MLB Player News

Kowar was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Kowar will return to the Royals just one day after being sent down to Omaha. He'll replace Angel Zerpa (knee) on the active roster after the latter was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. Kowar has produced a 8.80 ERA over 15.1 innings in six appearances with Kansas City this year.

The Royals placed Zerpa on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right knee discomfort, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The transaction comes after Zerpa exited his start Tuesday against the Angels with the knee injury following four innings of one-run ball. Zerpa looked as though he would line up for a two-start week, but the knee issue will thwart those plans. Jackson Kowar was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday to replace Zerpa on the active roster.

Poche (2-1) allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk while recording just one out in the eighth inning to take the loss Tuesday against the Orioles.

Poche entered the game with a one-run lead but surrendered a two-run home run to the second batter he faced to blow the lead. He subsequently allowed a walk and a double prior to being pulled. Poche has served up four long balls across his last 12 appearances, resulting in a 6.75 ERA in that span. He's still likely to remain in the mix for saves in Tampa Bay, but Brooks Raley and Jason Adam have also recently entered games in save situations.

Martin was handed a blown save during Tuesday's 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Mariners, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning.

After Texas took the lead in the top of the ninth, Martin was called upon for the save and immediately surrendered two hits to tie the game. A sacrifice was followed by two intentional walks to load the bases before Carlos Santana ended the game with a walk-off sacrifice fly. The 27-year-old has now permitted runs in four straight appearances -- including five over his last two games -- on the heels of 12 straight scoreless outings. The recent troubles have increased his ERA from 2.61 to 3.86, hinting that Martin's time as closer may be short-lived.

Sewald suffered a blown save during Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the Rangers, surrendering two runs on one hit and two walks with one strikeout in the eighth inning.

Manager Scott Servais turned to his best bullpen option in the eighth with the top of the lineup due up, and Sewald started strong with two quick outs. However, he walked the next two Rangers and served up a game-tying Adolis Garcia double to be stung with his third blown save of the campaign. Sewald had converted 12 straight combined saves and holds prior Tuesday's mishap and still possesses a quality 2.79 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with 45 strikeouts over 38.2 innings.

Akin (2-1) retired the only batter he faced via strikeout to earn the win in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Rays.

Akin got the last out of the top of the eighth inning, and the Orioles' offense rallied for the lead with three runs in the bottom half of the frame. The southpaw began the year as a long reliever, but three of his seven outings in July have been one inning or shorter. He owns a 2.44 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 46:13 K:BB through 55.1 innings in 26 outings this season, and he's added a save and two holds. Akin has yet to see much high-leverage work, though the recent usage pattern suggests that could change if he continues to pitch well.

Trivino pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Astros.

After allowing three runs in his last two appearances, an uneventful save conversion was just what Trivino needed. The 30-year-old right-hander has gone 6-for-7 in save chances while adding one hold in 11 outings in July, allowing six runs in 9.2 innings. For the season, he has a 6.68 ERA, 1.94 WHIP and 43:14 K:BB through 31 frames. He's 10-for-12 in save chances this year, but his shaky ratios make him difficult to trust in fantasy.

Hendriks allowed a run on a hit and a walk while striking out one in one inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Rockies.

Hendriks gave up a leadoff home run to Ryan McMahon in the ninth inning, then settled down to escape the jam with his 19th save of the year. In three appearances since the All-Star break, Hendriks has yielded five runs and seven hits in three innings. The 33-year-old closer went into the break on a 15.1-inning scoreless streak, so his recent struggles are probably just a balancing of his previous performance. For the season, he has a 3.48 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 49:9 K:BB across 33.2 innings. He's not yet in danger of losing his grip on the closer job.

Winckowski (3-5) got the loss after he tossed three innings, surrendering five runs on six hits and a walk while striking out one against the Guardians.

Winckowski made his return from the COVID-19-related injured list and didn't have his best stuff. He gave up one run in the first inning before giving up a solo homer to Austin Hedges in the second frame and a three-run shot to Nolan Jones in the third. The right-hander has now surrendered five home runs over his last three starts after only allowing one in his previous five outings. He entered July with a 3.60 ERA but that has now ballooned all the way up to 5.18. Winckowski is tentatively set to toe the rubber again Sunday against the Brewers.

Hill allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out two in five innings of a 6-4 extra-inning loss against San Diego. He did not factor into the decision.

All the damage against Hill came with two outs in the second inning. After retiring the first two batters, the next five Padres reached safely and three came around to score. The rookie was recalled before the game, replacing Rony Garcia (biceps) in the rotation. Hill has been a strikeout machine in the minors, fanning 10.9 batters per nine innings, but has yet to miss many bats in the majors, striking out just 10 batters in 21 innings across four starts. Should he receive another start with Detroit, it would likely be over the weekend in Toronto.