MLB Player News

VerHagen, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo, will start the Tigers' series opener Thursday versus the Mariners, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

VerHagen transitioned to a relief role this spring and underwhelmed in 10 appearances out of the big-league bullpen before being designated for assignment in May. After passing through waivers unclaimed, VerHagen reported to the minors and stretched back out for a starting role, posting some decent results along the way. Across 11 starts with Toledo, VerHagen delivered a 4.42 ERA and 51:13 K:BB in 53 innings, which was enough to earn him another look from the big club. The right-hander will probably need to at least avoid a blowup outing Thursday to guarantee himself additional turns in the Detroit rotation, however.

Swanson will serve as the opener Thursday against the Tigers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Wade LeBlanc is expected to pitch the majority of innings behind Swanson, who owns a 6.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 3:1 K:BB in two appearances (four innings) since the All-Star break.

Pearson walked one and struck out eight over 5.2 no-hit, scoreless innings for Double-A New Hampshire on Wednesday.

Since the beginning of June, Pearson has a 2.01 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 23:6 K:BB through 22.1 innings for the Fisher Cats, while Wednesday's outing was his longest so far at the level and tied his high for strikeouts since his promotion to Double-A. The Jays' No. 4 fantasy prospect, per our rankings, still has to prove he can hold up as a starter over a full season, but Pearson has demonstrated his upside as a potential major-league ace more than once in 2019.

Duran was promoted to Double-A Pensacola after posting a 3.23 ERA with an 11.0 K/9 at High-A Fort Myers.

After posting a strong 2.00 ERA and 10.3 K/9 last season at Low-A, Duran has continued to impress at the next level. His walk rate ticked up a bit to 3.6 BB/9, but his 100-mph heater still produced a high strikeout rate. A strong finish to the season at Double-A could put him on the radar for a major-league callup next year.

Barria (4-3) picked up the win Wednesday after holding the Dodgers to one run on three hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings.

In his first time facing the Dodgers, Barria stood his ground against a tough lineup on the road, limiting the damage to a solo home run by Justin Turner in the fourth inning. Although the 23-year-old has struggled this season with a shaky 6.63 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, Wednesday's solid outing should give him another look in the rotation. Barria is next scheduled for a favorable matchup against the Tigers on Monday.

Robles earned the save Wednesday after tossing a perfect ninth inning at Dodger Stadium.

Robles was called upon in the ninth inning to protect a narrow 3-2 lead. The right-hander shut down the Dodgers in order to pick up his 16th save of the season. Robles seems to have settled into his ninth-inning role, only giving up two earned runs over his last 21 appearances. Overall this year, the 28-year-old owns a 2.64 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 46:12 K:BB.

Alvarado (oblique) is likely to have the first bullpen session of his rehabilitation at some point next week, the Associated Press reports.

The southpaw hasn't yet picked up a baseball since going on the injured list, which isn't unexpected considering he's expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks overall. Alvarado will likely put in multiple bullpen sessions before eventually heading out to a rehab assignment.

Manaea (shoulder) was charged with the loss in Triple-A Las Vegas' defeat at the hands of El Paso on Wednesday, recording seven strikeouts but allowing five earned runs on five hits, one walk and one hit batsman across 4.1 innings.

The seven whiffs and the fact Manaea exceeded his 75-pitch target by one were positives, but the left-hander also allowed three home runs overall. Manaea is slated for at least one more rehab start with the Aviators early next week, a turn during which he's expected to work up to approximately 90 pitches.

Chapman earned the save Wednesday against the Twins after pitching a scoreless inning with one walk and one strikeout.

Chapman bounced back after blowing Tuesday's save opportunity by shutting down the Twins to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday. The save was Chapman's 26th of the season, with the left-hander improving to a 2.50 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 56:17 K:BB over 42 appearances.

Smeltzer was optioned to Triple-A Rochester following Wednesday's 10-7 loss to the Yankees, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Smeltzer was recalled earlier Wednesday and delivered five innings of one-run ball in long relief of Jake Odorizzi, providing a much-needed break for the Twins' bullpen. Unfortunately for Smeltzer, that means he head back to Rochester in favor of a fresh arm. The 23-year-old has a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB through 21.2 innings this season.