MLB Player News

The Rays placed Cleavinger on the 15-day injured list Friday with right calf tightness.

Cleavinger has had a rough start to the season, posting a 7.71 ERA and 3:4 K:BB over 2.1 innings covering three appearances. If he is merely dealing with tightness and not a strain, he has a good chance to be activated when first eligible April 15.

The Red Sox placed Whitlock on the paternity leave list Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Whitlock will be away for the next 1-to-3 days while welcoming a new addition to the family. The setup man has made three scoreless appearances out of the Boston bullpen in the early going this season, recording one hold with a 4:2 K:BB.

The Red Sox recalled Kelly from Triple-A Worcester on Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Kelly was a late cut in spring training but gets an early opportunity with the big club. The right-hander put up a 4.58 ERA and 35:12 K:BB over 35.1 frames for the Red Sox last season. He'll operate in middle relief.

Bradford (elbow) allowed two runs on three hits over two innings for Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. He didn't record a walk or a strikeout.

Bradford pitched in a game for the first time since undergoing an internal brace procedure last June. He allowed a pair of home runs and threw 27 pitches (17 strikes) during the outing. The left-hander is expected to make several starts in the minors before the Rangers make a decision on whether there's a spot for him on the big-league staff.

Ragans (0-2) took the loss Thursday against the Twins, allowing one unearned run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight over six innings.

Ragans turned in a strong outing and bounced back nicely from his rough season debut, but the southpaw was tagged with the loss due to a defensive miscue and limited run support. His lone blemish came in the second inning when a pickoff attempt by Salvador Perez sailed high and deflected into center field, allowing a run to score. Ragans otherwise kept Minnesota in check, limiting hard contact while once again racking up strikeouts to bump his season total to 13 across 10 innings. After injuries sidelined the 28-year-old for much of last season, Thursday's performance was an encouraging one. Ragans will look to replicate that success in his next start, scheduled to come against Cleveland.

The Marlins traded Acton to the Twins on Thursday in exchange for minor-league pitcher Logan Whitaker.

The 27-year-old righty was DFA'd by the Marlins on Sunday to make room on the 40-man roster for Leo Jimenez. Acton has pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in Triple-A to begin the season, and moving into a Twins organization that doesn't have much bullpen depth should help his chances of returning to the big leagues at some point.

Bradford (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.

It will be Bradford's first official game action since he underwent an internal brace procedure on his left elbow last June. The left-hander will need most, if not all, of the allotted 30 days on his rehab assignment, but if all goes well he could be ready to pitch for the Rangers around the start of May. Whether the Rangers use Bradford as a starter or reliever upon his activation could depend on what the team's needs are at the time.

Effross (oblique) will throw a bullpen session Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Effross suffered a left oblique strain in early March and is finally ready to throw off the mound again. The sidearming reliever has struggled from a health and results perspective in recent years but will give the Tigers some experienced bullpen depth at Triple-A Toledo once he's healthy.

Owens (hip) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland on Saturday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Owens is working his way back from arthroscopic right hip surgery after re-signing with the Tigers on a minor-league contract. The righty got a cup of coffee in the majors last season and should join the Triple-A Toledo bullpen once he's deemed physically ready.

Taylor will be the White Sox' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Blue Jays, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Taylor will take the ball first as the White Sox begin their first homestand of the season before handing things off to Sean Burke, who will handle the bulk of the innings. The 23-year-old Taylor has tossed one inning in each of his first two appearances this season but is expected to eventually stretch out to cover multiple frames, as his goal is to reach 100 innings in 2026 before moving into the rotation in 2027.