MLB Player News

Barnes fired one scoreless inning as he earned the save Friday against the Orioles. He allowed one hit and no walks while striking out zero.

Barnes was used in the ninth inning after Brandon Workman was traded to the Phillies earlier Friday. While Barnes should be the favorite for the Red Sox's save opportunities, manager Ron Roenicke said after the game that he wouldn't be used as a traditional closer, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports. It appears as though the Red Sox will use him in high-leverage situations late in games, even if those situations aren't in the ninth inning. Although Roenicke wouldn't commit to using Barnes as a traditional closer, he said that he'd likely get the majority of the team's save opportunities.

Littell left Friday's game against the Royals in the sixth inning with an apparent arm injury.

Littell left after feeling something in his arm after throwing a pitch. He gave up two runs and a home run in one-third of an inning. After giving up just four home runs in 37 innings last season, he's giving up five home runs in 6.1 innings this season.

Barnes could serve as the Red Sox's primary closer after Brandon Workman was traded to the Phillies on Friday.

Barnes was considered the favorite to close out games heading into the 2019 season, but he only converted on four of his 12 save chances. He still put together a fairly solid stat line with a 3.78 ERA and 110:38 K:BB over 64.1 innings as he made 70 relief appearances last season. He's been slightly less effective with a 5.59 ERA in 9.2 innings across his first nine appearances this season, but he could be thrust into the closer's role with Workman out of the picture for Boston. Barnes' value is slightly limited by his lackluster results combined with the Red Sox's struggles to string together wins this season, but the right-hander now has much more fantasy relevance as Boston's likely closer.

Pivetta was traded from the Phillies to the Red Sox on Friday in exchange for Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree.

Pivetta was recently sent to the Phillies' alternate training site, but he'll now get a fresh start with a new organization. The right-hander wasn't able to put things together to begin the season as he posted a 15.88 ERA and 1.94 WHIP over 5.2 innings in three relief appearances. While the Red Sox no longer have two of their top bullpen arms, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said that the team views Pivetta as a starter, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports. He'll report to the Red Sox's secondary site in Pawtucket to begin his time with the team.

Junis (back) threw a "pretty intense" bullpen session Friday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Junis was expected to throw several innings Saturday against the Twins but suffered back spasms while warming up and was placed on the injured list. The issue doesn't appear to be too significant, given that he's already throwing at seemingly full strength less than a week later, so it seems as though he won't be out for too much longer.

Graveman (neck) is still hopeful he'll be able to pitch again this season despite the fact he's dealing with a benign tumor in his spine, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "He's still working through a few things," Mariners manager Scott Servais said Thursday. "He wants to see if there's a way he can still continue to try and pitch this year, whether in a shorter role out of the bullpen a couple innings here or there."

Servais adds the veteran right-hander is highly regarded in the Mariners' clubhouse and has been a strong influence on the team's younger players, so there is certainly a willingness to have Graveman return if he's physically capable. That very much remains an open question, however, as surgery is currently not an option due to the location of the tumor yet doctors have also told him the situation won't worsen if he continues to pitch. Graveman was able to take the mound during an intrasquad game Monday at the team's alternate training site in Tacoma and reportedly displayed good velocity; therefore, there's a chance he could eventually reemerge, although it would most likely be as a relief option so as to prevent the fatigue that the tumor usually causes when Graveman's pitch count gets past a certain point.

Richards came on in relief of opener John Curtiss in the second inning of Thursday's win over the Yankees, allowing two earned runs on four hits over three innings while recording two strikeouts.

Richards was able to give manager Kevin Cash some valuable innings in the bullpen day, and the only run he allowed came via an RBI groundout by Gleyber Torres. The right-hander was also dinged with one run on Gio Urshela's two-run home run off Diego Castillo, making it five times in as many appearances that Richards has been charged with multiple runs this season. Despite his elevated 5.94 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 16.2 innings, Richards is still a valuable asset due to his ability to cover multiple innings as either a spot starter or long reliever.

Fleming will be called up from the Rays' alternate training site to start Sunday's game against Toronto, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The outing will be Fleming's major-league debut. It's not clear that he'll have the chance to stick in the rotation long-term even if he pitches well, however, as Charlie Morton appears to be working his way back from a shoulder issue. The 24-year-old lefty threw 148.2 innings in the two highest levels of the minors last season, posting a 3.57 ERA and a 4.4 percent walk rate but striking out just 17.7 percent of opposing batters.

Manaea (1-2) earned the win Thursday against the Diamondbacks after tossing 5.1 innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and fanning four.

Manaea allowed three or more runs in each of his first four starts of the season, but he is beginning to trend in the right direction of late -- he has pitched at least five innings in his past two outings, allowing four runs (three earned) in 10.1 innings during that two-game stretch. It's still far from convincing and well below Manaea's usual numbers, but the encouraging signs are noticeable. His next start is scheduled for Aug. 25 on the road against the Rangers.

Chavez allowed two runs in two-thirds of an inning and blew his third save of the season in Thursday's 8-7 loss to the Padres.

Chavez entered in the bottom of the eighth inning to preserve a 6-5 lead but yielded back-to-back home runs to Ty France and Austin Hedges. It was the sixth time in 11 outings the reliever has allowed runs, and Chavez has given up six long balls in just 10.2 innings. He was once considered an important bullpen piece, but an 8.71 ERA (10.23 FIP) and 5.2 HR/9 should put an end to those thoughts.