MLB Player News

Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday.

Rodriguez will head down to Norfolk after he's struggled on the mound recently, posting an inflated 11.14 ERA and 2.10 WHIP with 22 strikeouts over 21 innings in five starts in May. The 23-year-old has struggled with the long ball this season, surrendering 13 homers over his 10 outings. Rodriguez will now have an opportunity to get back on track with Norfolk before he inevitably gets another shot in the big leagues down the line. Keegan Akin was called up to replace Rodriguez on the major-league roster.

Blackburn (finger) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut in a start Monday against Atlanta, Alex Espinoza of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander will make his long-awaited first turn of 2023 after overcoming a cracked fingernail and subsequent blister as well as numerous rocky rehab outings. Blackburn finally appeared to find his footing in a five-inning start for Triple-A Las Vegas against Tacoma on Wednesday, allowing just an earned run over five innings while recording five strikeouts. Blackburn followed it up with a setback-free 25-pitch bullpen session Friday, teeing up Monday's debut. With the 2022 All-Star having worked up to 73 pitches in that most recent appearance for the Aviators, Blackburn shouldn't be on too restrictive a pitch count versus Atlanta.

Lyles (0-9) took the loss Friday as the Royals were toppled 12-10 by the Nationals, giving up five runs on six hits and three walks over five-plus innings. He struck out two.

The veteran right-hander was nursing a 2-1 lead through five innings, but both offenses erupted in the second half of the game, with Lyles getting chased by the three-run shot off the bat of Corey Dickerson. Lyles has served up multiple homers in seven of his 11 starts this season, getting tagged for 16 long balls over 61.2 innings in total to fuel his ghastly 7.30 ERA. He'll try to stop the bleeding in his next outing, likely to come next week at home against the Rockies.

Glasnow (oblique) was reinstated from the injured list as expected Saturday ahead of his scheduled start against the Dodgers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The oft-injured righty couldn't make it to the end of February before suffering his first injury of the season, a left oblique strain. His frequent absences are typically sandwiched between outstanding performances, as he's recorded a 2.75 ERA and 36.0 percent strikeout rate in 39 starts across his four years in Tampa. His 0.68 ERA across four rehab starts suggests there's reason to expect the same this season, though the Dodgers will be a difficult first test.

DeGrom (elbow) threw a 31-pitch bullpen session Friday, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.

DeGrom threw his fourth bullpen session in the last week-and-a-half and took a significant step this time out. The right-hander used his entire arsenal of pitches, something he hadn't done in the previous three sessions. The Rangers haven't made a decision about a rehab assignment for deGrom, who hasn't thrown more than 32 pitches in his four bullpens.

Wentz (1-5) took the loss Friday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over four innings during a 12-3 loss to the White Sox. He struck out four.

Wentz allowed at least five earned runs for a second straight game and the fifth time this season. He boasts an ugly 7.80 ERA across 10 starts this year (42.2 innings), but he was much better in limited work last year, posting a 3.03 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB over seven starts (32.2 innings). If Wentz continues at his current pace, the Tigers may send him down to Triple-A, but they currently don't have many big-league-ready options to replace the 25-year-old, as Spencer Turnbull (neck), Tarik Skubal (elbow), Beau Brieske (elbow), Casey Mize (elbow) and Matt Manning (foot) all remain on the injured list.

Lynn (4-5) earned the win Friday, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits and five walks across six innings during a 12-3 victory over the Tigers. He struck out five.

Despite allowing a season-high five walks, Lynn completed his third straight quality start Friday after tossing just one over his first eight appearances. The veteran's 5.83 ERA still appears rough, but he's allowed just four earned runs over his past 19 innings and still boasts an elite 72:24 K:BB across 11 outings (63.1 innings). Lynn will look to stay hot in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for the finale of a three-game set versus the Angels.

Detmers (0-4) took the loss Friday, allowing three runs on 10 hits and two walks over five innings against the Marlins. He struck out five.

While this wasn't a disastrous outing, Detmers has hardly had any standout starts this year, either. Outside of the southpaw's outing at Boston on April 16 (two runs over 6.1 innings), he hasn't been able to complete six innings in a game this season. With the 23-year-old posting a 4.93 ERA and 1.53 WHIP so far, he's not a trustworthy option at this point.

Kirby (5-4) took the loss Friday versus the Pirates, allowing seven runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out four over 4.2 innings.

Kirby came into this start having allowed just three homers in his first nine outings. The Pirates then launched four long balls off him, including Andrew McCutchen's blast on the second pitch of the game. This was Kirby's worst start of the season, and the second time he's given up four homers over his 35 career starts. The right-hander's ERA rose to 3.43 with a 1.10 WHIP and 51:6 K:BB across 63 innings. He hasn't had many disasters like this, though he is lined up for a challenging home start versus the Yankees next week as he looks to bounce back.

Varland (2-1) took the loss Friday, allowing three runs on seven hits over six innings against Toronto. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

The right-hander has made six big-league starts this season and given up more than three runs in only one of them. Homers remain Varland's biggest issue -- he's served up nine in 34 innings, and his 4.24 ERA hides an ominous 5.43 FIP.