MLB Player News

Blackburn (finger) threw a side session Thursday and is slated to work up to 45 pitches in a rehab start for Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, the team's official site reports.

The right-hander recently returned from a short paternity absence and has also been on the mend from a blister that cut his last rehab start with the Aviators short back on April 16, leading to the postponement of his next outing. Blackburn is apparently ready to retake the mound as he inches closer to making his delayed 2023 season debut.

Bradley gave up four earned runs in 3.1 innings Thursday for Triple-A Durham and has a 16.00 ERA and 2.22 WHIP in nine innings across three starts since getting sent back to the minors April 25.

It's been a really rough stretch for Bradley since he was surprisingly demoted after racking up three wins with a 3.52 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 15.1 innings across his first three MLB starts. The reported purpose of his original demotion was to transition him to a five-day schedule as opposed to a six-day schedule, but his start Thursday against Charlotte was the first time he has actually pitched on a five-day schedule all season. It's unclear how much improvement Bradley will need to show at Triple-A before the Rays summon him again.

Williams has a 1.13 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 16 innings through three starts for Triple-A Columbus.

The hard-throwing righty was curiously assigned to Double-A to start the season, but he forced a promotion to Triple-A after just three starts. Cleveland has started a youth movement in the rotation, with Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen already up from Triple-A, and Williams is looking like a more intriguing option than Peyton Battenfield or even Cal Quantrill, but Aaron Civale (oblique) and Triston McKenzie (shoulder) could return from injury in the coming weeks to further complicate things. It seems like Williams is essentially big-league ready, so he could get the call at any point, but it's not a foregone conclusion that he will be up soon.

Clevinger pitched six innings against Kansas City on Thursday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out two batters and did not factor in the decision.

Clevinger allowed just three hits in the contest, but two went for extra bases, with a solo homer and a two-run double accounting for all the scoring against him. The right-hander otherwise put together a solid performance, finishing with his second quality start of the campaign. Clevinger continues to be in enigma in terms of strikeouts -- he's now fanned three or fewer batters in half of his eight starts, though he's racked up seven or more punchouts in three of the other four outings. That's part of a pattern of overall inconsistency from the veteran that has led to mostly uninspiring numbers this season, including a 4.79 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 35:18 K:BB over 41.1 frames.

Singer did not factor in the decision against the White Sox on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Singer was in desperate need of a strong performance after allowing 13 runs across 6.2 innings over his previous two starts. He rebounded nicely against Chicago, notching his second quality start of the campaign. Singer wasn't overpowering, but he allowed just five hits and retired eight of the final nine batters he faced. The right-hander's ERA still sits at an unattractive 7.71, and it will likely take an extended stretch of positive outings for fantasy managers to regain confidence in him.

Medina (0-2) took the loss Thursday, allowing three runs on five hits over six innings in a 4-0 loss against the Rangers. He struck out three.

Medina was solid in his second career start. Oakland's offense could not solve Nathan Eovaldi, rendering Medina's quality start useless. Through two starts, he has an 8.18 ERA and 9:3 K:BB. He has been bouncing between Triple-A and the majors over the last few weeks, making two appearances at each level since April 26.

Eovaldi (5-2) earned the win Thursday, tossing 8.2 shutout innings while allowing just three hits to Oakland. He struck out 12.

Eovaldi came up one out short of the complete game, as he allowed a double and a walk with two outs in the ninth. Will Smith came in to close the door and preserve the shutout. Eovaldi had a 5.20 ERA after five starts, but he has been incredible recently. Over his last three outings, the righty has pitched 25.2 scoreless innings. His ERA has plummeted to 2.70.

Ober allowed three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six batters over six innings in a no-decision against San Diego on Thursday.

Ober's outing didn't start off well, as he served up a solo homer to Fernando Tatis on the first pitch of the game. However, the right-hander rebounded from there, yielding just two more runs and completing six frames to record his second consecutive quality start. Ober's ERA actually jumped nearly a run (from 0.98 to 1.85) despite the solid outing, as he entered Thursday having given up one or zero runs in each of his first three starts. He's posted a 22:6 K:BB over 24.1 innings and has been a great find for fantasy managers after spending most of the first month of the season in the minors.

German (2-3) took the loss Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over 5.2 innings against the Rays. He struck out three.

German pitched well, but his teammates couldn't help him out. An Anthony Rizzo error led to the Rays' first run of the game. Ron Marinaccio came on in relief of German with two outs and a runner on first and allowed three runs to score before picking up an out. Plus, the Yankees offense failed to score until the ninth inning. German has surrendered just four earned runs over his last three starts, lowering his ERA from 5.54 to 4.00.

Rasmussen (4-2) earned the win against the Yankees on Thursday, with seven shutout innings while allowing two hits. He struck out seven.

For the second time this month, Rasmussen stifled the Yankees. He tossed 5.2 shutout innings Saturday and has not allowed a run in 21 career innings against the Yankees. The righty has been excellent for the first-place Rays this season with a 2.62 ERA. For the first time in his career, he is striking out more than a batter per inning, with 47 punchouts in 44.2 innings.