MLB Player News

Shafer (elbow) threw on the field prior to Tuesday's game against Cleveland, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Shafer left Monday's game with right elbow discomfort, but the fact that he's throwing again just one day later seems to be encouraging. He was watched by his pitching coach and a team trainer. If he winds up requiring a trip to the injured list, that news should come relatively soon.

Gearrin, who allowed a solo home run and also recorded both a walk and a strikeout over two-thirds of an inning against the Rangers on Monday, owns a 5.93 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and .316 BAA over the 13.2 innings covering his last 16 appearances.

The reliever has had trouble stringing together extended stretches of effective pitching over the last month-plus, managing no more than three consecutive scoreless appearances. Gearrin does have a pair of holds over the aforementioned span, but his other previously cited metrics underscore the degree of his inconsistency. The 33-year-old right-hander is likely to have an opportunity to right the ship over the balance of the season, as manager Scott Servais has continued to afford him fairly regular work despite his recent struggles.

The Rangers intend to use Payano as a primary pitcher out of the bullpen for Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Payano will be officially recalled from Triple-A Nashville a few hours before the game's 10:10 p.m. EDT start time, with the Rangers also expected to name an opening pitcher at that time. No matter who gets the call as the opener, Payano is slated to cover the bulk of the innings for the Rangers and is thus the most likely pitcher to factor into any decision. The 24-year-old righty has posted a 4.40 ERA and 85:36 K:BB across 71.2 innings between Nashville and Double-A Frisco this season.

Martin allowed one hit and struck out four over 1.2 innings in Monday's loss to the Mariners.

The Rangers had planned to have Martin open Tuesday's game, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, but that notion was scuttled when the lefty was needed Monday for an ineffective Adrian Sampson. Texas will use right-hander Pedro Payano as the primary pitcher Tuesday but has not announced an opener.

Stanek (hip) took the weekend off from playing catch, but he resumed some baseball activities Monday, Ryan Kolakowski of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander hit the injured list Saturday after struggling in a conventional relief appearance Friday night against the White Sox. Stanek is shooting to only miss the minimum amount of time his 10-day IL designation requires, and the next several days should shed further light on whether that remains a realistic timeline.

Beeks (5-1) took the loss Monday, surrendering eight runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over 3.2 innings while striking out two as the Rays fell 9-4 to the Red Sox.

All three homers came in a disastrous seven-run third inning, and Beeks saw his winning streak snapped at 10 as he took his first loss since last June. The lefty now carries a 3.69 ERA and 58:25 K:BB through 68.1 innings, with his next outing likely to come next weekend in Toronto.

Rogers allowed two hits and struck out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning, earning the save over the Yankees on Monday.

Rogers allowed a pair of one-out singles but managed to strike out Gary Sanchez and force an Aaron Hicks groundout to end the Yankees' first-and-third threat. Over his last three outings, the 28-year-old has given up seven hits and two runs over four innings but converted two of those three save chances. Still, he owns a 1.93 ERA and 58:7 K:BB, giving him a strong grip on the Twins' closing job unless the team acquires a big-name bullpen arm before the trade deadline.

Borucki (0-1) took the loss Monday as the Blue Jays were downed 7-3 by Cleveland, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings while striking out three.

After missing the first four months of the season, the southpaw made his 2019 debut but looked like he needed a little more time on a rehab assignment to shake off the rust. Borucki threw only 47 of 94 pitches for strikes, and when he did find the plate he caught too much of it -- four of the seven hits he allowed went for extra bases. He'll look for a better result in his next start Saturday, at home against the Rays.

Payano will be recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to either start or work as the bulk reliever Tuesday against the Mariners, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

According to manager Chris Woodward, Payano will likely serve as the primary pitcher, though the club hasn't announced who will open the contest. The right-hander has tossed just one inning this year in the big leagues, and he figures to be asked to eat up at least a few frames in the second game of the series.

Shafer left Monday's game against Cleveland due to right elbow discomfort, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Shafer will head for further evaluation after being pulled from his outing. The extent of his elbow injury is not yet known.