MLB Player News

Sale (5-2) allowed six runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight across 4.1 innings Sunday as he was tabbed with the loss against the Braves.

The Braves were able to get to Sale early, as they struck for three runs in the second inning, followed by three more in the fifth. Sale was removed after recording one out in the fifth, replaced by Brian Johnson, who allowed both of his inherited runners to score. The most alarming aspect of Sunday's start was his sloppy control. He entered the season with a 2.1 BB/9 but has walked nine batters over his last 17 innings. Despite a poor outing, Sale sits with a 2.76 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, while his next chance to improve those marks should come Friday against the Astros.

The Tigers are listing Boyd (oblique) as their scheduled starter for Monday's game against the Angels, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Boyd departed in the fifth inning of his last start May 22 against the Twins with oblique spasms, but his inclusion among Detroit's probable assignments for the upcoming four-game series suggests he completed a bullpen session over the weekend without incident. Though he has seen his velocity drop a few ticks from 2017, Boyd has been the most dependable member of the Detroit rotation this season, allowing no more than four earned runs in any of his nine starts this season and posting a 41:17 K:BB across 52 frames. Boyd is in store for a double dip during the Tigers' seven-game week, with his second turn falling Saturday at home against the Blue Jays.

Blackburn (forearm) threw four innings during his start at extended spring training Friday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Blackburn came out of the outing with no further setbacks in his recovery from the forearm strain, so he'll kick off a rehab assignment with High-A Stockton later this week. The right-hander is expected to work up to 60 pitches in his first rehab outing and will likely require at least 2-to-3 starts in the minors beyond that before the Athletics entertain activating him from the 60-day disabled list.

The Athletics optioned Bassitt to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Bassitt's demotion clears a spot on the 25-man roster for Frankie Montas, who was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move to start Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. The 29-year-old right-hander was up with the Athletics for just one day and went unused out of the bullpen in Saturday's 3-0 victory.

Montas was recalled from Triple-A Nashville ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the Diamondbacks, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Montas will step into the rotation spot of Brett Anderson (shoulder), who was replaced by long reliever Josh Lucas last week as part of a bullpen game. The 25-year-old Montas, who has worked exclusively as a starter at Triple-A this season and has produced a 4.39 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 41 innings, offers a more conventional rotation replacement, but he'll need to perform adequately Sunday to earn additional starts. If Montas is unable to deliver quality innings for the Athletics, Kendall Graveman would likely be next in line for a promotion from Triple-A to fill Anderson's spot.

Nicasio fired two perfect frames in an extra-innings win over the Twins on Saturday, recording five strikeouts.

Nicasio continues to bounce back in impressive fashion from a rough start to May, as he's now posted four consecutive scoreless efforts during which he's recorded seven strikeouts. The 31-year-old has whittled his ERA down just under a full run from 6.10 to 5.11 during that span, but he may see his workload as a setup option take a hit going forward with the arrival of Alex Colome via trade from the Rays.

Carrasco (6-3) picked up the win in Saturday's 8-6 victory over the Astros, surrendering five runs on seven hits and two walks over 5.2 innings while striking out eight.

The right-hander threw 70 of 108 pitches for strikes in snapping his personal two-game losing streak, but Carrasco's overall struggles continued Saturday. He sports a 5.55 ERA over his last six starts (37.1 innings) thanks mainly to a 1.7 HR/9, as his 43:10 K:BB has remained sharp over that stretch. He'll try to turn things around Thursday on the road against the Twins.

McCullers (6-3) took the loss against Cleveland on Saturday as the Astros fell 8-6, allowing seven runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over 4.1 innings while striking out two.

To say the right-hander didn't have his best stuff in this one would be an understatement. McCullers hadn't served up a home run since April 17, but Yonder Alonso's two-run shot in the fourth snapped a streak of 47 straight innings in which he'd kept the ball in the park. The seven earned runs also matched his total from the entire month of May coming into Saturday's game. McCullers will carry a 3.98 ERA into another tough test Thursday when he faces the Red Sox at home.

Gray (3-4) took the loss against the Angels on Saturday in an 11-4 defeat, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks over 3.2 innings while striking out seven.

The Yankees' offense actually staked the right-hander to a 4-1 lead after two innings, but Gray gave it all right back before getting the early hook. He threw only 52 of 86 pitches for strikes while getting tagged with at least five runs for the fourth time in his last eight starts. As a result, he'll carry a 5.98 ERA into his next outing Thursday in Baltimore.

Keller will start Wednesday's game against the Twins, Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star reports.

The Rule 5 pick threw 33 pitches in two innings Saturday, so he will have to come back a day early to make the start, meaning it will likely be the equivalent of a bullpen game. His longest outing of the month was a 43-pitch, three-inning appearance May 11, so expecting much more than three innings out of Keller in this start would be pretty optimistic. Keller has a shot at sticking in the rotation going forward, as Eric Skoglund (elbow) is out indefinitely. The 22-year-old righty has a 2.01 ERA and 13:7 K:BB in 22.1 innings of relief this season.