MLB Player News

Leclerc earned his first save of the season by pitching a scoreless inning Friday against Colorado. He walked one and struck out two.

Leclerc needed 23 pitches (11 strikes) to get the win in a tight one-run contest, but he got the job done. He started the ninth with a walk to Ryan McMahon, but he redeemed himself with back-to-back strikeouts to Raimel Tapia and Sam Hilliard. Leclerc completed the save when Matt Kemp popped out to first. The 26-year-old went 14-for-18 in save opportunities while posting a 4.33 ERA during the 2019 season, and he is expected to be Texas' closer for the foreseeable future.

Giles fired one scoreless inning as he earned the save Friday against the Rays, allowing no hits and one walk while striking out two.

Giles is expected to see heavy usage as the Blue Jays' top option in the ninth inning this year, and he got off to a nice start Friday as he preserved a two-run lead. The right-hander converted 23 of 24 save chances with a 1.87 ERA and 83:17 K:BB over 53 innings in his first full season with the Blue Jays last season.

Romano (1-0) fired one scoreless inning Friday as he earned the win against the Rays. He allowed no hits and two walks while striking out two.

Romano came on to relieve Hyun-Jin Ryu with two outs in the fifth inning, and he was able to pick up the Opening Day win after he held the Rays in check. The 27-year-old earned his first major-league win Friday, and he could push for a setup role with the Blue Jays this season.

Puk (shoulder) will play catch Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Puk's shoulder issues returned earlier in the week, leading to him being placed on the injured list with a shoulder strain Monday. He underwent a cortisone injection and is already ready to throw again, which is certainly a good sign for his eventual return to action. He's expected to miss at least two weeks, with Daniel Mengden filling his rotation spot for now.

Perez (undisclosed) was cleared to participate in baseball activities Friday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

The young southpaw was placed on the injured list with an unspecified reason July 13, but he'll now head to the Astros' alternate training site to resume workouts. Perez could be a long relief option at some point this season for Houston, but it's unclear when he'll be game ready.

Montero was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with right elbow tendinitis, retroactive to July 20.

The 30-year-old was absent from the Rangers' Opening Day roster so it's not much of a surprise to see him move to the IL, though the elbow tendinitis is a new development. Montero was previously said to be dealing with forearm soreness and was late to summer training while tending to a family matter. The right-hander was unable to build up his stamina, so he's unlikely to join the Rangers in the near future, regardless of the severity of the injury.

Banda was optioned to the Rays' alternate training site in Port Charlotte on Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The young left-hander was competing for an Opening Day roster spot and was believed to have a chance due to his ability to pitch multiple innings. However, manager Kevin Cash opted for Jalen Beeks over Banda for the time being. Nevertheless, given the ongoing health uncertainties accompanying the 2020 campaign, it wouldn't be surprising to see Banda get one of the first promotions whenever a bullpen arm is needed.

Speier was added to the Royals' 30-man roster Thursday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Speier was originally expected to open the season in the minors before a spot opened up for him in Kansas City's bullpen thanks to expanded rosters. The lefty spent most of the 2019 season with Triple-A Omaha, posting a 5.63 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 40 innings. He also made nine big-league appearances, allowing six runs while posting a 10:6 K:BB in 7.1 innings.

Bolanos (ribs) was added to the Royals' 30-man roster Thursday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Bolanos is set to break camp with the Royals after being acquired by the team earlier in the month. The right-hander struggled to a 5.95 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 19.2 innings with the Padres in 2019, so he'll likely be limited to lower-leverage work with Kansas City.

Quijada (undisclosed) is not included on the Angels' 30-man roster.

Quijada missed all of summer camp while dealing with an undisclosed issue, so his absence from the active roster was inevitable. The southpaw was optioned to the minors in mid-March, thus he isn't likely to have a spot in the big-league bullpen even after he returns to pitching.