MLB Player News

Lakins (elbow) moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday and allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out a batter in his three-inning appearance for the affiliate.

Lakins has already spent more than the minimum 60 days on the injured list, and based on his workload Sunday, he appears equipped to handle a multi-inning role out of the Baltimore bullpen. He could be a candidate to be activated Thursday, when the 26-man roster expands to 28.

The Rangers placed Sborz on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow sprain.

Sborz is eligible to return around the middle of September, but elbow sprains typically require more extended absences. A.J. Alexy was recalled to fill Sborz's spot in the Rangers' bullpen.

The Rangers recalled Alexy from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.

The right-hander, who has allowed three runs across two big-league relief appearances this season, rejoins the Rangers to replace Josh Sborz (elbow) in the bullpen. Alexy has never pitched particularly well in the big leagues and figures to handle low-leverage innings for however long he's at the MLB level.

Holmes struck out one batter in a perfect inning in Monday's loss to the Angels.

Holmes was activated from the injured list early Monday, and he was brought in with a runner on first base in the seventh inning with the Yankees down by two runs. The righty reliever was sharp, throwing six of seven pitches for strikes and notching one punchout. Holmes had been struggling in a closing role prior to hitting the IL, but he could reclaim that role quickly if he shows that he's back to form.

The Rays recalled Yarbrough from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Tampa Bay optioned Yarbrough to Triple-A on Saturday since the team planned to get by with a four-man rotation during its five-game week, but reliever Ryan Thompson's (triceps) move to the injured list Tuesday prompted the team to bring Yarbrough back from the minors earlier than anticipated. Yarbrough is expected to work out of the bullpen for the next few days before likely slotting back into the rotation when a fifth starter is next required Sept. 6 versus the Red Sox.

Kelly allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Twins.

Kelly, who was part of a bullpen shakeup following a blowout loss Sunday, made his MLB debut Monday. The 27-year-old Kelly and Kaleb Ort were called up, while Austin Davis and Hirokazu Sawamura were DFA'd. The bullpen has been a mess all season, and general manager Chaim Bloom needs to address it during the offseason. For now, the Red Sox are hopeful Kelly, who had a 2.72 ERA for Triple-A Worcester, could become a discovery like John Schreiber, a 28-year-old with a 2.22 for Boston in 2022.

Herget earned a save against the Yankees on Monday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter while allowing zero runs over two-thirds of an inning.

Lefty Jose Quijada opened the ninth inning with the Angels clinging to a one-run lead, but he exited after retiring Anthony Rizzo for the first out. Herget came in and worked around a two-out single to close the contest and pick up his second save in the past three days. Quijada's last save came over two weeks ago, and Ryan Tepera hasn't saved a game since Aug. 8, so it's fair to assume that Herget has worked his way to the top of the committee. Through 10 appearances in August, he has given up only one earned run while registering a 16:4 K:BB over 16 innings.

Lopez struck out one batter in a perfect inning and earned a save over the Red Sox on Monday.

Lopez needed just nine pitches to finish off the 4-2 victory. He picked up his first save since Aug. 19 and he's now converted 23 of his 29 chances this season. Lopez is sporting a 9:4 K:BB with a 2.45 ERA through 11 innings since joining the Twins.

Jimenez said Sunday that he's not expected to require surgery on his strained right shoulder and is optimistic that he'll be ready to go for spring training, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Jimenez's season came to an end Saturday, when the Athletics placed him on the 60-day injured list due to the shoulder injury. Fortunately, Jimenez looks like he'll be able to treat the injury through rest and rehab, but the time he'll miss down the stretch could prove costly in his bid to open the 2023 campaign as the Athletics' closer. When healthy, Jimenez had served as the Athletics' primary end gamer in 2022 and notched a team-high 11 saves to go along with respectable ratios (3.41 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 11 K-BB%), but his lack of extensive MLB experience and uncertain health coming off the shoulder injury hardly make him a safe bet to regain the closer's role next spring.

Triple-A Salt Lake reinstated Soriano (elbow) from its 60-day injured list Thursday and assigned him to Single-A Inland Empire.

Soriano is healthy again after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June, but the Angels will let him build back up at Single-A before potentially having him return to Salt Lake in September. Over his five outings this season -- one with Inland Empire and four in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League -- Soriano has compiled an 0.93 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across 9.2 innings.