MLB Player News

The Yankees optioned Beeter to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The move corresponds with the Yankees calling up Tanner Tully. Beeter made New York's Opening Day roster as part of the bullpen, and he threw a scoreless ninth inning in Friday's win over the Astros. Beeter will get some reps in Triple-A and work towards returning to the majors.

Graterol (shoulder) threw long toss with Blake Treinen (lung) on Saturday from roughly 150 feet, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Manager Dave Roberts noted Thursday that Graterol still has a long way to go before being ready to return to the Dodgers' bullpen, but seeing him throw again is certainly an encouraging sign. The 25-year-old right-hander has been dealing with shoulder inflammation since early March and will need to continue progressing through his throwing program before a return timeline can emerge.

Treinen (chest) threw long toss from roughly 150 feet Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Saturday marks the first time Treinen has thrown since landing on the injured list March 19 with a bruised lung. He is reportedly still dealing with a bit of discomfort in his chest area, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, so he shouldn't be expected to return anytime soon. A return timeline may emerge once the 35-year-old righty is able to throw off a mound.

The Astros activated Abreu from the restricted list Saturday, per MLB's transaction log.

Abreu has served his two-game suspension for intentionally throwing at the Rangers' Adolis Garcia in Game 5 of the ALCS in 2023. Abreu will be available for Saturday's game against the Yankees.

Stephenson (shoulder) threw off the mound Friday and noted that he hopes to be back by the end of April, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson has been dealing with right shoulder soreness since late February. His availability for Opening Day was taken off the table during spring training before he was ultimately placed on the Angels' 15-day injured list Thursday. Stephenson spent the 2023 season between the Pirates and Rays, posting a 3.10 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 77:16 K:BB over 52.1 innings.

Beeter allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning during Friday's game against Houston.

Beeter's MLB debut came in the bottom of the ninth frame with New York up 7-1. His first pitch was grounded by Jose Altuve to right field for a single, but Beeter then induced a one-pitch double play groundout off the bat of Yordan Alvarez before getting Kyle Tucker to fly out on one pitch. Altogether, Beeter needed just three pitches to get through the frame. The right-hander didn't win a starting job out of camp despite a strong spring training, but he made the Opening Day roster as a long reliever and could be first in line to move into a starting role should another injury hit the Yankees' rotation.

Kerkering (forearm/illness) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

Kerkering is officially on the 15-day IL with a right forearm strain, but his rehab assignment will build him back up after he missed most of the Grapefruit League schedule due to a bad case of the flu. As a reliever, the 22-year-old righty shouldn't take long to prepare for a return to Philadelphia's bullpen, so he could be able to come off the IL when eligible April 9.

Clarke underwent surgery Saturday to repair the meniscus damage in his right knee, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Clarke was originally expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks as a result of his injury, but his return timeline may be significantly extended by the procedure. A return later this season isn't completely out of the question, but it will depend on how quickly the 30-year-old righty is able to recover.

The Orioles optioned Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday.

Vespi was called up to the Orioles' 26-man roster for the season opener Thursday after Jacob Webb (personal) was placed on the team's paternity list. Vespi will now return to Triple-A and await his next call up to the majors. With Norfolk last season, Vespi posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB over 38.2 innings while tallying seven saves.

Stanek was credited with a hold in the win over the Red Sox on Friday, allowing a hit and a walk over two-thirds of a scoreless inning. He struck out one.

Stanek was far from his sharpest, but the veteran setup man managed to prevent any damage to the Mariners' razor-thin one-run lead in the eighth with the help of Andres Munoz, who closed out the frame with runners on the corners. The fact Stanek was a bit rusty -- he threw just seven of 17 pitches for strikes -- isn't necessarily surprising, considering he worked just three innings for the Mariners in Cactus League play after being acquired from the Astros on March 8.