MLB Player News

Uwasawa has made three starts for Worcester with a 4.80 ERA over 15 innings, but it appears the 30-year-old will be working out of the bullpen after being recalled from Triple-A. The 30-year-old won’t be a viable fantasy option as a multi-inning reliever.

Bazzana struck out, flew out to center field and drew a walk in three at-bats against Rays starter Nick Martinez during his highly-anticipated big-league debut at Progressive Field. He was denied a chance to deliver a potential game-tying or game-winning hit when he was intentionally walked by reliever Cole Sulser with two outs in the ninth inning. The 23-year-old’s combination of advanced hitting ability, plate discipline and power/speed combination should give him some immediate fantasy relevance, especially in deeper mixed leagues. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all leagues, especially OBP formats.

Sulser was brought in to protect a one-run lead in the final frame after Kevin Kelly got the call to put out a bases-loaded fire the previous inning. The 36-year-old veteran made things interesting by putting a pair of runners on-base, but still managed to preserve the win. Tampa Bay’s primary stopper Bryan Baker was likely unavailable for workload reasons after throwing 39 pitches while recording a pair of saves the previous two days.

Martinez was lifted from the contest following a leadoff walk to Travis Bazzana in the eighth inning after scattering three hits over seven frames. The 35-year-old veteran needed an economical 78 pitches (54 strikes) to work into the late innings of this one. He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in five consecutive starts to kick off his Rays debut and sports a sparkling 1.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 24/9 K/BB ratio across 37 innings of work. He’ll face the Blue Jays in a home matchup to kick off a two-start week on Monday.

Bibee finished with six strikeouts and handed out three free passes. He gave up only four hits with a fifth-inning single by Jonathan Aranda representing the lone tally against him. Unfortunately, he got zero run support and was saddled with a tough-luck loss. He’ll bring a pedestrian 4.08 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 32/14 K/BB ratio across 35 1/3 innings over seven starts into a road tilt against the division-rival Royals on Monday to open a two-start week.

This didn’t look good. Báez was unable to put any weight on his right leg and had to be carted off the field following an awkward slide into first base that left him on the ground in serious pain. He was 0-for-2 before leaving the contest. The major development here is that any sort of extended absence would leave the door open for top prospect Max Clark to take over as Detroit’s primary center fielder. There should be an update on his status shortly.

Mize is likely to undergo further evaluation and imaging to determine whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list. The 28-year-old righty left Tuesday’s start with a trainer in the third inning after allowing two runs over 2 1/3 frames. It would likely be Sawyer Gipson-Long taking his rotation spot, but that’s purely speculative at this point. There should be some clarity on his status in the coming days.

Gibson joins Miami’s relief mix with closer Pete Fairbanks hitting the injured list with nerve irritation. The 28-year-old lefty will be making his season debut when he gets into a game. He posted an encouraging 3.38 ERA over 34 2/4 innings last year in the big leagues.

Fairbanks heads to the shelf after leaving Monday’s save situation against the Dodgers with a nerve-related issue in his right thumb. There’s optimism he won’t require a lengthy absence, but he’s going to be out until at least mid-May. The logical candidates to handle the ninth inning role in his absence are Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender and Tyler Phillips. It’ll likely be a closer-by-committee situation.

Berríos threw 70 pitches in his latest rehab outing and could potentially return to Toronto’s rotation mix next week. He struck out two, issued a pair of walks and also served up two homers. The 31-year-old veteran is working his way back from a stress fracture in his elbow and figures to be ready in the near future, if he’s not activated next week.

Imai struck out two and walked three batters, needing 59 pitches (31 strikes) to record six outs in his first rehab start. He gave up six hits, including a home run. The 27-year-old has been on the shelf with arm fatigue since mid-April. He’s also indicated that he’s struggling to adjust to life in the majors both on and off the field in his stateside debut. All indications from the Astros are that they are going to take it extremely slowly and not rush him back.