MLB Player News

Soto is listed as the starting pitcher for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Soto originally lined up to start Saturday but the Tigers shuffled their rotation a bit in advance of the All-Star break. The 24-year-old has a 8.44 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 15:12 K:BB over 21.1 innings and has yet to complete five frames in any of his six starts.

Fernandez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo on Friday.

Fernandez was designated for assignment earlier this week but will remain with the Tigers after going unclaimed on waivers. The 26-year-old has a 3.90 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 18:13 K:BB over 27.2 innings at Triple-A, but he struggled in the majors with seven runs allowed across 3.2 innings.

Martin (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Martin went for a second opinion on his injured right elbow this week but was unable to avoid the dreaded surgery. The 23-year-old will be out the remainder of this season and will likely miss the bulk of the 2020 season, as well. Martin received his first taste of the majors earlier this year and had a 5.59 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 19:12 K:BB in five starts.

Ottavino retired two of the three batters he faced in Thursday's 8-4 win over the Rays, securing his 21st hold of the season in the process. He walked and struck out a batter in the 15-pitch appearance.

Ottavino is now tied with Houston's Ryan Pressly for the MLB holds lead. After inking a three-year, $27 million deal with the Yankees in January, Ottavino has been the setup ace the club envisioned in front of closer Aroldis Chapman. Though his 1.33 WHIP and 6.3 BB/9 suggest he could struggle to maintain a sub-2.00 ERA, Ottavino's high strikeout rate (12.7 K/9) and ability to keep the ball in the yard (0.94 HR/9) should translate to success more often than not.

Kahnle picked up his 17th hold of the season while notching a strikeout as part of a perfect seventh inning Thursday in the Yankees' 8-4 win over the Rays.

After a rough 2018 campaign in the Bronx, Kahnle has regained more than a full tick on his fastball and has seen his performance bounce back accordingly. Along with free-agent pickups Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton, Kahnle has firmly established himself as one of the top setup options for closer Aroldis Chapman. In addition to his lofty holds total, Kahnle has submitted a 3.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 49 strikeouts over 34 frames.

Alvarado, who's allowed seven runs (six earned) across three appearances since returning from an extended absence due to personal reasons, may be used in lower-leverage situations in the short term, Marc Topkin of the Tamp Bay Times reports. "In all fairness to him, us, probably try to find a softer spot for him,'' manager Kevin Cash said. "Unfortunately we don't have many soft spots, and there's not a soft spot when you face the New York Yankees."

Alvarado was clearly out of his element in the outing where the majority of the aforementioned damage against him was done, a forgettable appearance against the Orioles on Wednesday. The left-hander allowed six runs (five earned) on four hits, a walk and a wild pitch over just two-thirds of an inning versus Baltimore, and the meltdown was apparently enough to warrant a bit of a role shift for the time being. With Diego Castillo (shoulder) on the injured list until after the All-Star break, Emilio Pagan, who boasts a 1.10 ERA and 0.80 WHIP, is presumably the next man up for any save chances during the current four-game series against the Yankees, although Cash added that the Rays "can't run from" Alvarado for too long based on how important he is to the team's success.

Giles took the loss against the Red Sox on Thursday, pitching one inning and giving up one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter.

Giles came on in the ninth inning with the score tied 7-7 and served up a one-out solo home run to Marco Hernandez to suffer the loss. Despite the disappointing outing, the 28-year-old has been among the most steady closers in baseball this season, converting 13 of 14 save opportunities while maintaining a 1.45 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 53:9 K:BB in 31 innings.

Chapman (2-1) blew the save but picked up the win against the Rays on Thursday, giving up two earned runs on three hits over one inning as the Yankees' eventually prevailed 8-4 in 10 innings. He struck out two and walked two.

The normally dominant left-hander melted down in this contest, coughing up a two-run lead for his third blown save before the Yankees rallied in the bottom of the 10th and got him his second win of the season. It was a forgettable outing, but Chapman has remained one of the best closers in baseball during the first half of 2019, as he's still sporting an excellent 1.85 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and 23 saves through 34 innings.

Manager Rick Renteria said after Thursday's game that Lopez will remain in the starting rotation, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Thursday's outing was another ugly one for Lopez, as he gave up six earned runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings. It was his seventh start this season with five or more runs allowed, pushing his ERA to 6.34, but Renteria said the team will let Lopez work through his issues on the job. The volume gives Lopez some value in certain points formats, but that's about the extent of his appeal at this point.

Barria was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Barria had his best outing of the season Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out eight over five innings in a win over the Rangers in Arlington. However, he would not have been available to pitch again before the break, so it only makes sense for the Angels to swap him out for a fresh bullpen arm. Chances are, Barria will get another chance with the big-league team shortly after play resumes.