MLB Player News

Otto is scheduled to make his next start for the Rangers at home Wednesday against the Astros.

He'll be making a second straight turn in the rotation as a replacement for Jon Gray (knee), who recently moved to the injured list for the second time this season. Though Gray's injury isn't believed to be a long-term issue, Otto could vie for a back-end spot in the rotation even once the Rangers' Opening Day starter is cleared to return from the IL. Otto looked sharp in his first start of the season Friday in Oakland, limiting the Athletics to one earned run on two hits and one walk while striking out five en route to capturing his first MLB win.

Harris (undisclosed) came off High-A Lansing's 7-day injured list and made his season debut in Sunday's 13-5 loss to Fort Wayne, covering one inning and giving up three runs (two earned) on one hit and two walks while striking out two. He also hit a batter.

Making his first appearance in affiliated ball since the 2019 season, Harris had a shaky debut, needing 28 pitches to record three outs. The 25-year-old southpaw will look to improve his efficiency while upping his pitch counts in his subsequent starts for Lansing.

The Athletics outrighted Romero to Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday.

Romero went unclaimed off waivers by baseball's other 29 teams after Oakland designated him for assignment Thursday. The 28-year-old right-hander no longer possesses a spot on the 40-man roster and will now have a tougher path to potentially making his big-league debut in 2022.

Martin struck out two over a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in Sunday's 2-0 loss to Oakland.

Martin kept the Rangers close by cleaning up a one-out, bases-loaded mess created by Albert Abreu. The left-hander retired two righty batters to keep it a 2-0 game in the fifth inning. Since giving up runs in each of his first three outings, the high-leverage reliever has thrown five scoreless frames, giving up one hit and one walk while striking out four and earning two holds.

Abreu allowed three walks over a scoreless third of an inning in Sunday's 2-0 loss to Oakland.

The Rangers had planned to use multiple pitchers to get through Sunday's game, but Abreu's abbreviated showing forced manager Chris Woodward to adjust on the fly. Thankfully for Texas, left-hander Brett Martin cleaned up Abreu's mess by getting the final two batters in the fifth inning via strikeout. Sunday's walk-fest didn't hurt Abreu's ERA, but he's encountered some adversity in his four outings thus far. The right-hander has allowed only one run but has given up three hits, four walks and a hit batsman while striking out six over 5.1 innings.

Payamps (0-1) allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk while failing to retire a batter, taking the loss in Sunday's game versus the Mariners.

Payamps was unable to navigate the heart of the Mariners' order in the 12th inning, giving up a walkoff single to Jesse Winker. He had logged three scoreless innings in a row prior to Sunday's outing. The right-hander has allowed six hits, two walks and two runs (one earned) while striking out four through four innings across five appearances. He'll likely continue to function mostly as a middle reliever for much of the season.

Baumann (1-2) took the loss Sunday versus the Angels. He allowed a run on a hit, a walk and a hit batter with one strikeout in 1.1 innings.

Baumann had no trouble in the sixth inning, but he allowed three of four batters in the seventh to reach. Felix Bautista allowed one of them to score on a bases-loaded walk before escaping the jam, but the Orioles' offense couldn't get Baumann off the hook. He's allowed runs in each of his last three appearances. The 26-year-old has a 6.35 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 6:4 K:BB in 5.2 innings, but he could still be an option to join the rotation after Chris Ellis (shoulder) exited Sunday's game in the first inning.

Lakins allowed a run on one hit and a walk with two strikeouts in three innings in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Angels.

Chris Ellis (shoulder) exited his start with the bases loaded before he could record an out. Lakins was brought into the game on fairly short notice, and he immediately gave up a grand slam to Jo Adell before throwing three hitless innings after that. The Orioles' rotation is already in shambles with John Means (elbow) out for the year and Dean Kremer (oblique) hurt early on. Lakins hasn't regularly worked as a starter in the minors since 2017, but he could be an option to either open games or serve as a piggyback reliever. The right-hander is 0-1 with five runs allowed in five innings across three appearances this season.

Hentges allowed two hits and struck out three in two scoreless innings in Sunday's 10-2 loss to the Yankees.

This was Hentges' first appearance longer than an inning. He entered the game after Aaron Civale struggled through the first three innings. Hentges has put up a 1.42 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 9:0 K:BB through 6.1 innings to begin the season. The southpaw will likely continue to be an option for bulk relief duties, so he probably won't interest most fantasy managers unless he pitches his way into the rotation.

Hernandez allowed three runs on six hits and two walks in 5.1 innings while striking out four in a 5-4 extra-inning loss Sunday in Seattle. He did not factor into the decision.

Hernandez got off to a shaky start, giving up a double to Adam Frazier and a two-run homer to Ty France before recording an out. He gained his composure and scattered one hit and two walks over the next five innings. After getting the first batter in the sixth inning out, the righty allowed three straight hits and was replaced. While not stellar, it was the 25-year-old's best start of 2022 and the first time he struck out more than one batter in an appearance. His next start will likely be next weekend against the Yankees.