MLB Player News

Baumann's role in the majors will be as a bulk reliever, at least initially, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

He is one of Baltimore's top pitching prospects, and while they are not penciling him into the rotation, Baumann could piggyback Alexander Wells on Tuesday. Baumann has the stuff to be quality big-league starter, but he logged walk rates of 11.1 percent and 12.0 percent at Double-A and Triple-A, respectively. Shaky command and a bad home ballpark are the two obvious drawbacks for fantasy.

Moll was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

He has not allowed a run across four appearances in the majors this season, sporting a 4:4 K:BB in 4.2 innings. Frankie Montas (visa issues) was activated from the restricted list in a corresponding move.

Baumann was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Baumann is one of the top pitching prospects in the Orioles organization, and he'll join the major-league roster for the first time following an effective showing at the Triple-A level. The righty was promoted to Norfolk at the end of July and posted a 2.00 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 27 innings across six starts. Baumann has worked exclusively as a starter this year, but the Orioles haven't yet announced whether he'll begin his major-league career as a starter or reliever.

Warren (COVID-19 protocols) is back with the Angels but hasn't yet been activated, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Warren recently spent 10 days in Baltimore while on the COVID-19-related injured list, but he has apparently cleared protocols and is now back with the club. Fellow pitchers Reid Detmers and Jose Marte also recently rejoined the team after landing on the COVID-19-related IL, but it isn't clear when any of the trio will be activated.

Armstrong fired two scoreless frames in an extra-inning win over the Red Sox on Monday, allowing one hit while recording two strikeouts.

The veteran right-hander has been a valuable addition to the Rays' bullpen since arriving in Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, posting a 1-0 record, one hold, a 2.57 ERA and 0.71 WHIP across the 14 innings covering his nine Rays appearances. Armstrong has four straight scoreless outings as well and has already worked more than one inning in six of his trips to the mound with his new club.

McHugh (6-1) was credited with the victory in an extra-inning win over the Red Sox on Monday, allowing an unearned run on two hits and two walks over two innings. He struck out one.

McHugh became the pitcher of record in the wild win when the Rays rallied for three runs over the last pair of frames. The veteran right-hander ran into a little more trouble than usual and has now allowed one run in three of his last four appearances, but he's still boasting an elite 1.46 ERA and 0.92 WHIP across 55.1 innings.

Otto is expected to make his third start with the Rangers in Friday's series opener in Oakland, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Texas will welcome two starters in Spencer Howard and Dane Dunning back from the COVID-19 injured list this week, but neither pitcher's return looks like it will bump Otto out of the rotation. Howard will be activated Tuesday to start against the Diamondbacks and will be deployed in tandem with Jordan Lyles, who could work exclusively out of the bullpen moving forward. Dunning, meanwhile, is expected to be activated Friday, but the Rangers plan on having him work only an inning out of the bullpen behind Otto, who should thus be in store for a normal start. The 25-year-old rookie has looked good in his first two turns through the Texas rotation, covering 9.2 innings between the outings while allowing two earned runs and striking out 11.

The Rangers will activate Howard from the COVID-19 injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

After being placed on the COVID-19 IL on Aug. 27, Howard quickly navigated through MLB's health and safety protocols, as he was able to repot to Triple-A Round Rock last Thursday to make a rehab start. He struck out three while allowing one run in two innings in that 36-pitch outing, and he apparently came out of that start and his bullpen session over the weekend feeling no worse for the wear. Even before Howard landed on the COVID-19 IL, the Rangers had routinely deployed him in tandem with another starter, and that plan appears unlikely to change over the final three weeks of the season. Look for Jordan Lyles -- who hasn't pitched since Aug. 31 -- to follow Howard on Tuesday, making Lyles the more likely of the two to factor into any decision.

Barria (2-3) allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out three over seven innings as he lost to the Rangers on Monday.

Barria allowed the Rangers to score a run in both the first and second inning while allowing six of eight hits against him during those early frames. Barria then went on to retire 14 straight batters before the Rangers got to him again in the seventh for a third run. The 24-year-old didn't walk anyone for just the second time this year, but Barria has managed to top three strikeouts just twice in eight starts this year. He now owns a 5.16 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB over 45.1 innings.

Alexy (2-0) pitched six scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and two walks with seven strikeouts in a win over the Angels on Monday.

Alexy was outstanding yet again, as he's given up just two hits and no runs over 11 innings since his debut at the end of August. The Angels put a bit of pressure on him in the second after having two on and nobody out, but Alexy was able to maneuver his way around the Angels' hitters and avoid any damage. The 23-year-old hasn't had a large sample on the field, but his performances so far should keep him around in the starting rotation. Unfortunately, he lines up to face the Astros next week.