MLB Player News

Pepiot (4-3) took the loss Monday against Baltimore, allowing four runs on nine hits and no walks over six innings. He struck out nine.

Pepiot struggled to contain an imposing Orioles lineup, allowing a career-high nine hits. However, it wasn't all bad for the Rays righty as he generated an impressive 16 whiffs en route to nine strikeouts. Following this four-run appearance, Pepiot has thrown a 4.17 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 68:16 K:BB over 58.1 innings this season. The 26-year-old faces another difficult test in his next start, scheduled to be at Atlanta this weekend.

Burnes (7-2) earned the win Monday against the Rays, allowing two unearned runs on five hits and one walk over seven innings. He struck out six.

Burnes dazzled in the series finale, shutting down Tampa Bay to collect his ninth consecutive quality start and 11th overall. The only blemish on the 29-year-old's evening was a two-run homer yielded to Alex Jackson that drove in a pair of unearned runs. Overall, Burnes now sports a 2.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 82:22 K:BB in 86.2 innings while being tied for the league lead in quality starts. The Baltimore ace is currently scheduled to make his next start against the Phillies at home this weekend.

Triple-A Las Vegas placed Salinas on its 7-day injured list June 2 with an unspecified injury.

Salinas was deactivated just three days after he was roughed up for four earned runs on three hits and five walks over 2.1 innings in his return to the Pacific Coast League after he had made his prior three starts with Double-A Midland. The 23-year-old righty owns a 4.60 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 50:34 K:BB in 43 innings overall between Las Vegas and Midland this season.

Wacha (foot) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

It will be the first time Wacha has thrown off a mound since he suffered a non-displaced left foot fracture back on May 31 when he was hit by a comebacker. The hope is that he will be able to rejoin the Royals' rotation before the end of the month, but he still has some steps to take in his progression and might need a rehab start.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that Kremer (triceps) will likely complete a minor-league rehab assignment prior to being activated from the 10-day injured list, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Kremer threw another bullpen session Monday, and while all presumably went well, the right-hander looks like he'll need some time in the minors to get stretched back out before he returns from the IL. The right-hander has been sidelined for three weeks with a right triceps strain and might require just one rehab start before rejoining the Orioles rotation, so a return from the IL next week looks plausible.

Povich will start Wednesday in Baltimore against Atlanta, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The Orioles will keep Povich around in the big leagues as part of a six-man rotation, though he may not be guaranteed any starts beyond Wednesday with Dean Kremer (triceps) nearing a return from the 15-day injured list. After being called up from Triple-A Norfolk last week, Povich underwhelmed in his first MLB start Thursday against the Blue Jays, yielded six runs on five hits and four walks over 5.1 innings while collecting just two strikeouts.

Williams (elbow) struck out three and allowed two earned runs on three hits and no walks over three-plus innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Columbus.

The Guardians seem to be building Williams up slowly as he works his way back from right elbow discomfort, an injury that first cropped up late in spring training after the 24-year-old hurt himself in a weighted-ball workout. Though Sunday's outing marked his third rehab outing, Williams was lifted after 50 pitches. He'll presumably need at least two more rehab starts to get stretched out to around 75 pitches, at which point the Guardians might be comfortable bringing him back from the 60-day injured list and inserting him into their rotation.

Lively returned to Cleveland on Monday to undergo further medical exams for an undisclosed injury, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

The injury presumably stems from Lively's most recent start in Miami on Saturday, when he was lifted from the game after throwing 65 pitches over five shutout innings. Per the Associated Press, manager Stephen Vogt said that Lively experienced some tightness after sitting for an extended period in the top of the fifth inning, when the Guardians erupted for six runs. Vogt didn't expound any further beyond that, but the fact that Lively temporarily left the Guardians to get examined more closely suggests that his early exit wasn't merely precautionary. The Guardians have off days Monday and Thursday and can get by with a shortened rotation for a bit if they choose, so Lively may not be in line to pitch during this weekend's series in Toronto even if he doesn't require a stay on the injured list. Lively has been a pleasant surprise for the Guardians and fantasy managers alike, as he's won each of his last five starts while ringing up a 2.54 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 28.1 innings.

Blackburn (foot) has shed his walking boot and is expected to begin a throwing program this week, MLB.com reports.

Although the right-hander remains without a timetable for return, this news is naturally encouraging. Blackburn isn't expected back before the All-Star break, considering he may need a full-length rehab assignment whenever he reaches that stage of his recovery.

Stripling (elbow) is set to begin a throwing program Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Stripling has been shut down from throwing since May 29, so this is certainly noteworthy news. The veteran right-hander will gradually up his throwing distance until he's deemed healthy enough to progress to throwing off a mound. Given the deliberate pace of his recovery, Stripling may not be a candidate for activation before the end of June.