MLB Player News

Paxton was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday with a left forearm strain.

This is a brutal blow, as Paxton marks the third Mariners starter to hit the DL this season (Felix Hernandez and Drew Smyly were the others). Paxton was off to an impressive start to the campaign (1.43 ERA and 45:11 K:BB through his first six starts), but he nearly doubled his walk total in his last start, so it isn't all too surprising that something was up with him. It's unclear how long Paxton will be sidelined with the ailment, but the move is retroactive to his last start, so he'll be eligible for activation May 13 if he's ready. A timetable for return, as well as his possible replacement, should become clearer as more information becomes available.

Rucinski was called up by the Twins from Triple-A Rochester on Friday, Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage reports.

Rucinski has pitched solidly at the Triple-A level in 2017, posting a 3.48 ERA and an impressive 11.32 K/9 over 10.1 innings. He'll look to provide the Twins with some added depth to a bullpen that has been worn fairly thin.

Ramirez was activated by the Blue Jays on Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Ramirez was added to the Jays' active roster just a day after being claimed off waivers. It's unclear what role Ramirez will serve with the Blue Jays, but given he holds an 8.91 ERA and 1.84 WHIP from 10.1 innings with the Giants earlier this season, he'll likely only see low-leverage situations.

Musgrove (1-3) surrendered five runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out five in Thursday's 10-4 loss to the Rangers.

The Rangers avoided a series sweep by taking advantage of enough of Musgrove's mistakes. The right-hander's command, particularly with two strikes on batters, was spotty. He gave up four hits and three runs on two-strike counts. His next turn through the rotation is due next Wednesday but don't be surprised if the Astros push him back to Thursday in order to get Dallas Keuchel on the mound with normal rest.

Meyer (0-1) was hit hard Thursday, giving up six runs on eight hits while walking three and striking out four in a loss to the Mariners.

The 27-year-old continues to struggle despite being given every opportunity to succeed. He lacked control and command Thursday, falling behind early in counts, leading to either walks or hard contact. Meyer possesses a high-90s fastball and a big curveball, but he has abandoned his changeup completely, leaving the tall righty with a repertoire probably better suited for the bullpen. The Angels are dealing with several injuries to their starting rotation, so Meyer should continue to see starts going forward, but fantasy owners shouldn't follow suit until he shows some consistent success on the mound.

Meyer was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake City on Thursday.

Meyer is set to take the mound Thursday against the Mariners in replacement of Tyler Skaggs, who was recently placed on the disabled list with an oblique strain. In a corresponding roster move, fellow pitcher Brooks Pounders was optioned back to Triple-A.

Nolasco said that his injured calf feels fine and he expects to make his next start Monday against the Athletics, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Nolasco was hampered by calf cramps during his Wednesday start against the Mariners in which he surrendered four runs over 4.1 innings pitched. It appears that the calf issue hasn't lingered and the 34-year-old plans to be available for his upcoming start on Monday against the Athletics. Nolasco is sitting on a 4.68 ERA with six starts under his belt in 2017.

Gibson was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after Thursday's game, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune reports.

This doesn't come as too much of a surprise, as Gibson has been awful to start the year. The 29-year-old notched his fourth loss of the season Thursday after he allowed four runs on eight hits, bringing his ERA to 8.20 on the season. Gibson also held a 16:13 K:BB through his first six starts (26.1 innings). The Twins have yet to announce a corresponding roster move.

Asher was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Asher pitched well in his spot start Tuesday, but following Wednesday's contest in which the bullpen was used heavily, he'll head back to the minors to give Gabriel Ynoa a chance to bolster the relief corps. Asher could find his way back up to the big leagues relatively soon thanks to his solid performance, although Chris Tillman's (shoulder) impending return from the DL could make things too crowded in the big leagues for Asher to get a fair shake.

Miley -- who owns MLB's third-worst BB/9 at 5.52 -- is working through the growing pains of a major mechanical adjustment meant to, above all, improve his command, SB Nation's Nick Cicere reports.

An informal talk with Orioles legend Scotty McGregor during a batting practice session last year led to a discovery. McGregor, a fellow left-hander who spent his entire career (1976-88) with Baltimore, noticed that Miley was rushing through many steps in the pitching process. "The talk I had with him in the outfield last year kind of stuck with me," said Miley. "I was kind of working too hard throughout games and trying to do too much." Although the 30-year-old's current walk rate is atrocious, Miley noted that he is, to an extent, trying to work off the plate more than ever before. He's changing his mentality and looking to get hitters to chase pitches out of the zone. "It sounds kind of crazy, but my misses were killing me last year, I was missing over the plate. Now, my misses are off the plate." That's not to say Miley finds his 2.0 K/BB acceptable, but he understands it's part of the learning curve. Even though his lack of control can hurt owners, the starter has offset the damage by posting a career-high 11.0 K/9 through 31 innings thus far. Across the board, Miley's numbers suggest something major is changing in the way he's going about his seventh MLB season.