MLB Player News

Cortez has been promoted to Double-A Rocket City and will be used in a relief role moving forward, Taylor Blake Ward of TheSportingTribune.com reports.

A second-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Cortez was used primarily as a reliever in college, but the Angels had attempted to develop him as a starting pitcher. However, while Cortez has shown good stuff in the minors, an 18.4 percent walk rate left the Angels little choice but to shift the righty to the bullen. Cortez could move quickly as a reliever, and he's in an organization known for aggressively promoting its prospects.

Berrios (elbow) surrendered seven earned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out one batter across 3.2 innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Buffalo.

Berrios tossed exactly 70 pitches for the second straight rehab appearance, but he lacked both command and control once again. After beginning his rehab assignment with a pair of starts in the Florida State League, Berrios has posted a 14.09 ERA, 2.22 WHIP and 3:6 K:BB while serving up five home runs over 7.2 innings since shifting to Triple-A. At this point, Berrios looks to be fully stretched out for a starting role, but his poor results in his last two outings with Buffalo don't offer much confidence that he would represent an upgrade over Eric Lauer at the back end of the rotation. The Blue Jays may wait and see how Lauer fares during his upcoming start Monday at Tampa Bay before determining Berrios's next steps.

McDonald is slated to be called up from Triple-A Sacramento to start Monday's series opener against the Padres.

The Giants optioned McDonald to Triple-A on Friday, but the fact that he's being listed as the team's probable starter for Monday suggests that another player will be placed on the injured list in a corresponding move to facilitate his call-up. The right-hander has appeared in five contests (four starts) with Sacramento this season, posting a 5.40 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 12:15 K:BB over 15 innings. Unless San Francisco ends up deactivating one of the five members of its rotation Monday, McDonald will likely be in line for just a spot start before heading back to Triple-A.

Kelly (1-3) took the loss Sunday against the Cubs, allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks with five strikeouts across 4.1 innings.

Kelly had the strikeout stuff working at Wrigley Field, but when he wasn't getting whiffs, the Cubs were punishing the right-hander. Moises Ballesteros took Kelly deep in the third inning, and it was Kelly's sixth homer allowed in four starts. After missing the first three weeks of the season, Kelly has limped to a 9.95 ERA and ugly 14:15 K:BB across 19 innings. He's been tagged for 19 runs across 13.2 innings over his last three outings and will try to right the ship next weekend at home against the lowly Mets.

Boyd (2-1) earned the win Sunday against the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts across six innings.

It was Boyd's first quality start of the season and the first time he's pitched at least six innings. After getting tagged for seven runs across 8.2 innings in two starts since returning from the injured list, Boyd was able to find some success Sunday. He threw 65 of his 94 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 6.00 with an impressive 31:6 K:BB across 24 innings this season. Boyd's 1.82 FIP entering Sunday suggests he's pitched significantly better than his box-score results. With an impressive 33.7 percent whiff rate, Boyd looks like a pitcher to buy in fantasy.

May (3-3) took the loss Sunday against the Dodgers, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts across six innings.

After getting tagged for 13 runs across 7.1 innings in his first two starts of the season, May has posted four quality starts in his last five tries. The right-hander dealt with plenty of traffic on the bases early Sunday, but he generated three double plays in the first four innings. May has plus stuff, but he's not getting many strikeouts, with just a 25:9 K:BB and 5.15 ERA across 36.2 innings. He's in the third percentile in whiff rate despite averaging 97.0 mph with his fastball. May has pitched better than his results and is lined up to take on the Padres in San Diego during next weekend's four-game set.

Lynch struck out three over 1.1 perfect innings to earn the save in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Mariners.

Lynch was tasked with getting the last out of the eighth inning and did so with no trouble before pitching a clean ninth as well. Lucas Erceg would normally get the closing call, but he had pitched the previous two days and was presumably unavailable for Sunday. Lynch had taken a blown save Friday against the Mariners but ended up with the win in that contest, which was just the third time he's been scored upon this season. He's at a 1.98 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 18:3 K:BB with a save and three holds over 13.2 innings this season. Lynch saw a bit of late-inning work last year and should continue to be in the mix for setup work, at least until Carlos Estevez (foot) returns.

Bubic (3-1) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven over seven innings to earn the win over the Mariners on Sunday.

Bubic turned in his fourth quality start of the season to pick up his first win since April 10 against the White Sox. The southpaw threw 63 of 94 pitches for strikes in this outing and limited the damage to a run-scoring fielder's choice in the third inning. Bubic lowered his ERA to 3.32 with a 1.13 WHIP and 42:19 K:BB across 40.2 innings over seven starts this season. While the walk rate is a still a bit lofty at 4.2 BB/9, he's been effective at limiting damage. Bubic's next start is projected to be at home versus the Tigers.

Castillo (0-3) allowed four runs on six hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch while striking out five over six innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Royals.

Castillo was doing fine until the fourth inning, when he allowed four straight batters to reach base to open the inning. Three of them came around to score, and the Royals tacked on an extra run in the sixth. Castillo has allowed at least four runs in five of his seven starts this season, though this is the third time he's allowed four earned runs. He has a 6.29 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 31:13 K:BB through 34.1 innings. Until Castillo is able to limit baserunners better, he is likely to continue having trouble preventing runs. His next start is projected to be on the road versus the White Sox.

Civale (3-1) earned the win Sunday, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks over six innings against the Guardians. He struck out three.

Civale was steady, working through traffic as a Chase DeLauter solo shot in the fifth inning served as the only blemish on his line while the veteran right-hander picked up his third win of the season. Inked to a one-year deal in February, Civale has delivered solid results in his first season with the Athletics, posting a 2.95 ERA and 1.34 WHIP while carrying a .304 BABIP, his highest mark since 2020, across 36.2 innings (seven starts). The 30-year-old's next start is tentatively scheduled for Saturday against the Orioles.