MLB Player News

Sandoval is starting Saturday's game against the Athletics.

The 24-year-old southpaw is a starter by trade, but he has also worked out of the bullpen at times for the Angels over the last three seasons. Through 63.2 career innings as a big-league starter, Sandoval has a 5.80 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 54:29 K:BB -- his 4.18 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 23.2 innings as a reliever are more promising. The Angels have been working with a six-man rotation all season, and Sandoval represents a seventh starting option, so it is unclear if this outing will just buy everyone else some extra rest or if he has a shot at displacing someone else in the rotation.

Severino (elbow) is close to pitching in games, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Recordreports.

Severino's latest simulated game was reportedly a huge success, and a notable step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The righty will surely require a lot of rehab work to build up a starter's inning load, but there's reason for optimism that he'll return to the Yankees' rotation in the early part of the summer.

Suarez was optioned Saturday to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Suarez returns to the minor leagues after serving as the 27th man for Thursday's doubleheader, when he allowed a home run and struck out three in two innings of work. The lefty does appear to be the top bullpen option available in Triple-A and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him called up again this season.

Glasnow didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 9-7 extra-innings win over the Blue Jays, coughing up five runs on nine hits and a walk over 4.2 innings. He struck out two.

The Jays jumped on Glasnow for four runs through the first three innings, but the Rays were able to tie it up after he exited and get the right-hander off the hook for the loss. The two strikeouts were his lowest total of the year by far -- he hadn't fanned fewer than seven in any of his previous nine outings -- while the five earned runs tied his season high. Despite the speed bump, Glasnow will take a 2.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 87:21 K:BB through 62 innings into his next outing.

Flexen (4-2) took the loss against San Diego on Friday, allowing eight runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out one across 1.2 innings.

Flexen entered the contest with a respectable 3.46 ERA on the campaign and departed with that number having ballooned to 5.09. The Padres posted four runs against him in the first inning and another four in the second, forcing Flexen out of the contest after he retired only five batters. The right-hander gave up a pair of homers in the start after having yielded only three long balls through his first 39 innings of the season. He'll try to regain his footing in his next start, which is tentatively lined up to come at Oakland on Wednesday.

Quintana allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four over 5.1 innings in Friday's loss to the Athletics. He did not factor into the decision.

Quintana surrendered a third inning home run to Mark Canha. In addition, he allowed three doubles. The 32-year-old has struggled this season, posting a career-worst 7.92 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP in 30.2 innings. He has failed to post a scoreless outing or go deeper than five innings. Quintana has a 13.2 K/9, but his .410 BABIP reflects both bad luck and the hard contact he's giving up.

Kaprielian allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out nine across 5.2 innings in Friday's win over the Angels. He did not factor into the decision.

Kaprielian surrendered a home run to Jose Iglesias in the third inning and a long ball to Jared Walsh in the sixth. Despite that, he left the game with the lead. The 27-year-old has a 2.53 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with a 12.66 K/9 through 10.2 innings. He will continue to stay in the rotation as long as Jesus Luzardo (finger) and Mike Fiers (elbow) remain out.

Gibson yielded one run on four hits and two walks over six innings in Friday's win over Houston. He struck out four and did not factor in the decision.

Aside from an Aledmys Diaz RBI groundout in the second inning, Gibson kept the Astros pretty quiet Friday. He would've improved to 4-0 if the Rangers' bullpen didn't melt down in the eighth and allow Houston to force extra innings. Still, he lowered his season ERA to a terrific 2.24 with a 48:19 K:BB through 60.1 innings. Gibson is projected to face Seattle on the road next week.

McKenzie (1-3) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Twins after giving up six runs on two hits and five walks while fanning four across 3.1 innings.

McKenzie had massive issues finding the plate, allowing a season-high five walks while also throwing just 37 of his 72 pitches for strikes. The control woes are nothing new for the right-hander, as he has issued four or more walks in all but two starts this season while posting a 44:30 K:BB across 31.1 innings in 2021. His next start is scheduled for next week on the road against the Tigers.

Perez (2-2) earned the win Friday against the Phillies after giving up three runs on five hits and a walk while fanning seven across six innings.

Perez has pitched six innings in each of his last two outings while winning and securing a quality start in both, so it's safe to say he's now trending in the right direction following an uneven start to the campaign. He has given up two or fewer runs in six straight outings as well, and he will try to keep this impressive run going in his next turn on the rotation -- scheduled for next week at home against the Marlins.