MLB Player News

Kay didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 8-6 loss to the Phillies, surrendering six runs on seven hits and two walks over four-plus innings. He struck out four.

The left-hander was taken off the hook for a loss when the White Sox tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the seventh inning, but Kay still stumbled to one of his worst starts of the season, with homers by Brandon Marsh in the second inning and Adolis Garcia in the fourth accounting for a big part of the damage off him. Kay will take a 4.40 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 46:26 K:BB through 61.1 innings into his next outing, which is set to come at home against Atlanta.

Burke is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Brandon Eisert during Saturday's game in Philadelphia, Brooke Fletcher of Chicago Sports Network reports.

The top half of the Philadelphia lineup often features three tough left-handed hitters in Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh, so the White Sox will have the left-handed Eisert open the contest in an effort to avoid an early deficit. Once Eisert works the first inning or two, Burke should take over in relief and handle something close to the workload he would typically handle as a starter. The right-hander has been solid out of the front end of the Chicago rotation this season, delivering a 3.72 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 60:18 K:BB in 65.1 innings across 12 appearances (10 starts).

Eisert will serve as the White Sox's opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Phillies, Brooke Fletcher of Chicago Sports Network reports.

The top half of the Philadelphia lineup often features three tough left-handed hitters in Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh, so the White Sox will have the left-handed Eisert open the contest in an effort to avoid an early deficit. Once Eisert works the first inning or two, right-hander Sean Burke is expected to take over in bulk relief.

Valdez (3-4) picked up the win in Friday's 7-3 victory over the Mariners, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw wasn't particularly efficient, needing 102 pitches (61 strikes) to record 15 outs, but Valdez didn't give up any extra-base hits and shut the door on Seattle after the visitors scratched out a first-inning run. It was Valdez's first win since April 19, and over eight starts since that date he's managed a 4.85 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 39:18 K:BB in 42.2 innings. He'll look to build on Friday's performance in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Twins.

Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 7-3 win over the Mariners.

Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter hit matching two-run home runs to power the Tigers to victory. The slugging first baseman is riding a five-game hitting streak, a span in which he's gone 7-for-16 with two homers and five RBI. Torkelson is now up to nine long balls for the season to go along with a .726 OPS, and he seems to be getting back on track in June after mostly struggling through May.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay confirmed that Morris will start Saturday's game in Houston, Chris Correa of the Turlock Journal reports.

The Athletics called up Morris from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, and after he wasn't needed in relief in any of the ensuing four games, he'll make his MLB debut Saturday as the club's new fifth starter. Prior to receiving his promotion, Morris compiled a 4.45 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 49:26 K:BB over 60.2 innings with Las Vegas in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Since neither Luis Severino (shoulder) nor Aaron Civale (shoulder) appear especially close to returning from the injured list, Morris has a path to making multiple turns through the big-league rotation. If Morris performs poorly in Saturday's contest, however, the Athletics could swap him out of the rotation for Mason Barnett, who is stretched out enough to handle a starting role after tossing four shutout innings in long relief during Friday's 5-1 loss to the Astros.

Emerson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Tigers.

The 20-year-old rookie took Drew Anderson deep in the seventh inning as the Mariners tried in vain to rally from an early deficit. Emerson is finding his rhythm at the plate in the majors -- over his last 11 games, he's batting .316 (12-for-38) with eight extra-base hits, including three homers in his last six contests.

Gray (2-0) earned the win in relief Friday against the Guardians, tossing 1.2 perfect innings while striking out two.

Gray entered the game in the sixth inning and did not allow a single hitter to reach base. Gray seems to be turning things around of late, as he's given up just one earned run over his last four outings while posting a 7:0 K:BB in 4.1 innings in that stretch. That represents a huge bounce-back after he gave up nine runs (five earned) over a two-game stretch against the Astros and Rockies between May 18 and May 25.

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 7-3 win over the Mariners.

Carpenter popped his second home run in the last three contests to get to eight long balls for the season. The 28-year-old outfielder recently returned from a three-week absence due to an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder, and he's gone 6-for-15 with the two homers and five RBI in his four games back. It appears that Carpenter is fully recovered from the injury and primed to produce at a high level as long as he remains healthy.

Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and two stolen bases in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Tigers.

The steals were Rodriguez's first since May 16, and he's up to seven on the season in nine attempts. The star center fielder has been doing more damage with his bat of late, and over his last 16 games he's slashing .284/.310/.627 with five doubles, six homers, nine runs and 12 RBI.