MLB Player News

Leclerc struck out the only batter he faced in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Astros.

Rangers closer Shawn Kelley entered the game during the eighth inning, but he never threw a pitch. He suffered what has been described as soreness in his right biceps tendon during his warmups. Instead, Leclerc got the final out of the eighth inning. Kelley will undergo evaluation and details should emerge pending the exam. With Kelley sidelined, whether day-to-day or longer, Leclerc is presumed to be the next man up to get save chances.

Puk (elbow) will be promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports. Puk is expected to join Oakland's bullpen in August, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The left-hander is on the road back from Tommy John surgery, working through nine games (four starts) with a 5.02 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 14.1 innings between High-A Stockton and Double-A Midland. Puk, 24, could be a valuable part of the Athletics' playoff chase but may be hard-pressed to spin much mixed-league fantasy value out of his relief role, outside of him becoming a Josh Hader-like strikeout source.

Peters (2-0) tossed five scoreless innings while earning the win Sunday against the Mariners, allowing four hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Making his first start since June 8, Peters scattered baserunners effectively and allowed just one extra-base hit. He perhaps could've gone deeper into the game if not for an elevated pitch count, but it was still an effective outing nonetheless. Peters could have earned himself another opportunity in the starting rotation, but he'll likely be on a short leash until he flashes some consistency.

Hand allowed one run on a hit while striking out three in the ninth inning Sunday against the Royals.

Hand entered the contest with a two-run lead, and despite surrendering a leadoff homer to start the frame, he managed to fan the next three batters to secure the victory. The 29-year-old southpaw owns a solid 2.38 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with a 67:10 K:BB over 41.2 innings this season, and he also leads the American League with 27 saves.

Mengden allowed four runs on six hits and five walks over 3.1 innings Sunday, striking out two and taking the no-decision in the loss to the Twins.

Mengden had thrown 18 innings in July without issuing a walk but simply couldn't find the strike zone Sunday. Nearly all of the damage against him came on Max Kepler's three-run homer in the second inning. His ERA ballooned up to 4.65 with the rough outing, but fortunately his offense did enough for him to avoid being tagged with a loss. Mengden will look to win his fifth straight decision in Friday's home start against Texas.

Littell was optioned to Triple-A Rochester following Sunday's game against the Athletics, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Littell retired a batter on five pitches in Sunday's contest, but the Twins will send him to the minors to get a fresh arm on the 25-man roster. A corresponding move has yet to be announced.

Hendricks (4-1) allowed two runs on three hits in 0.2 innings Sunday, striking out one batter while blowing the save and taking the loss against the Twins.

Since blowing his first save chance of the year June 12, Hendricks has been lights-out while converting his last eight opportunities. Despite the ugly performance Sunday, the 30-year-old still owns a 1.46 ERA with a terrific 70:18 K:BB.

Kolarek picked up the save Sunday against the White Sox after throwing a perfect ninth inning.

Kolarek was called upon in the top of the ninth inning with a two-run lead, and he managed to retire the side in order on 15 pitches (10 strikes). Tampa Bay's usual closer, Emilio Pagan, blew the save chance Saturday, so it was Kolarek who got the opportunity Sunday with the game on the line. He owns a 3.92 ERA with 32 strikeouts over 39 innings this season.

Alexander gave up one run on three hits and one walk while striking out one through seven innings in a no-decision against the Blue Jays on Sunday.

Alexander didn't generate a ton of whiffs, but he forced plenty of soft contact and kept the Blue Jays from the basepaths for most of this outing. He retired the final 14 batters he faced and delivered his first quality start. While the 25-year-old had a 5.72 ERA in Triple-A, Alexander has likely earned an extended opportunity with the big-league club after this performance.

Beeks will start Monday against the Red Sox, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Beeks typically follows an opener, but the way Tolentino phrased this tweet suggests that we could see Beeks work as a traditional starter against his former team. It would be preferable in most formats to have Beeks work after an opener, because he rarely logs five innings, so he is unlikely to get a win when working as a traditional starter. He will likely pitch as a starter or primary pitcher next weekend in Toronto as well, so it could be viewed as a two-start week.