MLB Player News

Bassitt (lower leg) was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.

Bassitt had already been with Las Vegas while on a rehab assignment. He'll remain there as a normal member of the team for now but will have a shot to be called up when the Athletics next need a starting pitcher.

Sale will throw to his preferred catcher, Sandy Leon, Tuesday against the Yankees, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Leon was designated for assignment prior to the season in favor of Blake Swihart, but the Red Sox elected to bring him back at Swihart's expense Tuesday. Sale's start to the season has been concerning enough that there's no reason to believe Leon's return will cure everything (and it certainly won't increase his velocity), but throwing to his favorite batterymate should be at least a small positive.

Whitley lasted 1.1 innings Monday in his start for Triple-A Round Rock, conceding five runs on four hits and two walks while striking out one in a 10-2 loss to Memphis.

Making his second appearance of the season, Whitley endured one of the roughest outings of his largely immaculate minor-league career. The right-hander wasn't merely the victim of bad luck on balls in play either, as all four of the hits he surrendered were doubles. One poor outing in a hitter-friendly environment won't dim Whitley's long-term outlook or change his standing as baseball's top pitching prospect, though it could give the Astros some pause about accelerating his arrival to the majors.

Mejia was used in the eighth inning to protect a two-run lead, but gave up four runs on four hits including a home run over two innings in Monday's loss to Toronto.

Mejia did strike out out two batters with no walks, but couldn't protect the lead in a disastrous eighth inning before finishing the ninth inning. He's given up eight earned runs in 7.2 innings with two home runs and five walks, as he's struggled so far in moving to a relief role.

Kikuchi (0-1) allowed three runs on three walks and five hits in six innings while taking the loss against Cleveland on Monday. He struck out five batters and gave up a home run.

Kikuchi has struggled so far in his first MLB season but he had just three walks in 21.2 innings before Monday's outing. He allowed three hits and a walk in the first inning alone and eventually gave up a long ball to Jose Ramirez in the third. Still looking for his first win, he'll see the Angels on Saturday.

Perez gave up one run on seven hits with two walks while striking out five through six innings in a no-decision against the Blue Jays on Monday.

Perez allowed nine baserunners but found a way to get out of several jams as he earned a quality start against the Blue Jays. He was in line for the win before the bullpen blew it in the eighth inning. It was the first start of the season for the left-hander, as the Twins had been working with a four-man rotation in the early going. Through four appearances, the 28-year-old has a 5.02 ERA and a 17:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Perez is scheduled to get his next start Saturday on the road against the Orioles.

Cobb (back) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The activity should offer the Orioles a gauge of Cobb's health heading into the weekend, when he could be activated to start one of the team's three games at home versus Minnesota. Cobb was able to play catch over the weekend without experiencing any issues related to his lumbar strain and shouldn't need a rehab assignment before returning from the 10-day injured list.

Kikuchi (calf) will make his next scheduled start Monday against the Indians.

Kikuchi was limited to 80 pitches in his last outing Wednesday against the Royals after succumbing to calf cramps, but the issue never seriously threatened his availability for his fifth start of the season. The lefty isn't expected to face any limitations as he takes on an anemic Cleveland offense that ranks 28th in the majors this season with a 60 wRC+.

Luzardo (shoulder) is making encouraging progress from the left rotator cuff strain that shut him down in late March, Dave Sessions of MLB.com reports. "Luzardo feels absolutely fantastic, but he's still not throwing yet," manager Bob Melvin said. "He's champing at the bit -- he wants to throw. But we also understand for a guy like him, when you set a timetable, there's really no need to speed it up. We just want to make sure when he comes back, he's fully healthy."

Luzardo wowed this past spring, to the extent he prompted plenty of talk about the possibility of securing an Opening Day roster spot. His shoulder issues put an abrupt end to that speculation, but the 21-year-old appears to be on a steady road to recovery. With the big-league rotation at full health at the moment, Luzardo may be headed for Triple-A Las Vegas whenever he is ready to officially kick off his 2019 campaign. Prior to activation, however, he's likely to log at least a couple of rehab outings to ensure his shoulder is up to the rigors of the regular season.

Kluber allowed six runs on six hits and five walks while striking out four across 2.2 innings during a no-decision against the Royals on Sunday.

Both starters in this one struggled, so despite the short outing, Kluber avoided another loss. However, he's failed to pitch four innings and given up at least four earned runs and three walks in two of his last three outings. That's the main reason why Kluber owns a 6.16 ERA and 1.84 WHIP through four starts. He is also 1-2 with 21 strikeouts in 19 innings. Kluber will look to get back on track against the Braves at home Saturday.