes and holding the Red Sox without a hit. The right-hander struck out 114 batters in 89.2 innings in the minors last season, so he could have a bright future, especially if he is able to reduce his walk rate.

The Royals optioned Bolanos to their alternate training site Sunday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Bolanos started in his two appearances with the Royals, but he acted as more of an opener than a traditional starter in those outings, covering two innings or fewer in both appearances. With the Royals needing to clear a spot on the active roster for Jakob Junis (COVID-19) ahead of his scheduled start in Sunday's series finale, Bolanos was ultimately deemed expendable after he was lit up for five runs on five hits and two walks while recording only five outs in Saturday's 11-5 loss.

The Royals activated Junis from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the White Sox, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Ronald Bolanos, who drew the start Saturday in a bullpen game for the Royals, was optioned to the club's alternate training site in a corresponding move. After testing positive for COVID-19 in July, Junis was shut down shortly before Opening Day and missed one turn through the rotation while he waited to clear all of MLB's coronavirus-related protocols. The right-hander should be an important innings eater for the Royals, but his fantasy value may be limited to AL-only or deeper mixed leagues due to his issues with the long ball. He allowed at least 30 home runs in each of the past two seasons and turned in a career-worst 5.24 ERA in 2019.