MLB Player News

Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth in Wednesday's 5-3 win against the Athletics, allowing one hit and recording his first save.

With regular closer Ian Kennedy unavailable due to an illness, manager Chris Woodward turned to Rodriguez to nail down a tight win. Though he has the fifth most appearances among Rangers' relievers, a high 5.91 ERA suggests Rodriguez's use in the ninth was merely a necessity rather than a potential shift in role.

Martin (2-2) got the win against Oakland on Wednesday, throwing 1.2 perfect innings without a strikeout in a 5-3 Rangers triumph.

Martin entered in the seventh with two on and one out after the Athletics had just taken the lead and induced outs from Matt Olson and Ramon Laureano to neutralize the threat. He stayed in after Texas took the lead in the bottom of the inning and retired the side on a mere seven pitches. Since a blow-up outing June 6, Martin has allowed only one run in 8.1 innings across seven appearances.

Soto tossed 1.1 scoreless innings to record a hold in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals. He struck out two.

Soto came on for starter Matt Manning with two on and two out in the sixth inning, and the lefty promptly struck out Matt Carpenter. He then worked a clean seventh with another strikeout. As the team's best left-handed reliever, Soto is often used in high-leverage spots earlier in the game, which was the case Wednesday. This is a boon to the Tigers but suppresses Soto's fantasy value to a degree, as it takes him away from save opportunities from time to time. He's still tied with Michael Fulmer for the team lead with six saves, so the 26-year-old should remain a useful fantasy asset despite his flexible role.

Cisnero worked around a hit to log a scoreless eighth inning and record a hold in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

Cisnero has been pitching well in June, as he's now gone eight straight appearances without allowing a run and has a sparkling 0.87 ERA this month across 10.1 innings. Michael Fulmer and Gregory Soto seem to have a slight edge right now for save opportunities, but Cisnero is in the mix, and he leads the team with his nine holds.

Fulmer worked a scoreless ninth inning in a non-save situation during Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Cardinals. He allowed a hit and struck out two.

Despite the four-run lead, the Tigers didn't take any chances and turned to Fulmer, who has established himself as the club's primary late-game option. The righty has a 3.46 ERA and 42 strikeouts across 39 innings this season, and he's tied with Gregory Soto for the team lead with six saves. Both pitchers should remain in the closer mix, along with Jose Cisnero.

Bummer struck out two in 1.2 perfect innings, earning the hold in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.

The lefty has held opponents scoreless in six consecutive appearances and nine of his last ten. Bummer is one of the White Sox's most trusted late-inning relievers and will have opportunities to continue earning holds as long as the team continues winning.

Hendriks pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout, earning the save in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.

Having held opponents scoreless in 22 of his last 23 appearances, Hendriks remains one of baseball's elite closers and continues to receive plenty of opportunities on a winning White Sox club. His 19 saves trail only Mark Melancon (22) and Craig Kimbrel (20). And, with just three walks on the season, Hendriks has managed a fantastic 0.79 WHIP.

Trivino secured his fifth hold in a win over the Rangers on Tuesday, firing a scoreless one-third of an inning.

After a busy stretch last week where he logged four appearances in six days, manager Bob Melvin gave Trivino some down time before calling on him for a quick two-pitch outing to close out the eighth inning. Trivino has been masterful over his last 17 appearances, not allowing a single earned run over the 17 innings covering that stretch while also generating an 0.88 WHIP.

Barlow had his contract selected by the Rangers on Wednesday.

The right-hander has been at Triple-A Round Rock this season and has pitched well with a 2.57 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB across 21 innings. Barlow also went 7-for-7 in save chances, though he should fill a low-leverage role in his first taste of big-league action.

Palumbo (back) was reinstated from Triple-A Round Rock's 7-day injured list and made a relief appearance in Monday's 4-3 win over Oklahoma City. He retired one of the four batters he faced, giving up a hit, a walk and a hit by pitch.

The appearance was Palumbo's first since May 24 while he recovered from a back strain. The 26-year-old lefty was once regarded as one of Texas' most promising pitching prospects, but his long-term outlook has dimmed with the Rangers moving him to a relief role at Triple-A this season.