MLB Player News

The White Sox placed Ellard (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Friday.

Ellard struck out two and walked one over one inning of work Wednesday against the Guardians, but he'll miss at least the next couple weeks. Ellard sports a 5.40 ERA and 6:4 K:BB across five innings on the young season. In a corresponding move, Chicago recalled Brandon Eisert from Triple-A Charlotte.

The Royals placed Harvey (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Friday.

Harvey has been diagnosed with a right teres major strain, and the move is retroactive to April 8. Harvey last pitched Monday against the Twins. He's appeared in six games this season and has yet to allow an earned run across 5.1 innings while posting a 7:0 K:BB. John Schreiber and Lucas Erceg will handle setup duties ahead of Carlos Estevez while Harvey is sidelined.

The Royals recalled Cruz from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

Cruz takes the roster spot of Hunter Harvey, who was placed on the 15-day IL with a right teres major strain. Cruz pitched in five regular-season games for the Royals last season, posting a 0.00 ERA and 4:0 K:BB across 5.2 innings of work.

The Rays recalled Sulser from Triple-A Durham on Friday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Sulser takes the roster spot of Kevin Kelly, who was placed on the 15-day IL with a glute strain. Sulser appeared in 10 games for the Mets and Rays last season, making a pair of starts and registering a 2.76 ERA and 15:9 K:BB across 16.1 innings. He'll provide a long-relief option in the Tampa Bay bullpen.

The Rays placed Kelly (glute) on the 15-day injured list Friday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Kelly threw 18 pitches in an inning of relief Wednesday against the Angels but will now miss at least the next couple weeks with a glute strain. On the season, Kelly has tossed five innings, registering a 3.60 ERA and 2:2 K:BB. Cole Sulser has been recalled from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.

The White Sox designated Anderson for assignment Friday.

Chicago needed the 40-man roster spot in order to promote Chase Meidroth from Triple-A Charlotte. Anderson pitched in 56 regular-season games out of the bullpen for the White Sox last season, turning in a 4.39 ERA and 9.62 K/9 across 53.1 innings.

Hendriks (elbow) allowed one run and struck out three over a scoreless inning for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.

Hendriks started the game and worked around a soft roller (63.4 mph) to third that resulted in a single. The right-hander threw 18 pitches (13 strikes) in his first rehab outing after a rocky spring. He told reporters he felt good following the game and believed he located pitches better than he had during spring training, per Greg Dudek of NESN.com. Hendriks will likely get a few more rehab appearances before joining the Red Sox. He may serve as a bridge to closer Aroldis Chapman, although save opportunities could come his way when manager Alex Cora wants a righty.

Through five outings this season, Cruz has a 10:1 K:BB over 5.2 innings while pitching to a 4.76 ERA and 0.71 WHIP and notching one hold.

Cruz's mediocre ERA so far can be attributed to one outing -- he gave up three runs over two-thirds of an inning against Pittsburgh on April 4. In the right-hander's other four appearances, he's held the opponent hitless and scoreless over five frames. Cruz posted a K/9 of 12.9 or better in each of his first three big-league campaigns with the Reds, and he's topping even that impressive mark so far this season with a 15.9 K/9 in the early going of his first year with New York. Cruz has just one hold so far, but he's seen most of his work in the seventh and eighth frames, suggesting that manager Aaron Boone trusts him in high-leverage situations. For fantasy managers in leagues that count holds, Cruz could be worth considering as a waiver-wire target considering his ability to rack up punchouts.

Joyce said Wednesday that he's not concerned about the drop in velocity he experienced in his most recent outing Tuesday versus Tampa Bay, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Joyce displayed the lowest in-game velocity of his big-league career on both his sinker and four-seamer in the outing, during which he gave up three runs on four hits in one-third of an inning. However, the right-hander stated one day later that his location was the issue rather than his velocity. Angels manager Ron Washington seemed similarly unconcerned following Joyce's appearance, stating, "He was fine. He's human. Tonight he just didn't have it," per Fletcher. Fantasy managers who roster Joyce certainly hope that the right-hander's velocity is back to normal the next time he takes the mound, but for the time being, it appears the fireballer isn't dealing with any sort of injury.

Varland allowed one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning Thursday against the Royals.

Varland moved to the bullpen this spring, and the returns have been encouraging so far, as he has a 3.86 ERA and 10:3 K:BB in seven innings. He could be used in higher-leverage spots if he continues his early success. The right-hander struggled last season as a starter in Triple-A with a 4.75 ERA, but he showed promise as a reliever in the majors in 2023 with a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings and a 17:1 K:BB.