MLB Player News

Junis (1-0) struck out six and allowed three runs on six hits and one walk over 5.2 innings to pick up the win over the White Sox on Saturday.

The 26-year-old started the game with five scoreless frames, but allowed three runs on four hits in the sixth primarily due to a three-run homer from Jose Abreu. He currently lines up for a rematch with the Tigers on the road Thursday.

Alvarado struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to record his second save of the season in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Astros.

The fireballing lefty is off to a flying start as the Rays' de facto closer, and he's giving manager Kevin Cash no reason to get creative with his late-game bullpen usage. As long as Alvarado is producing results, expect him to continue seeing the bulk of Tampa's save chances.

McHugh (0-1) took the loss Saturday, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk over five innings while striking out nine as the Astros fell 3-1 to the Rays.

The right-hander looked good in his return to full-time rotation duty, generating 16 swinging strikes among his 81 pitches (56 total strikes), but he got outdueled by Tyler Glasnow and the Tampa bullpen. McHugh will look to build on this outing in his next start, April 5 at home against the A's.

Giles struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Tigers.

In his first appearance of the season, the righty permitted just one hit, a one-out single to Grayson Greiner. The 28-year-old has a firm grasp on the Toronto closer role right now.

Lopez (0-1) allowed four runs on six hits and four walks while striking out two over four-plus innings in Saturday's 8-6 loss to Kansas City.

Lopez's defense didn't do him any favors in a three-run third inning, but the right-hander was far from sharp on a windy, 38-degree day at Kauffman Stadium. He hit a batter who later scored and just 50 of his 88 pitches were strikes. Lopez, who was the White Sox's best pitcher from start to finish in 2018, will next take the mound Thursday at home against the Mariners.

Yacabonis (1-0) struck out two and allowed one run on three hits and two walks over three innings to earn the victory Saturday against the Yankees.

Yacabonis worked as the first pitcher out of the bullpen behind opener Nate Karns and both hurlers did a good job keeping the Yankees' lineup in check early on. The 27-year-old figures to be used in a multi-inning swingman role once again for the Orioles this season.

Armstrong (oblique) is scheduled to throw a 25-pitch bullpen session Sunday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Armstrong has been sidelined nearly two weeks due to a Grade 1 oblique strain but is now ramping up his throwing program. The 28-year-old has no official timetable for his return, but if all goes well Sunday he could seemingly return from the injured list in short order.

Banda was moved to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Still working his way back from Tommy John surgery last May, Banda was moved to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster for recently acquired Aaron Slegers. The 25-year-old is still months away from returning to game action and remains in the middle of a lengthy rehabilitation process.

Chapman's four-seam fastball averaged 95.3 miles per hour during his 18-pitch appearance in Thursday's season-opening win over the Orioles, George A. King III of the New York Post reports.

While Chapman still peaked at 97.8 mph and completed a scoreless frame, his velocity was down approximately four ticks from what he averaged in his first appearance of 2018. Perhaps as a means of compensating for the diminished heat, Chapman relied on more breaking pitches Thursday, a notable development for a pitcher who has thrown fastballs more than 79 percent of the time during his career. The Yankees haven't indicated that Chapman is dealing with a physical issue and it's possible he gains an extra tick or two as the weather warms, but his velocity readings are at the very least something that warrants monitoring in his subsequent outings.

Pop is healthy and will start the season in Double-A Bowie, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Pop was traded to the Orioles as part of last season's Manny Machado trade. Across three levels in 2018, the reliever posted a 1.53 ERA over 64.2 innings. The 22-year-old will have to prove himself in Double-A before he can move up in the organization, but considering the low expectations for the club in 2019, his path to the majors could be expedited.