MLB Player News

Thornton will serve as the Blue Jays' bulk reliever behind opener Wilmer Font in Sunday's game against the Yankees, Blue Jays radio play-by-play broadcaster Ben Wagner reports.

Thornton has recently flipped between working as a traditional starter and primary pitcher. His Sunday work will likely begin in the second or third inning, and he can be expected to work four to five frames. Thornton has thrown the ball fairly well of late, allowing just four earned runs across his last three appearances, spanning 14.2 innings.

Rogers (2-4) took the loss Saturday, giving up three runs on three hits in one-third of an inning as the Twins were downed 12-5 by the Royals.

The southpaw entered the game in the ninth inning with the score tied 5-5 and promptly made a mess of things. He gave up a single, a two-run homer and a ground-rule double before getting the hook, with his only out coming via a sacrifice bunt. Rogers has only been scored upon in three of 16 appearances since his last blown save Aug. 1, but when he fails, he tends to do so spectacularly: Despite all the clean outings and a 23:1 K:BB through 16.2 innings over that stretch, he has a 4.32 ERA.

Colome allowed one unearned run Saturday on two hits with zero walks and two strikeouts, completing the ninth inning in his 29th save of the season in a 5-3 victory against the Tigers.

It was far from perfect, but Colome secured the closure, moving him one save away from his most since 2017. His ERA and WHIP, however, are better than they were in 2017, meaning this is one of the best seasons of his career. Colome is 4-4 with a 2.55 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 60 innings this season.

Alexander allowed three runs on 10 hits with zero walks and four strikeouts across 4.1 innings while taking a loss against the White Sox on Saturday.

This was the second time this season Alexander yielded 10 hits in an outing. While he's had excellent control, opponents are combating that by hitting .298 against him. As a result, Alexander has a 4.99 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 43 strikeouts in 48.2 innings this season. Alexander lines up to face the White Sox again on the road in his last start of the year Friday.

Lakins allowed one hit and one walk with two strikeouts across 1.2 innings during a no-decision while serving as an opener against the Rays on Saturday.

Incredibly, the Red Sox used 11 pitchers, so despite failing to record six outs, Lakins pitched more innings than every Boston pitcher but one in the middle frames. Even with this game going into the 11th, that's simply astonishing. Lakins remains 0-1 with a 4.22 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 21.1 innings this season.

Burke (0-2) allowed seven runs on five hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss versus the Athletics on Saturday.

After allowing only three runs over his first 18 innings this year, Burke has fallen apart, with 19 runs allowed in his last 8.2 innings. The 23-year-old owns a 7.43 ERA and 1.54 WHIP overall. Burke's final start of the season would likely come against a dangerous Yankees lineup next Saturday, should he be given another turn by manager Chris Woodward.

Manaea (3-0) allowed two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four over 5.2 innings of a blowout win over the Rangers on Saturday.

Manaea had plenty of run support from the get-go, as the A's plated nine runs in the first two innings. Only solo shots by Elvis Andrus and Danny Santana tarnished Manaea's performance. The southpaw has been excellent in 23.2 innings since returning from a shoulder injury, posting a 1.14 ERA and 0.80 WHIP while whiffing 25 batters. Expect Manaea to start against the Mariners on Friday in his final regular-season appearance.

Swanson did not allow a hit or walk and struck out one to record the save against the Orioles on Saturday.

Swanson earned another save in extra innings, his second of the season. Though his ERA is inflated due to struggles as a starter, Swanson has pitched fairly well as a reliever and has now turned in four consecutive scoreless appearances. More impressive is Swanson's 52:12 K:BB across 55 innings for the season, indicating he could enjoy future success out of the bullpen.

Adams was diagnosed with a hyper-extended left knee after exiting Saturday's contest early, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Adams was originally believed to have suffered an ankle injury while he was covering first base. He's set to receive an MRI either Sunday or Monday, but initial indications are that the injury is not serious. That said, there's a chance Adams does not pitch again before the close of the campaign.

Hand struck out all three of the batters he faced Saturday against the Phillies.

Hand hadn't taken the mound in game action since Sept. 8 but returned to pitch in the sixth inning with the Indians down two. He showed no signs of rust, striking out the side on 13 pitches -- six of which generated swinging strikes. It remains to be seen how long the team plans to leave Hand out of the closer's role, though this outing certainly indicates he's close to full strength.