MLB Player News

Colome struck out two and picked up the save in a perfect ninth inning Friday against Seattle.

Colome slammed the door without issue, as he induced a fly ball for the first out and fanned the next two batters to end the ballgame. The 30-year-old has yet to allow a hit through three appearances (three innings) in 2019.

Alvarado posted a strikeout, walk and hit over one inning while nailing down his third save of the season in a 5-2 victory against the Giants on Friday.

The Rays have used Alvarado in the eighth inning a couple times already, but he's still their best option in save situations. Alvarado has been perfect, pitching 5.0 shutout innings and going 3-for-3 in save chances to open the season. He has also struck out nine with two walks and three hits allowed in five innings.

Stanek will serve as the opener Saturday against San Francisco, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Stanek is set to open for the second time this season after tossing a scoreless frame in his previous appearance Monday against Colorado. He's yet to surrender a run over four innings and has registered five strikeouts in 2019.

Johnson is likely to start Sunday's game against Arizona, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

In an effort to nab an extra day of rest for his starting rotation, manager Alex Cora is expected to give either Hector Velazquez or Johnson an opportunity for a spot start in the series finale. "Still waiting to see how it goes today," Cora said. "BJ most likely. We've still got Hector. They can go multiple innings. We'll see how it goes." If Johnson does end up pitching Sunday, Chris Sale would take the mound for Tuesday's home opener against the Blue Jays.

Lopez surrendered six runs on six hits and four walks and struck out five over five innings Friday against Seattle. He didn't factor into the decision.

Although the White Sox would ultimately come away with a 10-8 victory, Lopez didn't appear to have his best stuff. After giving up two runs through the first three innings of his outing, he really fell apart in the sixth when he allowed four runs on a pair of homers. Lopez certainly hasn't gotten off to a desirable start to the 2019 campaign (10.00 ERA over nine innings) but he'll have a chance to notch his first victory of the season Wednesday against Tampa Bay.

VerHagen (forearm) will start his rehab assignment Friday in Single-A Lakeland.

VerHagen was placed on the injury list at the end of March with a strained forearm, but appears to be ready to test it out in the minors. If all goes well, he should return to a mid-leverage bulpen role for the Tigers in the near future.

Hand surrendered a run on three hits and struck out three over 1.1 innings to notch his third save of the season Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Hand had some difficulty slamming the door and allowed Toronto's first run of the game to cross the plate in the ninth on a double. He would fan the final two batters of the contest to secure a 4-1 victory for the Indians, their third win of the 2019 campaign. Hand has managed to convert on all three of his save chances to open the season and sits with a 2.45 ERA along with six punchouts over 3.2 innings.

Rodriguez will open the year in the rotation with High-A Inland Empire, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

He missed all of 2018 with a stress reaction in his back, so it's encouraging that he is ready to go this year. Rodriguez only logged six starts at Low-A in 2017, but the work he did at the team's complex last year and this spring was apparently impressive enough for him to go to High-A this year. He has at least mid-rotation upside, but significant back injuries are always worth keeping in mind with young pitchers.

Junis posted a no-decision, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight and walking three in six innings against the Tigers on Thursday.

The Royals' offense gave their starting pitcher a lead in the first and fifth, but he was unable to hold either one. The good news, though, is Junis is striking out hitters at a high rate early this season. Through two starts, he has 14 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. Junis is also 1-0 with a 4.63 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. His next start will likely be against the Mariners.

Borucki (elbow) threw a successful side session Wednesday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

The Blue Jays will determine Borucki's next step in the coming days. The tentative plan is for the southpaw to return during Toronto's two-game series against the Giants on April 23 and 24, though it remains to be seen if he'll be ready.