MLB Player News

Neal cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville on Friday, Christian Boutwell of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old right-hander was designated for assignment Wednesday to make room for southpaw Sam Moll, who'd been acquired from the Rockies on that same day. Neal has endured a rocky 2017 in stints with both the Sounds and the big-league club, and he appears destined to finish out the balance of the campaign in Nashville.

Kimbrel struck out the side to record his 29th save Friday against the Yankees.

Kimbrel was protecting a three-run lead, but the Yankees couldn't even put a ball in play against him. With a 1.38 ERA, he's as elite as they come at closer.

Pruitt (6-4) allowed seven runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out one over four innings to take the loss Friday against the Mariners.

Pruitt was lit up for three runs in the first inning and settled down before faltering again and leaving the contest with a 6-0 deficit. He came into this game having allowed just four runs over his previous three starts to lower his ERA from 6.63 to 5.07, but this game moved him back to 6.00. His volatility makes him difficult to trust, but he does have useful upside. He'll make his next start Friday against the Cardinals.

Pomeranz left Friday's game against the Yankees after just 65 pitches due to back spasms, Scott Lauber of ESPN reports.

Pomeranz was replaced on the mound by Brandon Workman after tossing 3.1 shutout innings with four hits allowed and four strikeouts. He has been forced to leave multiple starts early this year but has managed to make it back without missing a start every time. It will remain to be seen if this will be the case again; consider Pomeranz day-to-day until we hear more.

Mayza will have an opportunity to take over some high-leverage innings for the Blue Jays as the team continues searching for a reliable lefty, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Despite taking the loss Friday at Wrigley Field, manager John Gibbons is excited about what he's seen from his rookie reliever. "I think he's throwing the ball great," Gibbons said. "This is his chance." In his first week of MLB action, Mayza made a pair of scoreless appearances before being touched up by the Cubs.

Andriese (hip) took a grounder off his shin and was forced to leave his rehab start Friday after just two pitches, Bryan Levine of the Charlotte Sun reports.

Andriese was seen walking around in the dugout after he was taken into the clubhouse, and while he appeared to have a slight limp, the injury didn't seem serious. His rehab may have to be extended another week so he can get another start in before returning to the Rays, but he looks to have avoided a major setback.

Beck (shoulder) is healthy and available for Friday's game against Texas, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

One day after a ball up the middle hit him in the shoulder and forced him to leave the game, Beck's bruising is down enough that it shouldn't cause him to miss any time. The bigger concern for Beck is his play of late, as he's given up 14 earned runs and four home runs over his last 9.0 innings.

Chapman (hamstring) is available for Friday's game against the Red Sox, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Chapman is back in full health and will resume his role as the Yankees' closer. Chapman was last used Tuesday against the Mets and earned a save, despite giving up two runs in just an inning of work.

Diekman (abdomen) tossed a perfect inning and recorded two strikeouts in his first rehab outing for Double-A Frisco on Thursday.

Making his first appearance on a mound in 10 months following three surgeries to repair and rebuild his colon, Diekman was about as sharp as the Rangers could have hoped, as he pumped in eight of his 13 pitches for strikes to retire the side without having to deploy many of his secondary offerings. Following the outing, Diekman told Sam Butler of MLB.com that he would still like to pitch in a few more rehab games in the minors before coming off the 60-day disabled list, but an activation ahead of next weekend seems to be realistic.

Harvey will finish out the minor-league season with a planned eight starts at High-A Aberdeen before skipping the Arizona Fall League to rest, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Health has been the biggest concern surrounding the O's top pitching prospect. Harvey's been throwing since December after missing the better part of two seasons and undergoing Tommy John surgery last July. However, the organization is content with that progress and doesn't want to push the 22-year-old too much, thus electing to shut him down in the fall. There's an outside chance of seeing Harvey in MLB sometime in 2018, but dynasty owners shouldn't plan on the right-hander contributing much for another couple of years, at least.