MLB Player News

Martinez was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.

Martinez will lose his spot as rosters around the league shrink from 28 to 26. He'd been with the team since Tuesday but appeared just once, tossing one scoreless inning of relief Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Blanco was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.

Blanco began the season with the major-league club but posted a 7.11 ERA and 1.89 WHIP in 6.1 innings over seven appearances while serving as a low-leverage reliever. He had 22 saves with a 3.40 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 45 innings over 42 appearances in Sugar Land last year and will attempt to replicate his success in the minors before potentially rejoining the Astros at some point.

Pearson (illness) has joined the Blue Jays in Toronto and is slated to throw a bullpen session Monday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Pearson resumed throwing off a mound in mid-April, and he faced hitters last week. General manager Ross Atkins said the right-hander has been building up for a "bulky role" after missing the start of the regular season due to mononucleosis. Once Pearson is fully built up, he'll likely head to Triple-A Buffalo or serve as a multi-inning reliever in the majors.

Hill earned a hold against Pittsburgh on Sunday with a perfect eighth inning.

The Padres held a 3-1 lead when Hill came on in the eighth, but the Pirates had loaded the bases with no outs against Robert Suarez. Hill yielded a sacrifice fly to the first batter he faced but kept the damage to a minimum by subsequently inducing a double play. The lefty reliever has posted an unappealing 7.20 ERA on the season due to a pair of rough outings, but he has held opponents scoreless in six of his eight appearances overall.

Trivino (illness) drew the start and took the loss in Low-A Stockton's defeat at the hands of Fresno on Sunday, allowing five earned runs on five hits over one inning while recording two strikeouts.

Trivino's first time back on the mound since April 16 with the big-league club could hardly have gone any worse, as the right-hander struggled to get outs despite the low level of competition. Trivino threw 20 pitches overall -- arguably a bit low considering how much contact he surrendered -- and he may log at least one more rehab appearance given how poorly Sunday's went.

Kolarek, who fired two perfect innings during which he recorded a strikeout in a loss to the Guardians on Sunday, has now posted scoreless efforts in four of his six relief appearances.

The veteran southpaw has had one notable hiccup, that coming April 22 against the Rangers when he surrendered three earned runs on three hits and two walks over an inning. Otherwise, Kolarek has yielded just one other run across 7.2 innings, that coming in his first outing of the season April 12. Kolarek figures to continue serving in mostly a low-leverage role for the time being.

The Pirates optioned Howard to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Howard made three appearances out of the bullpen during his latest stint with the big club, covering two innings while giving up two earned runs on two hits and four walks. He was sent to the minors along with reliever Miguel Yajure on Monday with Pittsburgh needing to reduce its active roster from 28 to 26 players.

King earned a hold against Kansas City on Sunday, pitching 1.2 perfect innings during which he struck out two batters.

King came in with runners on first and second and one out with the Yankees leading by a run in the seventh inning and snuffed out the threat by getting Salvador Perez to ground into a double play. He continued his strong work in the eighth, collecting a pair of strikeouts and retiring the side in order. The superb outing was a continuation of the right-hander's dominant campaign thus far. King has allowed only one earned run on the season, giving him a minuscule 0.61 ERA through 14.2 innings. He has also picked up two wins, a save and three holds while posting a 22:3 K:BB.

Triple-A Columbus placed Gibaut on its 7-day injured list Monday with a dislocated finger on his right hand.

Prior to landing on the IL, the veteran reliever made seven appearances this season for Columbus this season, giving up six earned runs while striking out nine over 7.2 innings. Gibaut previously made three appearances in the majors with the Twins in 2021, but his lack of a 40-man roster spot will make it difficult for him to earn a call-up to Cleveland at any point in 2022.

Kahnle pitched in his first game Sunday since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020, and he threw a perfect frame during which he struck out two batters.

It's been a long road back to health for Kahnle, who suffered a UCL injury in his right arm during his first and only appearance in 2020 and subsequently opted for Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers signed him in December of that year with the knowledge that they likely wouldn't have his services until 2022, and their patience paid off as the right-hander was able to make his debut with the team Sunday. Kahnle looked great in the appearance, fanning two of the three batters he faced and retiring the side on only nine pitches. Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, the veteran reliever touched 98 mph with his fastball and got a whiff on each of the three changeups he hurled. Harris also reports that manager Dave Roberts stated Kahnle will be a "leverage guy" going forward, and he could immediately see some work in situations that would have previously been handled by Blake Treinen, who is on the injured list with a shoulder injury. Kahnle has plenty of career success to back up Roberts' trust in him, as he's registered a 3.81 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 while notching nine wins, 68 holds and four saves over 286 career relief apperances.