MLB Player News

Wilson is listed as the White Sox's starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Astros in Chicago.

The White Sox could end up deploying Wilson behind an opening pitcher like they did in his last appearance in Tuesday's loss to the Brewers, but in any case, the right-hander will be making his third straight turn through the rotation. Wilson failed to reach four innings in both his start and bulk-relief appearance, but he's progressively pushing up his pitch count after having pitched exclusively in relief before recently moving into the rotation following Martin Perez's (elbow) placement on the injured list. After tossing 58 pitches against the Brewers, Wilson could be ready to handle a 65-to-75-pitch workload Sunday.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that he plans for Matz to pitch out of the bullpen "at the moment," Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals went to a six-man rotation during a stretch of the schedule that was light on off days. However, they are idle for every Thursday in May, allowing them to shift back to a five-man setup for the time being. It sounds like Matz could re-enter the rotation at any point, though, with Marmol saying of Matz's usage that the club can "pick and choose based on how things are going." Matz has pitched well in both roles this season, posting a 1.00 ERA and 11:0 K:BB over nine innings in two starts and a 1.80 ERA and 9:3 K:BB over 15 frames covering seven relief outings.

Hoffman logged a save in Friday's 5-3 win over the Guardians, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.

Hoffman was brought in for the ninth inning to preserve a two-run lead, but it wasn't an easy going for the 32-year-old right-hander. He had runners on second and third after yielding a walk and a double, but Hoffman was able to escape unscathed after getting Gabriel Arias to ground out to third base. Hoffman needed 26 pitches (16 strikes) to secure his seventh save of the season, which may impact his availability for Saturday's contest.

Joyce (shoulder) said Friday that he's no longer throwing but will try again next week, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The fireballing reliever indicated that he has paused his throwing program because he didn't feel right while recently playing catch. Joyce was placed on the injured list April 11, and given his continued shoulder discomfort, he's likely at least a few weeks away from a potential return. Per Fletcher, tests on Joyce's shoulder haven't revealed anything beyond his original diagnosis of inflammation.

Phillips picked up the save in Friday's 2-1 win over Atlanta after working around one walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two.

In a somewhat interesting development, left-handed closer Tanner Scott was called upon to retire the bottom part of Atlanta's lineup, which included two right-handed batters, in the eighth inning for a hold. Phillips then replaced him in the ninth after a rain delay with the daunting task of putting out Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson, with Olson drawing a walk to get the possible tying run aboard before Phillips got Sean Murphy to ground out. It was the first save opportunity of the season for Phillips, who is now up to 4.2 scoreless innings with a 6:2 K:BB in six appearances this year.

Alexander (1-3) allowed two runs on three hits and struck out one over two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss Friday versus the Cubs.

The Brewers looked to shield Quinn Priester a bit in this contest, but Alexander's poor performance in the first inning ruined that plan. Alexander has allowed six runs over his last 7.2 innings across five relief appearances, including one scoreless three-inning effort that earned him a save. The southpaw looks to be a swingman at this point of the season, but he's pitched to an ugly 5.18 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB across 24.1 innings. He's typically a long reliever and has struggled in a variety of roles so far.

Lawrence cleared waivers Friday and elected free agency, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Lawrence was cast off Toronto's 40-man roster Wednesday, already marking the fourth time he's been designated for assignment this season. He'll elect to enter the open market this time around -- perhaps in search of a landing spot that might provide a bit more stability. He owns a 4.97 ERA and 1.66 WHIP with a 5:1 K:BB through 12.2 innings.

Bautista logged his sixth save of the season in Friday's 3-0 win over the Royals, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.

Bautista was tasked with preserving the Orioles' three-run lead and needed just 12 pitches (nine strikes) to get through the inning, inducing two groundouts with a strikeout in between. Bautista has converted all six of his save opportunities this season and has yielded just three walks and two hits over his last eight appearances (all scoreless), striking out nine batters.

Weaver earned the save against the Rays on Friday, striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.

Weaver came in for the ninth inning to preserve a three-run lead, and he did so with ease. He needed only 11 pitches (nine strikes) to close things out and finished the frame with back-to-back punchouts. Weaver has yet to yield a run over his 13 outings this season and has a 16:5 K:BB across 15 innings. He's taken over as the Yankees' go-to closer due to Devin Williams' poor start the season.

The Rockies recalled Blalock from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.

Blalock has appeared in three games (one start) for the Rockies this season, allowing eight runs on 12 hits and two walks while striking out three over seven innings. He was optioned to Triple-A on Monday, but he'll return to the majors to give the Rockies another arm in the rotation after Ryan Feltner (back) was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move.