MLB Player News

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday that Ragans (elbow) played catch two of the past three days and remains day-to-day, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Quatraro added that Tuesday's throwing session was better than Sunday's, and the expectation is Ragans will play catch again Wednesday as he deals with a case of pitcher's elbow. Stephen Kolek is starting in Ragans' place Tuesday night and will fill his rotation spot while Ragans heals up on the 15-day injured list. It doesn't sound like Kansas City expects this to be a lengthy absence for its ace.

Crochet (shoulder) threw off a mound Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Crochet is coming along slowly but surely as he works his way back from left shoulder inflammation. The left-hander last pitched more than two weeks ago, so he will likely require at least one rehab start before rejoining the Red Sox rotation. It's unclear when Crochet will be ready to pitch in a game.

The Astros optioned VanWey to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Julia Morales of Space City Home Network reports.

Houston selected VanWey's contract Friday, and he'll return to Triple-A after firing two scoreless frames in two appearances. The right-hander has struggled in 15 relief outings for Sugar Land this year with a 5.74 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB over 15.2 innings.

Moran will serve as the Red Sox' opening pitcher in Tuesday's game versus the Phillies, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Slotting Moran in as an opener ahead of bulk reliever Brayan Bello last week against the Tigers worked out well, so the Red Sox will give that arrangement another try. The left-handed Moran has managed a 2.91 ERA in 12 appearances for Boston this season, but he's been wild while walking 14 over 21.2 innings.

The Orioles optioned Espada to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday.

The right-hander was called up by Baltimore on Sunday and will return to Norfolk without appearing in a big-league game. Espada fired a scoreless frame in his lone MLB appearance this year and has struggled to a 5.68 ERA across 10 relief outings at Triple-A.

Kolek is slated to start Tuesday's game against the White Sox in Chicago, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

After returning from the injured list and delivering a quality start against the Guardians in his 2026 MLB debut last Tuesday, Kolek was demoted to Triple-A Omaha a day later. However, with Cole Ragans (elbow) landing on the IL on Friday, the Royals opted to recall Kolek and will now plug him into Ragans' vacated spot in the rotation. Kolek tentatively lines up for a two-start week, with his second turn likely to come Sunday in St. Louis.

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said Monday that Joyce (shoulder) was scratched from a scheduled rehab appearance Sunday because "he wasn't recovering as fast as we wanted," Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Suzuki said he's "not concerned at all" about Joyce, who the team believes just "needed a couple days." Joyce has permitted two runs (one earned) with a 5:3 K:BB over four innings in his first four rehab outings with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. The pause in Joyce's rehab assignment could push back his timetable a bit, but he should still be back before the end of May as long as he's able to get back on the bump this week. The hard-throwing reliever is working his way back from labrum surgery on his right shoulder.

Martin (biceps) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday or Wednesday, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Martin, who has been in the 15-day injured list since April, made progress over the last week. He most recently threw a 25-pitch inning of live batting practice Saturday and is ready to rehab, likely at Triple-A Round Rock, which kicks off a series Tuesday against Sacramento. It's unclear how long Martin will need or if the Rangers will want him to throw on back-to-back days before activating the 39-year-old right-hander.

Baker earned a save against the Blue Jays on Monday, striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.

Baker entered with a three-run lead in the ninth frame and didn't facilitate any drama, retiring the side in order on 11 pitches (nine strikes). Since giving up a run and blowing a save against the Pirates on April 18, the right-hander has racked up nine straight scoreless appearances spanning 8.1 innings, posting a 10:1 K:BB and notching seven saves in that span. Baker is tied for second in MLB with 11 total saves on the campaign and seems to have a very firm grasp on the Rays' closer role.

Nunez earned a save against the Yankees on Monday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over one scoreless inning.

Rico Garcia had picked up the Orioles' past two saves after regular closer Ryan Helsley (elbow) landed on the IL on May 1, but Garcia was deployed in the eighth inning Monday to face the heart of New York's order (Ben Rice, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger). After Garcia got through that frame unscathed, Nunez entered in the ninth and worked around a two-out single to successfully close things out. It was Nunez's second save of the campaign -- his other one came April 22 versus Kansas City. Garcia has been dominant this season and remains Baltimore's primary ninth-inning option while Helsley is sidelined, but it appears manager Craig Albernaz is open to using Garcia earlier if the situation calls for it, which makes Nunez a candidate for occasional save chances.