MLB Player News

Kittredge started but did not factor into the decision in a win over the Blue Jays on Friday, allowing one earned run on two hits and a walk over two innings while also recording a strikeout.

The right-hander got the call to open Friday's "bullpen day" game, but he worked up to a robust 36 pitches over his pair of frames. Ryan Yarbrough ultimately bailed out manager Kevin Cash with five scoreless frames following Kittredge's exit. Kittredge was coming off back-to-back scoreless relief outings, and he's generated a solid 2.25 ERA over his first three May appearances.

Rodney struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save against the White Sox on Friday.

Over his last four outings, Rodney has allowed no runs on one hit with three strikeouts and three walks across four innings, bringing his ERA down to 4.22. He is 4-for-7 in save chances and has given up 13 hits in 10.2 innings. Rodney has allowed five walks and struck out 11 and currently sports a .344 BABIP. While somewhat unpredictable, Rodney still holds the closer role in Minnesota.

Fulmer (2-2) struck out six and walked two in a loss to the Twins on Friday, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits over 3.2 innings.

Fulmer got beat up by the long ball Friday, giving up a solo shot to Eduardo Escobar in the second and then allowing three more solo homers to Brian Dozier, Logan Morrison and Escobar again in the third. Fulmer has now allowed 16 earned runs in 28.2 innings, bringing his ERA up to 5.02. The six strikeouts were a season high, and he's sporting a 24:15 K:BB on the year. The right-hander's next start will be a matchup with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Treinen got the save against the Orioles on Friday, striking out one without allowing any baserunners to close out Oakland's 6-4 victory.

A day after he threw two innings and picked up his second win of the season, Treinen got his fourth save of the year with a drama-free effort against Baltimore -- a refreshing sight a day after he allowed six baserunners in those two innings. While his 1.40 WHIP is probably a bit higher than fantasy owners would like, he's been doing a good job of working out of trouble as evidenced by his 1.20 ERA and 18:5 K:BB over 15 innings of work. The A's also seem comfortable with giving him a higher volume workload than a typical closer, as he's now thrown more than one inning in seven of his 10 appearances so far this season.

Mengden struck out five and gave up just one earned run on three hits and one walk over five innings in a no-decision against Baltimore on Friday.

After the Astros got to him for four earned runs in 2.1 innings in his last start, Mengden bounced back with a solid outing and he's now limited his opponents to one earned run in three of his last four trips to the mound. His ERA sits at 4.30 thanks to a couple of rough starts, but he does have a solid 1.19 WHIP and a 29:5 K:BB. He has a tough matchup against the same Houston lineup that roughed him up in his previous start in his next outing Wednesday.

Yarbrough (2-1), who struck out four over five scoreless innings in a win over the Blue Jays on Friday, is likely to serve as the No. 4 starter in the rotation while Yonny Chirinos (elbow) is on the disabled list, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Yarbrough was dominant in Friday's "bullpen day" outing, eating up five critical innings after starter Andrew Kittredge threw 36 pitches over just two frames. Chirinos' absence projects to last about a month, which would presumably afford Yarbrough 3-4 starts at a minimum. Manager Kevin Cash has yet to provide definitive confirmation of the 24-year-old right-hander's move to the starting rotation, but he did concede prior to Friday's game that Yarbrough is the "frontrunner" for the job. If Cash holds true to his word, Yarbrough lines up to start next Wednesday against the Braves at Tropicana Field.

Hendriks (groin, hip) has yet to resume throwing off a mound, Michael Wagaman of MLB.com reports.

Hendriks originally went on the disabled list on April 14 with a groin strain, but he then had a cyst removed from his hip 10 days later as well. The veteran reliever would probably like to press the reset button on his 2018 campaign, as in addition to his injuries, he's allowed a 9.00 ERA and 3.33 WHIP over three innings across six appearances.

Chapman (1-0) blew his first save of the season but recorded the win in Friday's 7-6 victory over Cleveland, allowing one run on one hit and striking out three in an inning of work.

Yan Gomes came around to score after a leadoff single in the top of the ninth inning following a HBP and two wild pitches from Chapman, but the closer was credited with the win after Miguel Andujar's walkoff hit in the bottom of the frame. Despite Friday's bout of wildness, Chapman still has an outstanding 30:5 K:BB in 15 innings to support his 1.80 ERA.

The Rays optioned Hu to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Hu did not make an appearance since being recalled Sunday, and allowed three runs on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk over 2.2 innings during his only outing for the Rays earlier this season.

Ramirez was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday.

The Blue Jays made a series of moves following Thursday's doubleheader against the Indians on Thursday, including optioning Ramirez back to the minors just a few days after calling him up to the big leagues. Over two appearances, he allowed one earned run off one hit and five walks while striking out three in 2.1 innings of relief. He will likely spend a majority of the 2018 season at the Triple-A level.