MLB Player News

Soto struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning Saturday against the White Sox to earn his 27th save of the year.

Clean innings haven't been as common as Soto would like this season, as he owns a 1.34 WHIP. He got the job done here against the first three hitters in the White Sox's lineup, however, helping the Tigers to a 5-3 victory.

Clase secured his 38th save of the season Friday against the Rangers, striking out one batting in a scoreless inning but allowing two hits and a hit by pitch.

Clase entered the bottom of the ninth with a 6-3 lead, but he did his best to keep things interesting. He retired the first two batters of the game before giving up singles to Corey Seager and Nathaniel Lowe and hitting Adolis Garcia on the wrist. Josh Jung grounded out to end the game, however, allowing Clase to open up a two-save lead over Kenley Jansen atop the leaderboard.

Morris (1-2) picked up the first win of his young major-league career Friday against the Rangers, giving up two runs (one earned) in five innings while striking out five and allowing two walks and four hits.

The Rangers scored twice in the bottom of the second inning on a Kevin Plawecki single and a Myles Straw throwing error. Three batters reached base in that inning, but Morris didn't allow more than a single baserunner in any of his other four frames. The Guardians were losing when he completed the bottom of the fifth but scored six runs in the top of the next frame while Morris was still the pitcher of record. The outing brought Morris' ERA down to 2.18 through his first five starts. He tentatively lines up to face the Rays and Royals (both at home) to end the regular season.

Castillo is expected to start Sunday's game against the Mariners, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Castillo was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Sept. 7, and he's posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.82 WHIP in 9.1 innings over three appearances following his demotion. He tossed a scoreless inning against Iowa on Thursday, so it's not yet clear whether he'll face any restrictions during Sunday's outing.

Payamps was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained lumbar muscle Friday.

Payamps had inconsistent results in September, posting a 5.19 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 8.2 innings over eight appearances. Although he tossed a scoreless inning Tuesday against the Mariners, he's apparently dealing with a back issue that will force him to miss the remainder of the regular season. The right-hander made a career-high 41 relief appearances between Kansas City and Oakland this year and generated a 3.23 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 55.2 innings.

Clarke (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment in the minors Monday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Barring any setbacks during his assignment, Clarke remains on track to rejoin the Royals before the end of the season. He was posting a 5.50 K/BB this season before being sidelined with a left oblique strain.

Baumann will start Saturday's game against the Astros, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The 27-year-old rejoined the Orioles on Sept. 11 and has made two appearances out of the bullpen, but he'll start Saturday with Tyler Wells (shoulder) on the injured list. Baumann covered two frames in each of those outings and is unlikely to have a full starting workload.

Holmes (7-4) earned the win over Boston on Thursday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over two innings.

Though it wasn't a save situation, Holmes' outing Thursday was a positive step after he allowed a run in four of his previous five appearances. The right-hander preserved a 4-4 tie by keeping Boston off the scoreboard in the ninth inning and worked around the automatic runner in the 10th to again prevent a run. He was credited with the win after the Yankees walked it off in the bottom of the frame. Holmes isn't guaranteed to get all of New York's save chances moving forward with manager Aaron Boone recently indicating he may shift to a committee approach, though Holmes figures to still be in the mix in that scenario.

Martin was placed on the bereavement list Friday.

Players are allowed to spend between three and seven days on the bereavement list, so Martin will be unavailable for the Rangers' weekend series against the Guardians. Joe Barlow (finger) was reinstated from the injured list to take Martin's place in the bullpen.

Barlow (finger) was activated from the 15-day injured list Friday.

Barlow recorded two strikeouts during his lone rehab appearance in Triple-A Round Rock. He hasn't made a big-league appearance since Aug. 17, which itself came after another month-long stay on the IL, with both absences due to blister issues. Brett Martin was placed on the bereavement list to free up a spot on the roster for Barlow.