MLB Player News

Murfee secured his second hold in Saturday's win over the Angels, getting one out on a four-pitch strikeout to close out the sixth inning.

The Angels' Taylor Ward seemingly never knew what hit him, as Murfee came back from a first-pitch ball to retire the outfielder on three straight pitches, the final one a slider he induced a swinging third strike on. Except for a rare hiccup against the Twins on June 15 when he allowed three earned runs over two-thirds of an inning, Murfee has been an ultra-reliable asset for manager Scott Servais -- he lowered his ERA and WHIP to 1.63 and 0.80, respectively, with his fourth straight scoreless effort Saturday.

The Twins recalled Moran from Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday.

Minnesota will add the right-hander to the bullpen as a replacement for Joe Smith, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with upper trapezius tightness. Though Smith has been one of the Twins' top setup men this season, Moran is likely to be deployed in lower-leverage spots while he's up with the big club.

The Rangers recalled Sborz from Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Sborz joins the Rangers' 26-man active roster as a replacement in the bullpen for Matt Bush, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm soreness. While he's up with the big club, Sborz projects to work in a low-leverage middle-relief role.

The Rangers reinstated Otto (illness) from the COVID-19-related injured list Sunday. He's listed as the Rangers' starting pitcher for the team's series finale with the Nationals in Arlington.

Otto will make his return to the Texas rotation after he covered 2.2 innings five days ago in his lone rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out three. Prior to testing positive for COVID-19 on June 10 and landing on the IL, Otto had compiled a 4.24 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across eight starts with Texas.

Staumont was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday, retroactive to June 23, with a neck strain.

Staumont hasn't pitched since giving up two runs over one-third of an inning Tuesday against the Angels, and he's apparently dealing with a neck injury. The 28-year-old will be eligible to be activated July 8, though it's unclear if he's expected to be healthy by that time.

The Royals recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.

Kowar will provide the Royals with a multi-inning option out of the bullpen after Kansas City demoted lefty Foster Griffin to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Over his 12 starts with Omaha this season, Kowar has turned in a 6.34 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 62:23 K:BB across 55.1 innings.

The Rangers are expected to activate Otto (illness) from the COVID-19-related injured list and have him serve as a bulk-inning pitcher in Sunday's game against the Nationals, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Kennedi Landry of MLB.com notes that the Rangers intend to have Brett Martin serve as an opening pitcher Sunday, so Otto will be making his first appearance out of the bullpen after previously making eight starts prior to landing on the IL. The Rangers should make Otto's activation official shortly before the game's 2:35 p.m. ET opening pitch.

Alexander (1-3) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one.

Following four innings from starter Alex Faedo, Alexander navigated the fifth and sixth. The lefty pitched well, and he's starting to look better after a rough start to the season. Alexander had an 8.76 ERA across 12.1 innings before landing on the injured list in early May with a left elbow sprain. Since returning June 13, he has a 1.13 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over eight innings of work. Alexander was a valuable pitcher for the Tigers in 2021, registering a 3.81 ERA across 41 appearances (15 starts), and he may be returning to that form in 2022.

Barlow (3-1) pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout to put himself in line for the win in a 3-2 walkoff victory over the Nationals on Saturday.

Barlow was called in to pitch the ninth with the game tied 2-2. He did his job and let the offense take care of the rest, earning his third win of the season to go along with 13 saves. The Rangers closer has a healthy 2.84 ERA and 0.95 WHIP on the season and doesn't appear to have any competition for the ninth-inning role. However, Barlow's 5.10 xERA and 4.50 xFIP suggest that his numbers could be on the brink of correcting higher.

Trivino picked up the save Saturday against the Royals. He allowed no runs on two hits while striking out three and walking one over two innings.

Trivino earned a two-inning save Saturday, throwing 20 of 32 pitches for strikes. It was his third save of the season and his first since April 16. After entering this season as the primary closer for Oakland, Trivino has struggled to the tune of a 7.52 ERA, although the righty has lowered his ERA in each of his last three appearances. He looks like he'll re-emerge as a factor in the late innings after Oakland recently moved closer Dany Jimenez (shoulder) to the 15-day injured list.