MLB Player News

Alexander (1-1) took the loss against Texas on Tuesday, allowing nine runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Alexander could have had a very short outing Tuesday, as he gave up eight runs on five hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch in the first inning. To his credit, he remained in the game and at least spared Houston's bullpen, managing to finish six frames on 100 pitches while allowing just one baserunner -- on a solo homer by Evan Carter -- after the disastrous first inning. Still, Alexander's ERA took a big hit and jumped to an ugly 9.33 through 18.1 innings this season. Houston's staff is dealing with multiple injuries, so Alexander could continue to work as a starter, though that may depend on when Lance McCullers (shoulder) is ready to return.

Leiter (2-4) earned the win over Houston on Tuesday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Leiter had an 8-0 lead to work with after one inning, and though he didn't dominate, the right-hander did more than enough to finish with a victory for the first time since his initial start of the campaign. Leiter threw 60 of 95 pitches for strikes and notched 12 whiffs. The 26-year-old isn't setting the world on fire with a 4.75 ERA and 1.37 WHIP through 60.2 innings, but he's been giving the Rangers length of late by completing six frames four times over his past six starts. Leiter is projected to next take the mound this weekend versus Kansas City.

Suarez (2-3) took the loss Tuesday against Atlanta, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts across five-plus innings.

Suarez dealt with traffic on the bases in the second, third and fourth innings but went into the fifth with a 2-0 lead before Atlanta broke through on a Matt Olson two-run homer. Suarez then came out for the sixth inning but allowed the first three batters to reach before being pulled from the game at 91 pitches. Suarez entered Tuesday's start having allowed just one run on 11 hits and five walks with 14 strikeouts across 13.2 innings this month. However, Suarez has failed to go six innings in any of his last four outings and has done so just three times in 10 starts this season. On the year, he owns a 3.02 ERA and 47:17 K:BB across 53.2 innings.

Schlittler (7-2) earned the win over Kansas City on Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out six batters over six innings.

The Yankees had staked Schlittler to a 9-0 lead before he gave up his lone run of the game on a solo shot by Bobby Witt in the bottom of the third inning. It was an almost entirely stress-free outing for Schlittler, who needed only 77 pitches to notch his seventh quality start over his past eight outings. The right-hander hasn't given up more than two earned runs in any start during that span and holds a sparkling 1.50 ERA on the season. Schlittler is among the early leaders in the AL Cy Young Award race, adding a 0.85 WHIP and 81:13 K:BB through 72 innings.

Verlander (hip) is slated to throw around 4-to-5 simulated innings or 65-to-70 pitches Wednesday in a live batting practice session, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Rather than joining a minor-league affiliate for a rehab assignment, Verlander has been gradually ramping up his pitch count through a series of sim games. Verlander should be ready to handle something close to a starter's workload following Wednesday's session, but the Tigers will likely wait and see how he responds in the next couple of days after the workout before determining his next step. Verlander and Ty Madden (forearm) both appear on pace to return from the injured list within the next two weeks, and Tarik Skubal (elbow) isn't far behind them, so the Tigers will soon face some tough decisions with their rotation.

The Angels promoted Snead from High-A Tri-City to Double-A Rocket City on Tuesday.

A third-round pick in 2025, Snead had been one of the more dominant arms in the Northwest League to begin the season. Over his seven starts for Tri-City, the 22-year-old righty submitted a 2.80 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 24.3 K-BB% across 35.1 innings.

Cease (hamstring) was able to play light catch Tuesday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

While Cease's ability to play catch one day after landing on the injured list is an encouraging sign, the Blue Jays likely won't have a good feel for how much time his strained left hamstring will keep him on the shelf until he resumes taking part in fielding and running drills. For his part, Cease has optimism that he'll be in line for a minimum-length stay on the IL, which could allow him to return to the Toronto rotation as soon as June 9.

Severino is scheduled to make his next start Friday versus the Yankees in Sacramento, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander had been on track to take the hill Tuesday against the Mariners, but he'll wind up getting pushed back a few days in the pitching schedule as the Athletics make room in the rotation for lefty Gage Jump, who was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas. With Jump now slated to start Tuesday and Jeffrey Springs in line to start Wednesday's series finale with Seattle, Severino will wind up getting the ball Friday on seven days' rest in a matchup versus one of his former squads. The extra downtime could prove beneficial for Severino, who racked up a season-high 10 punchouts in his previous start last Thursday in Anaheim.

The Athletics placed Civale on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to right shoulder tendinitis.

Civale's move to the IL comes after he yielded a season-high seven runs over four innings in his start during Monday's 9-2 loss to the Mariners. The Athletics called up lefty Gage Jump to join the rotation in place of Civale beginning with Tuesday's game against Seattle. Though the Athletics are labeling Civale's shoulder issue as tendinitis for the time being, manager Mark Kotsay indicated that the right-hander would be sent in for further testing Tuesday as the club looks to gain a full understanding of the extent of his injury. The Athletics should have a better sense of a timeline for his return in the coming days.

The Athletics selected Jump's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday versus the Mariners in Sacramento.

Luis Severino had initially been lined up to take the hill Tuesday, but he'll be pushed back to Friday while the Athletics open up a start for Jump, who will be replacing the injured Aaron Civale (shoulder) in the rotation. A 23-year-old lefty, Jump earned the chance to make his MLB debut after submitting a 4.74 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 56:20 K:BB across 38 innings over his nine starts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Jump will call another hitter-friendly environment in Sutter Health Park his home venue as he moves up to the big leagues, so fantasy managers will have to weigh whether the strikeout upside he brings to the table is worth the risk he carries of inflicting damage in the ratio categories.