APRIL 5, 2021•NORTHJERSEY.COM
New York Yankees announce Monday lineup vs. Baltimore OriolesThe Yankees take on a surprising Orioles team that is coming off a sweep of the Red Sox.
Steven Matz on upcoming debut | 04/04/2021Steven Matz talks about the confidence he has ahead of his upcoming season debut with the Blue Jays and his excitement to compete
APRIL 5, 2021•MLB.COM
May not be used on consecutive daysMerryweather may not be ready to pitch on back-to-back days yet, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.
ImpactThe right-hander was one of the stars of the season's opening weekend, dominating the Yankees with triple-digit heat to rack up his first two career saves, but Merryweather almost didn't make the initial 26-man roster due to back tightness late in the spring. Given his lengthy injury history the Jays intend to be very careful with his workload, which will keep the 29-year-old from pitching on consecutive days early in the season, and manager Charlie Montoyo also suggested that the club would only use Merryweather to begin innings rather than bringing him in to handle a jam. That leaves the door open for other relievers such as Jordan Romano to get save chances, but Merryweather has quickly established himself as a key piece of the late-inning puzzle for Toronto this season.
APRIL 5, 2021•ROTOWIRE
Making progress from oblique strainBlue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said that Springer is doing "really well" in his recovery from a left oblique strain and should take part in live batting practice Tuesday, Arden...
ImpactSpringer has yet to ramp up his running since being diagnosed with the Grade 2 groin strain March 23, but if he checks out well during Tuesday's live BP session, he could have a chance at making it back from the 10-day injured list during this weekend's series with the Angels. In an effort to avoid a setback with the oblique, Springer could see more usage at designated hitter initially once he rejoins the active roster. Rowdy Tellez would be the primary candidate to lose out on at-bats in that scenario.
APRIL 5, 2021•ROTOWIRE
Abbott won’t throw pitch, rebuffing MLB voting-rights stance
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declined to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Texas Rangers' home openerAPRIL 5, 2021•ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shines in long reliefKing pitched six scoreless innings against Toronto on Sunday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three. He did not factor in the decision.
ImpactStarter Domingo German was removed after yielding three runs across three frames, and the Yankees subsequently handed the ball to King. The right-hander went on to dominate Blue Jays hitters, giving up only a fourth-inning walk and single while retiring the final 16 batters he faced. King ended up throwing as many pitches (68) across his six innings as German did in three, with 48 of the former's throws going for strikes. King will likely be unavailable for a few days due to the extended outing, but it is a positive sign that he looked so good in his first appearance of the campaign after struggling to a 7.76 ERA with the big club last season.
APRIL 5, 2021•ROTOWIRE
Gets breather MondayGurriel is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers.
ImpactHe'll cede his spot in the outfield to Jonathan Davis, who gets his first start of the season. Gurriel started all three games of the Blue Jays' season-opening series loss to the Yankees over the weekend, going 3-for-12 with an RBI and a run.
APRIL 5, 2021•ROTOWIRE
