MLB Player News

Ward went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 4-1 win against Houston.

Ward went deep to right field in the fifth inning for the Angels' final run of the contest. The outfielder has slugged four long balls in his past four games after beginning the campaign with no homers over his first 10 contests. During the power surge, Ward is batting .353 with five RBI.

The Royals recalled Sisk from Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.

Sisk will make his MLB debut if/when he gets into a game with the Royals. Kansas City added the lefty reliever to its 40-man roster over the winter after he submitted a 1.56 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while striking out 81 batters in 57.2 innings with Omaha in 2024. He had gotten off to a nice start with Omaha this season, having yet to allow a run while striking out four over 4.2 innings.

The Royals placed Long on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to left elbow inflammation.

Long's move to the IL comes after he gave up three earned runs on two hits and two walks over one inning in relief in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Guardians. The elbow issue may have contributed to the left-hander's struggles this season, as he's turned in a 12.86 ERA and 2.43 WHIP across seven appearances. Kansas City called up southpaw Evan Sisk from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Sunday that Festa will start Wednesday against the Mets, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Festa was called up from Triple-A St. Paul to start Friday with Pablo Lopez (hamstring) on the injured list. He performed well, allowing one unearned run in 4.2 innings with four strikeouts in a no-decision against the Tigers. The Twins had said they planned to give two starters extra rest this week ahead of a long stretch of consecutive games, so Festa could be in line for just one more start in the majors before returning to Triple-A. However, with the Twins possibly shaking up the roster after a sluggish start to the season, it's possible the right-hander could remain in the majors with another strong outing.

The Red Sox selected Fulmer's contract from Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

After missing the entire 2024 season while recovering from UCL revision surgery, Fulmer had staged a successful comeback at Triple-A to begin the current campaign. Over 11.2 innings across three appearances (two starts), Fulmer gave up six runs (four earned) on seven hits and six walks while striking out 18 batters. Though he'll be joining the 26-man active roster as a replacement for starter Richard Fitts (pectoral), Fulmer is likely to work out of the Boston bullpen as a long-relief option.

The Red Sox placed Fitts on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a right pectoral strain, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Fitts was removed from Saturday's 3-2 loss to the White Sox in the sixth inning when he experienced pain in his shoulder. The Red Sox haven't provided a timeline for his return, but given the nature of his injury, Fitts will likely need more than the minimum 15 days. Boston selected the contract of right-hander Michael Fulmer from Triple-A Worcester to provide some bullpen depth in the short term, but long reliever Josh Winckowski or Triple-A starters Cooper Criswell or Hunter Dobbins would appear to be the most likely candidates to fill Fitts' spot in the rotation.

India (quadricep) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

India will head to the bench after he was removed in the sixth inning of Saturday's 6-3 loss due to right quad tightness, an injury the 28-year-old disclosed that he had been nursing for a few days before aggravating it while running the bases, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. After the game, India downplayed any concern about the issue and said that he expected to be available off the bench Sunday even if he didn't start. Maikel Garcia will pick up the start at third base and serve as the Royals' leadoff hitter Sunday.

Schmidt (shoulder) will return from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's game against the Royals, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The Yankees will wait until Wednesday to officially reinstate Schmidt from the IL, but he's been given the green light to make his 2025 debut after turning in a pair of strong rehab starts at Double-A Somerset. In his most recent outing Thursday, Schmidt struck out four over four scoreless innings while allowing three hits and and no walks. He tossed 61 pitches in that start, and while Schmidt will likely have his workload monitored closely Wednesday, he should be capable of reaching five innings if he's efficient.

Wells is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

He'll get a breather for the afternoon game after he started behind the dish in the first two contests of the series, going 2-for-6 with a double and an RBI. J.C. Escarra will draw the start at catcher Sunday.

Hill has a 2.45 ERA and 13:2 K:BB in 7.1 innings through his first two starts for Single-A Fort Myers. He reached 97.2 mph with his sinker during the outing, Seth Stohs of TwinsDaily.com reports.

Hill, the 69th overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, had an aggressive placement at Single-A out of high school to begin the season, and the initial results are encouraging. If the velocity gains he's showed hold up, the 19-year-old could move up prospect lists quickly.