MLB Player News

Speier allowed one hit in a scoreless inning with no strikeouts during Thursday's 9-2 loss to the Astros.

Speier turned in his seventh scoreless outing out of nine appearances in May. On the season, the 30-year-old owns a 2.25 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB with seven holds over 20 innings. Speier has been one of Seattle's top high-leverage options as the team's lone left-hander, locking into a setup role ahead of closer Andres Munoz.

Zeferjahn recorded a hold against the Athletics on Thursday, allowing one hit and issuing one walk while striking out one batter in one scoreless inning.

Zeferjahn entered in the eighth inning with the Angels up two runs and quickly got into trouble, allowing a walk and a single to the first two batters he faced. However, the righty reliever then induced a double-play groundout before striking out Brent Rooker to escape the jam. Zeferjahn has claimed a high-leverage role in a beleaguered Angels bullpen -- he's registered a hold in five straight outings to move into the team lead with eight this season. His 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP on the campaign aren't great, but he has 26 punchouts (along with 10 walks) in 18 frames while adding two wins and a save.

The Royals designated Renfroe for assignment Friday.

Renfroe opened the season with a regular role in Kansas City's outfield, but he started just eight of 20 games in May and has now been removed from the big-league roster. The 33-year-old struggled to a .182/.241/.242 slash line in 108 plate appearances after fading to a .689 OPS in 120 contests last year. Given that production, plus what remains of his $7.57 million salary for 2025, Renfroe is a safe bet to pass through waivers unclaimed.

The Royals recalled Loftin from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

The 26-year-old is taking the roster spot vacated by Hunter Renfroe, who has been designated for assignment. Loftin sports a .295/.451/.468 slash line with four home runs, 12 steals and a 22:39 K:BB over 40 Triple-A games. He's primarily been used at third base by Omaha this year but has also seen action at first base, second base and left field, and he could find opportunities around the diamond on a Royals club that's starved for offense.

O'Hoppe went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run in a 10-5 win against the Athletics on Thursday.

O'Hoppe gave the Angels a two-run lead with his 410-foot shot in the seventh inning. It was the backstop's third straight game with a long ball, and he's gone deep four times in total during that span while racking up six RBI. With the power surge, O'Hoppe is now tied for sixth in the majors with 14 home runs, and the only catcher to have more homers is Cal Raleigh (16).

The Twins activated Correa (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Friday.

Ryan Fitzgerald was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday without a corresponding move, paving the way for Correa to rejoin the active roster ahead of Friday's series opener versus Kansas City. The veteran shortstop missed exactly one week after suffering a concussion on a collision with Byron Buxton (concussion) last Thursday. Correa is batting .293 through 12 contests in May, though his .675 OPS is underwhelming since he has just one extra-base hit during that stretch.

The Orioles recalled Rogers from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Rogers is up as the 27th man for Friday's doubleheader against the Red Sox and will probably start the second game, although he could also be deployed as a bulk reliever. The left-hander began the season on the injured list with a knee issue and has struggled in five starts between Double-A Chesapeake and Norfolk, collecting a 7.71 ERA and 18:7 K:BB over 16.1 frames. Rogers went 4.1 innings and threw 80 pitches in his last start with Norfolk, so he should be prepared to handle a relatively normal workload if he does indeed start Friday's nightcap.

Cecconi is slated to start Friday's game against the Tigers in Detroit.

Cecconi had been on the shelf all season with a left oblique strain before returning from the 15-day injured list to make his Guardians debut last Saturday. Serving as a replacement in the rotation for the injured Ben Lively (elbow), Cecconi limited the Reds to three earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out eight across five innings. Though he ended up taking the loss in his debut, Cecconi performed well enough to earn another turn in the rotation. He could hold down a starting role with the big club for as long as Lively is sidelined.

Lauer is slated to start Friday's game against the Rays in Tampa.

The veteran lefty will pick up a second straight start and his third straight turn through the Toronto rotation, as he had previously served as a bulk reliever behind Jose Urena in a May 11 win over Seattle. Lauer has made four appearances in total for Toronto this season and owns a 2.25 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB across 12 innings. He should be able to hold down a rotation spot until either Max Scherzer (thumb) is cleared to return from the 60-day injured list, or Spencer Turnbull is built up enough in the minors.

Laureano (ankle) remains out of the lineup for the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Red Sox.

Laureano hasn't played since tweaking his left ankle in Tuesday's game versus the Brewers. He's expected back in action shortly, perhaps as soon as the second game of Friday's twin bill. Ryan O'Hearn and Heston Kjerstad are handling the corner outfield spots for the Orioles in the first game Friday.