MLB Player News

McArthur took a blown save in Friday's 11-8 loss to the Padres, allowing four runs on four hits without retiring a batter.

McArthur inherited a brutal situation from John Schreiber, who left the bases loaded with no outs in the eighth inning. McArthur let all three inherited runners score after allowing four straight singles, and Will Klein was unable to slow the Padres' rally. While he's still a high-leverage option, McArthur was awful in May with a 9.00 ERA and 1.90 WHIP over 10 innings while going 4-for-7 in save conversations. He's at a 5.32 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 23:3 K:BB through 23.2 innings, and he's giving up too many hits to find long-term success, though the Royals lack relievers who have pitched well over the last month.

Romano was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to May 30, with right elbow inflammation, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Romano was unavailable for Friday's 5-3 victory over the Pirates due to right elbow soreness and he'll now be forced to miss a couple weeks of action while nursing the injury. The 31-year-old produced a 9.00 ERA and 1.88 WHIP over eight innings, while suffering a blown save and being tagged with a pair of losses in nine appearances with Toronto in May, so the time off could serve as a reset button for him. In the meantime, left-hander Brendon Little was called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday to replace him on the major-league roster. In Romano's absence, Yimi Garcia and Chad Green represent a pair of candidates to absorb the ninth-inning role.

Schreiber (3-1) allowed three runs on three hits over one-third of an inning, taking the loss Friday versus the Padres.

Schreiber got the final out of the seventh inning but put three straight batters on base to begin the eighth. James McArthur relieved him and couldn't stop the Padres' rally in what ended up being a nine-run frame. After looking like one of the Royals' most dominant relievers in April, Schreiber posted a much worse 6.52 ERA and 2.17 WHIP over 9.2 innings in May. He's at a decent 3.00 ERA on the year, but his 1.33 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB over 24 innings are concerning, as he's giving up too many hits and striking out too few batters. Schreiber has a save and 14 holds on the year while operating in a setup role.

Dubin was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Dubin will return to Houston after being sent down May 17. The right-hander has appeared in nine games with the Astros this season, producing an inflated 6.59 ERA and 1.61 WHIP over 13.2 innings on the mound.

Speas was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Speas will head back to Sugar Land after appearing in Friday's 6-1 loss to Minnesota, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two batters over a pair of frames on the mound. Shawn Dubin was recalled from Triple-A to replace him in Houston's bullpen Saturday.

Muller (shoulder) is slated to be evaluated by team doctors next week, MLB.com reports.

Muller was scratched from his start Thursday and subsequently placed on the injured list due to left shoulder tendinitis, and he's been shut down from throwing for the time being. Team doctors will take a closer look in the coming days at how the rest might be aiding his progress, and a determination of when Muller might be able to begin a throwing program will be made at that point.

Stanek (3-0) got the win over the Angels on Friday, firing a perfect eighth inning during which he recorded two strikeouts.

Stanek came into the game tasked with preserving a newly minted 4-4 tie and quickly retired Luis Rengifo, Mickey Moniak and Taylor Ward -- the latter two on swinging strikeouts. The veteran right-hander then became the pitcher of record when Ty France slugged a go-ahead home run in the home half of the frame. Stanek now has four consecutive two-strikeout, one-inning appearances, and he's posted a 2-0 record with a 2.70 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, one save and two holds in his last seven outings overall.

Hendriks (elbow) threw fastballs and breaking balls off the front of the mound Thursday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Moving to any part of a mound represents another step forward in Hendriks' rehab from Tommy John surgery. The reliever had previously thrown off flat ground only.

Urena (1-5) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks over 2.1 innings as the Rangers fell 8-2 to the Marlins. He struck out one.

An error by Marcus Semien in the third inning did Urena no favors, but the right-hander also wasn't fooling anyone, managing only five swinging strikes among his 65 pitches before getting the hook. Urena is on his fifth team in four seasons since leaving Miami after the 2020 campaign, and while he sports a solid 3.74 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through 45.2 innings for Texas this year, his 5.61 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over the prior three seasons suggest regression is coming. If he gets another turn through the rotation, Urena lines up for a home start next week, either Wednesday against the Tigers or Friday against the Giants.

Munoz allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-4 win over the Angels.

Munoz's scoreless streak is up to six innings, and he allowed just one run over 13.1 innings in May while converting all seven of his save chances during the month. The closer is 12-for-13 in save chances this year. He's been hard to hit with a 1.42 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 35:8 K:BB over 25.1 innings as the Mariners' top ninth-inning option. Munoz needs one more save to match his career high from last year.