MLB Player News

Maurer was sent down to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

Maurer has endured a brutal stretch to start the 2018 campaign, most recently allowing three hits -- including a solo home run -- in 1.1 innings against the Angels on Thursday. That marked the third home run he's allowed in five appearances, and his ERA of 12.46 could have looked even worse if he wasn't able to escape some jams. The 27-year-old will look to get things back on track at the Triple-A level. Kansas City recalled Kevin McCarthy from Omaha to take his place in the bullpen.

Pearson is dealing with a minor back issue and has not yet debuted for High-A Dunedin, Keegan Matheson of Baseball Toronto reports.

He has not been placed on the disabled list, but the Blue Jays are saying his return date is undetermined, Future Blue Jays reports. Look for the Jays' top pitching prospect to take the mound in the coming days. This injury should not affect his dynasty-league stock.

The Angels signed Jankowski to a minor-league deal Friday, Baseball America reports.

Jankowski appeared in three games for Houston last year, where he struggled to a 12.46 ERA and allowed three home runs in just 4.3 innings of work. He'll be assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake, and the 28-year-old figures to be no more than organizational pitching depth for his new club.

May (elbow) will throw live batting practice Monday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

May continues to ramp up his activity following Tommy John surgery last March. He could begin a minor-league rehab stint in the near future, with a goal of returning to the Twins in late May or early June.

Kimbrel pitched a clean ninth inning and struck out two to record the save Thursday against the Yankees.

Kimbrel didn't allow a ball to leave the infield as he recorded his fourth save of the season Thursday. He has struggled a bit with his command, walking four across six innings of work, but has otherwise looked dominant to begin the season. He remains an elite closing option.

Johnson has been named the starting pitcher for Monday's game against the Orioles, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

David Price (hand) had his scheduled start pushed back a day, so Johnson will temporarily fill the gap in the rotation. He may only throw a few innings in what could ultimately become a bullpen game. The swingman currently holds a 2.70 ERA over 10 innings of work this season -- including a six-inning, one-run start April 2 against the Marlins.

Fulmer (1-2) allowed nine runs (six earned) on eight hits over three innings in Thursday's loss to the Indians. He struck out two.

Fulmer entered Thursday's contest riding a 12.1 inning scoreless streak, but that feat was quickly undone as the 25-year-old yielded four extra-base hits in the first two frames, including a leadoff solo shot from Francisco Lindor. His three innings of work marked the second-shortest outing of his career, while the six earned runs allowed tied his career high. Fulmer also induced just two swings-and-misses in his 72 pitches. He'll look to put this disastrous outing behind him when he toes the rubber Wednesday against Baltimore.

The Orioles recalled Hart from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Hart was sent to Triple-A in mid-March as Baltimore opted to start the season with different left-handed options out of their bullpen. The 27-year-old had a 3.71 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with 29 strikeouts over 43.2 innings as a left-handed specialist in 2017, and should serve a similar role this season.

Kelly will be suspended six games and fined for his role in Wednesday's altercation against the Yankees, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Kelly was ejected from the game after hitting Tyler Austin with a pitch that lead to the second bench-clearing brawl of Wednesday's affair. Austin was also given a suspension, his for five games. Both players will appeal the ruling and be available for Thursday's series finale.

Stephan struck out seven batters across six scoreless innings Wednesday, allowing just three hits while issuing zero walks for High-A Tampa.

He now boasts a 1.80 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 14 strikeouts through 10 frames in the Florida State League. The Yankees aggressively assigned Stephan to High-A, allowing the 22-year-old righty to bypass Low-A entirely, but he has proven to be up for the challenge. He works with a low-90s fastball that plays up due to late life and a funky delivery. Stephan's top secondary pitch is a swing-and-miss slider and he is working on improving his changeup.