MLB Player News

Jansen struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Mariners.

Jansen sat down Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor on a combined 10 pitches (nine strikes) to earn his 18th save of the year. That extends Jansen's scoreless streak to nine innings spanning all of July, during which he's racked up 11 strikeouts while allowing just three hits and no walks. He's at a 3.11 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 37:11 K:BB through 37.2 innings this season.

Hicks earned the save in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Dodgers, logging a strikeout and a walk across 1.2 scoreless innings.

Hicks entered with one out in the eighth inning after Aroldis Chapman opened the frame with back-to-back walks. He escaped unscathed after Teoscar Hernandez lined into an inning-ending double play. Hicks returned in the ninth, working around a two-out walk to close out the one-run victory. It's the second save of the year for Hicks, both of which have come since he joined the Red Sox in the deal that sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco. The 28-year-old Hicks has allowed five runs, just two of which were earned, while posting a 5:5 K:BB through his first eight appearances spanning seven innings with Boston.

Ginn (2-2) pitched six scoreless innings with four strikeouts to pick up the win Sunday at Houston. He allowed three hits and no walks.

The 26-year-old righty notched his first quality start of the season, as he generated 10 whiffs out of his 77 total pitches in this performance. In two starts and three relief outings this month, Ginn has been a steady performer for the Athletics, pitching to a 2.25 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB in 16 frames. Through 44 total innings that include six starts, he now sports a 3.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB with a magnificent 53.7 percent groundball rate. Ginn currently lines up to make his next appearance against the Diamondbacks at home next weekend.

Chapman (back) was removed in the eighth inning of Sunday's 4-3 win over the Dodgers due to back tightness, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Chapman took the hill to begin the eighth inning and issued a pair of walks and induced a Shohei Ohtani flyout before being removed from the contest. The 37-year-old was apparently dealing with a tight back, which likely explains why his average four-seam fastball velocity was about four ticks behind his season-long average during the outing. The back issue wasn't something that manager Alex Cora wasn't overly worried about, noting that he expects the closer to avoid a trip to the injured list. That being said, the Red Sox may look to stay away from using Chapman for the next day or two to give him extra time to heal up from the back issue.

Chapman was removed in the eighth inning during his relief appearance in Sunday's game against the Dodgers due to an apparent injury, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

After entering the game in the top of the eighth, Chapman walked the first two batters he faced, then induced a Shohei Ohtani flyball for the first out of the inning. The Red Sox sent a trainer out to visit with Chapman following that at-bat, and manager Alex Cora then made the decision to pull the right-hander from the game. Though the nature of Chapman's injury likely won't be clarified until after the contest, he sported a four-seam fastball that averaged just 94.6 miles per hour on the afternoon, about four ticks below his season average.

Sands will serve as the Twins' opening pitcher in Sunday's game against the Nationals.

He'll serve as an opener for the third time this season after lasting no more than two innings in starts July 5 and July 12. It's not clear whether Sands will be followed by a bulk reliever such as Travis Adams, or if the Twins will use a true bullpen day.

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

The right-hander will provide Kansas City with a fresh arm in the bullpen, but he's unlikely to be entrusted with a high-leverage role. Over his previous stints in the majors this season, Bowlan has made 17 appearances and has delivered a 4.94 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 21:9 K:BB in 23.2 innings.

The Yankees recalled Headrick from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

The left-hander spent most of July on the injured list at Triple-A, but he was reinstated last week and is now getting another look with the Yankees. Headrick has made 11 appearances in the majors this season and has a 4.73 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB across 13.1 innings.

Boyle is listed as the Rays' probable starting pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Yankees in New York.

Boyle will fill the spot in the rotation that opened up when Taj Bradley was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Thursday. Over 15 appearances (14 starts) in the minors this season, Boyle had been one of Triple-A's top hurlers with a 1.73 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 96:31 K:BB in 73 innings, and he's carried that success over to the majors. In his five appearances (one start) with Tampa Bay, the right-hander has spun a 1.42 ERA and 0.63 WHIP while punching out 18 batters over 19 innings. He made a five-inning appearance as recently as July 6, so he should be capable of working deep enough into Tuesday's start to qualify for a win. Given his sterling ratios, Boyle looks worthy of rostering in just about any fantasy league now that he's in line for an extended stay in the rotation.

Ginn will start Sunday's game against the Astros.

Ginn was called upon to fill the vacant spot in the Athletics rotation Tuesday against the Rangers, and while the right-hander was limited to 58 pitches, he fared well in a no-decision, limiting Texas to one earned run on five hits and one walk while striking out two over five innings. Ginn will be rewarded with a second start, and he should be capable of giving the Athletics around 70-80 pitches Sunday.