MLB Player News

Alexander was recalled from Triple-A Toledo ahead of his start Sunday against the Blue Jays.

The 25-year-old lefty has a 5.72 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 94 strikeouts in 85 innings at Triple-A. Alexander gave up two runs in five innings in his only MLB start from earlier this season. The expectation is that Alexander will stick in the rotation going forward.

Rangers manager Chris Woodward mentioned Payano as an option to start Tuesday, Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers' rotation plans changed when it was announced that Joe Palumbo came down with tendinitis in his right ankle. Palumbo had been scheduled to start Monday with Adrian Sampson going Tuesday, but the injury pushes Sampson up a day and makes Tuesday to be determined. Payano was up with the Rangers just before the All-Star break and pitched an inning of relief before heading back to Triple-A Nashville. The Rangers may deploy an opener Tuesday and use Payano for the second inning and beyond. The right-hander has a 4.40 ERA over 16 appearances at Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Nashville.

Colome walked one and struck out one in a scoreless 11th inning to pick up the save in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Rays.

The White Sox opened the second half losers of seven straight, providing Colome with little opportunity before he locked down his 21st save Saturday. That losing streak likely dashed any postseason hopes for the White Sox, who now stand 11 games out of the wild-card race, which could trigger a sell-off at the trade deadline. Colome, who is working on a one-year deal, is a prime candidate to be dealt.

Giles struck out the side and gave up one hit in the ninth inning to nail down a save in a 7-5 victory over the Tigers on Saturday.

While he hasn't posted very many saves pitching for the Blue Jays, Giles has been effective in other categories including strikeouts. This was the seventh time this season Giles struck out three batters in one appearance. He has 57 punchouts along with a 1.64 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 33 frames this season and is also 14-for-15 in save opportunities.

Norris allowed one run on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts across four innings in a no-decision against the Blue Jays on Saturday.

The left-hander threw only 58 pitches in four frames but departed because of an innings limit the Tigers are now going to impose on him. Norris threw only 56 innings last season and is already over 100 frames this season. The 26-year-old is 2-8 with a 5.02 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 82 strikeouts in 100.1 innings, so he didn't have much value anyway, but this innings limit will destroy any fantasy value Norris has left.

Thornton allowed four runs on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts across three innings in a no-decision against the Tigers on Saturday.

The 25-year-old is headed in the wrong direction, as again he lasted under 55 pitches in a start. During his last two appearances since the All-Star break, Thornton has given up nine runs and two home runs in 4.1 innings. He threw six scoreless innings against the Orioles just before the break, but still, in four of his last five appearances, he's yielded at least four runs. Overall, Thornton is 3-7 with a 5.45 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 100 strikeouts in 99 innings. He will pitch next against the Rays at home Friday.

Junis (6-8) allowed three walks and two hits while striking out seven across six scoreless innings to earn the win Saturday against the Indians.

Junis held the Indians in check throughout his six innings of work, allowing only two runners to reach scoring position. He retired 13 consecutive batters at one point, with six of those outs coming via strikeout. Junis has put together three consecutive strong efforts, allowing only three earned runs across 20 innings and whiffing 23 batters in the process. He'll look to keep the strong results in his next outing, currently scheduled for Friday against Cleveland.

Hendriks allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one across a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Saturday against the Twins.

Hendriks induced a double play with the bases loaded to maintain a one-run lead for the Athletics. As a result, he earned his eighth save of the season while also turning in his 19th consecutive scoreless outing. Hendriks appears to have a clear grip on the closer role with Blake Treinen still not looking sharp on the hill.

Rogers (2-2) allowed two earned runs on three hits and a hit batsman while striking out one across an inning to blow the save and take the loss Saturday against the Athletics.

Rogers got the first two outs of the inning without incident but hit Mark Canha with a pitch and then surrendered three consecutive hits to allow the Athletics to take the lead. It was Rogers' first blown save in nearly a month, and the first earned run he's allowed in his last eight appearances. He now has a 1.97 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 45.2 innings with 14 saves for the season.

Yarbrough tossed six scoreless innings while allowing two hits with no walks and five strikeouts in a no-decision against the White Sox on Saturday.

The Rays didn't score either through six frames, and the White Sox eventually won the game in extra innings. It was disappointing to not see Yarbrough get the win, but he's been pitching well lately. At the end of April, his ERA sat at 8.10, and he's had some rough outings since then, but overall, Yarbrough owns a 2.75 ERA in his last 11 appearances. Since June 18, he has allowed three runs in 27.1 frames (0.99 ERA). Overall, Yarbrough is 8-3 with a 3.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 58 strikeouts in 75.2 innings over 16 appearances, including five starts. His next outing is scheduled for Friday in Toronto.