MLB Player News

Karinchak allowed one hit in one inning and earned the save Thursday against the Twins.

Karinchak allowed a two-out double to Jorge Polanco, but secured the save by inducing groundouts from Nelson Cruz, Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff. The 25-year-old Karinchak has been terrific all season, converting nine of 10 save opportunities with a 2.67 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 58:19 K:BB over 33.2 innings. His lone blown save came way back on April 7 in his third appearance of the year.

Alcala (1-2) allowed three runs on two hits and a walk while recording a single out to take the loss Thursday against Cleveland.

Alcala came on in the eighth inning of a 1-1 tie and gave up two singles and an intentional walk before giving way to Taylor Rogers with one out. Rogers immediately allowed all three inherited runners to score on an Eddie Rosario single and a Bobby Bradley groundout. The 25-year-old Alcala saw his ERA balloon to 4.40 on the year, but he still owns a superb 0.95 WHIP across 30.2 innings of relief work.

Norris was not available for Thursday's game against the Astros due to an illness that is not COVID-19, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

A virus has reportedly been going around the Tigers' clubhouse, with Robbie Grossman also recently missing a game due to illness. It's unclear how long Norris may be held out, though it figures to be a relatively short absence.

Feyereisen (4-3) walked one and did not allow a hit over one inning of relief to earn the win in Thursday's 1-0 victory over Boston.

Feyereisen pitched a tidy ninth inning of a scoreless tie, working around a Rafael Devers walk to set down Xander Bogaerts, Hunter Renfroe and Enrique Hernandez. Feyereisen has allowed just one unearned run over 9.2 innings during the month of June, albeit with an underwhelming 8:9 K:BB. He hasn't had a save opportunity since May 31 but still remains squarely in the late-inning picture for the Rays.

Fleming will serve as the Rays' bulk reliever behind opener Andrew Kittredge on Friday against the Angles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fleming served as a traditional starter in his last outing and surrendered five earned runs across 6.1 innings against the Mariners. He'll look to bounce back in Friday's outing and should be aided by Kittredge working in front of him. Fleming's last time working as a bulk reliever came on June 13, when he fired four scoreless innings against the Orioles.

Barnes (3-2) allowed one run on a walk and a wild pitch in 0.2 innings to take the loss Thursday in a 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay.

Barnes came on to start the ninth inning of a scoreless tie and quickly retired Austin Meadows and Yandy Diaz. Things subsequently unraveled after Barnes walked Manuel Margot, who promptly stole second and advanced to third on Christian Vazquez's errant throw. Margot later came in to score when Barnes bounced a wild pitch in front of Vazquez. Barnes, who has allowed a run in three of his last four outings, still owns a 2.90 ERA and 0.84 WHIP on the season while converting 15 of 18 save chances.

Kittredge will serve as the Rays' opener in front of bulk reliever Josh Fleming on Friday against the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Kittredge served as an opener in Tuesday's game against the Red Sox, though he worked only 0.2 innings before giving way to Ryan Yarbrough. He may work a bit deeper into the game Friday, but two innings will likely be his maximum workload. Kittredge has put together an impressive 1.27 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 33 strikeouts across 35.1 innings on the campaign.

Kay (1-2) earned the win Thursday after holding the Orioles scoreless across five innings. He allowed five hits and a pair of walks while striking out eight.

Kay turned in his best performance of the season while getting ample run support in a 9-0 blowout. The southpaw recorded a season-long five innings and a career-high eight punchouts en route to the victory. Kay was making a spot start in place of Steven Matz (illness), who is expected to rejoin the rotation when he's eligible within the next few days. That means there's a possibility that Kay could be optioned to Triple-A Buffalo despite his solid performance. The 26-year-old has compiled a 5.19 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 26 innings in the majors this year.

Pivetta held Tampa Bay without a hit and issued two walks while fanning eight across 6.2 innings in Thursday's 1-0 loss. He didn't factor into the decision.

Pivetta was working on a no-hitter with two outs in the seventh inning, but Boston manager Alex Cora went to the bullpen once his starter reached the 100-pitch mark in a scoreless tie. It was the deepest into a game Pivetta had pitched all season, although he had topped 100 pitches on five previous occasions. He improved his ERA to an even 4.00 for the year and boasts a 94:38 K:BB across 81 innings. His next scheduled start will come next week against Kansas City.

Puk has pitched to a 1-2 record, 10.38 ERA and 1.92 WHIP across the 13 innings covering his eight appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas since being optioned May 28.

Puk opened the season at the major-league level but made just one 3.1-inning appearance before suffering a biceps injury that kept him on the shelf for nearly two months. The big left-hander has given up multiple earned runs in six consecutive appearances with the Aviators, and he's forged a massive 5.5 BB/9 and 4.2 HR/9 over the entirety of his current stint in Las Vegas. With control such an obviously prevalent issue for Puk at the moment, it appears he has virtually no path for a promotion back to the Athletics at any point in the foreseeable future.