MLB Player News

Speier had his contract selected by the Royals on Wednesday.

Speier will receive his first look in the majors this season after posting a 2.98 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 57:9 K:BB over 45.1 innings for Triple-A Omaha. The 26-year-old appeared in 17 games for the Royals over the previous two seasons and surrendered 11 runs across 13 innings.

Yang was designated for assignment by the Rangers on Wednesday.

Yang was sent to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, but he'll now be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Willie Calhoun (forearm), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Wednesday. The southpaw made 12 appearances (four starts) in the majors this year and generated a 5.60 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 35.1 innings.

Scrubb (shoulder) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Scrubb began a rehab assignment at the end of August and recorded a 1.69 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 5.1 innings across 5.1 innings. He'll remain in the minors now that he's healthy but will be considered for a call-up if the Astros need a fresh bullpen arm late in the season.

Montero (lat) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Montero has been on the injured list since Aug. 10 due to a lat strain, so his move to the 60-day IL means that he won't have enough time to return during the regular season. The Astros haven't yet indicated whether Wednesday's transaction was prompted by a setback in the right-hander's recovery, and it's not clear whether he could be available for a potential postseason run.

Marte (undisclosed) could be activated for the Angels' series finale against Oakland on Sunday, per MLB.com.

Marte's only appearance on the mound for the Angels this season took place Aug. 20. He was placed on the injured list without a designation shortly thereafter, and he wasn't able to rejoin the club until early September. The right-hander has since been tossing bullpens and appears nearly ready to return to the active roster.

Fairbanks secured his 14th hold in a win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday, allowing a hit over a scoreless sixth inning.

Fairbanks' control could hardly have been sharper, as he got all nine offerings into the strike zone during a blink-and-you-missed-it frame. The right-hander's dominant performance was a nice bounce-back effort after he took the loss against Detroit his last time out by allowing three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Barnes is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday and is expected to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Barnes initially appeared on tap to return from the IL ahead of Wednesday's series finale in Seattle, but the Red Sox will instead have him pitch in a tune-up outing in the minors before he rejoins the big club. Assuming Barnes feels fine physically following the outing, he should be ready to take on a late-inning role with Boston over the weekend. Before testing positive for the virus Aug. 30, Barnes was already on the ropes as the Red Sox's closer after blowing his last two save chances and allowing 10 earned runs across his last 10 appearances. Adam Ottavino, Hansel Robles and Garrett Whitlock have all picked up saves while Barnes has been sidelined, though none of the three has truly run away with the closer's gig.

Hernandez is starting Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez was initially scheduled to start Thursday, but he'll be moved up a day since the Royals will shift their rotation plans. The right-hander has earned wins in three of his last four outings and has posted a 1.09 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 24.2 innings during that time.

Alexander will start in Thursday's game against the Rays in Tampa Bay, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

After a brief cameo out of the bullpen Sept. 7, Alexander rejoined the rotation last weekend versus Tampa Bay, stepping in for the injured Matthew Boyd (elbow) on late notice. With Boyd having since landed on the injured list and at risk of missing the rest of the season, Alexander should have some security in a starting role. Since the start of August, Alexander has posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 33 innings.

Kowar didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Oakland after allowing five runs on three hits and four walks across one inning, fanning one. He also tossed a wild pitch.

It's not a secret that Kowar has struggled mightily in his first big-league campaign, but this one could go down easily as his worst start to date. The fact that he hasn't been able to complete two full innings in three of his six appearances is concerning, but so is the fact that he has allowed at least four runs in four of those six starts. With those numbers, the fact that he owns an 11.50 ERA with a 2.17 WHIP and a 7.5 BB/9 through 18 big-league innings shouldn't be surprising.