MLB Player News

Yarbrough was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Yarbrough's 4.55 season ERA is nothing special, but he's allowed just two runs in 15 innings over his last four appearances, so the timing of the move is odd. He's expected to make a start at Durham before returning to the Rays following the All-Star break, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Austin Pruitt was recalled in a corresponding move.

Pagan struck out two and earned his fifth hold of the season as part of a perfect inning of relief Monday in the Rays' 6-3 win over the Orioles.

Pagan was once again magnificent, collecting three swinging strikes among his 13 pitches during the 1-2-3 frame. The righty has provided little reason for skepticism about his skills at this point, but his path to saves remains muddled due to manager Kevin Cash's propensity to mix and match in the ninth inning. Pagan notably worked the eighth Monday while Jose Alvarado -- back from a nearly month-long absence due to a personal matter -- collected the save. The two pitchers could easily flip-flop roles the next time a save chance arises, but even if Alvarado sees the majority of those opportunities moving forward, Pagan can still bring value as a ratio stabilizer.

Castro gave up a run on two hits and two walks and struck out three over two innings Monday in the Orioles' 6-3 loss to the Rays.

Castro remains one of the more trusted arms in Baltimore's beleaguered bullpen, but that hasn't translated to many high-leverage opportunities on a club on pace for its second straight 115-loss season. Since the beginning of June, Castro has collected only one save and one hold over his 12 appearances spanning 17.2 innings.

Flynn was charged with three runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings of relief in Monday's 11-4 loss to the Blue Jays.

Flynn wasn't really able to stop the bleeding for the Royals as Toronto finished with a season-high 18 hits, but he at least saved the rest of the bullpen from overuse with starter Glenn Sparkman lasting only three innings. The Royals will continue to deploy the lefty as a mop-up man in relief, a role that won't lend itself to much fantasy utility.

Borucki (elbow) made a rehab appearance at High-A Dunedin on Monday, working four scoreless innings and allowing only one baserunner while striking out four.

Tasked with a jump in competition after making his first rehab appearance June 26 with the Blue Jays' rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate, Borucki cruised through the outing while tossing 35 of 47 pitches for strikes. Considering that Borucki has been on the injured list all season with the elbow issue, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com speculates that the lefty will require 2-to-3 more rehab starts before Toronto reinstates him. The 25-year-old should fill a back-end role in the big-league rotation once activated.

Kolarek (3-2) was credited with the victory in Monday's win over the Orioles, allowing a hit over a scoreless one-third of an inning.

Kolarek allowed a go-ahead single to Rey Ruiz immediately upon entering the game in the sixth, but he coaxed an inning-ending liner out of Jonathan Villar to prevent further damage. Kevin Kiermaier's go-ahead three-run home run in the home half of the frame then made Kolarek the pitcher of record, a designation that stuck when bullpen mates Oliver Drake, Emilio Pagan and Jose Alvarado conspired to blank the Orioles the rest of the way. Kolarek has mostly been reliable since a rocky May, as he now boasts a 1-1 record, two holds, a 3.38 ERA and a .220 BAA across the 13.1 innings covering his last 13 appearances.

Stanek served as the opener in a win over the Orioles on Monday and fired two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk while recording one strikeout.

Stanek rebounded nicely from an uneven outing his last time out while once again serving as the first arm out of the gate for the Rays. The 27-year-old right-hander has allowed five runs overall in his last 10 appearances, although only three have been earned. Moreover, he's blanked the opposition altogether in six of those outings and boasts a 2.13 ERA, .204 BAA and .257 wOBA allowed across 38.0 innings as an opening pitcher.

De Leon (elbow) recorded nine strikeouts and allowed four earned runs on seven hits, a walk and a wild pitch over 4.2 innings, taking the loss for Triple-A Durham against Charlotte on Monday.

As his final line implies, De Leon's night was a mixed bag. However, one of the positives besides his nine strikeouts was that he worked up to 83 pitches. Monday's outing was De Leon's 10th overall in his rehab assignment, and he encouragingly managed to build on the seven whiffs he'd recorded his previous time out last Tuesday against Charlotte as well. De Leon's potential activation date remains unclear, but given his pitch count against the Knights, he's pretty well stretched out at this point.

Treinen (shoulder) was credited with a victory but also charged with a blown save during Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Reno on Monday, allowing three earned runs on four hits over an inning and recording no walks or strikeouts.

Treinen fired 20 pitches overall during his eventful frame, getting 15 into the strike zone. However, he allowed a pair of home runs to Wyatt Mathisen and Kevin Cron, which led to the bloated line. Despite his struggles, the veteran reliever is expected to be activated when first eligible Wednesday.

Alvarado gave up one hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to record his seventh save in a 6-3 win over the Orioles on Monday.

After getting two quick outs to start the ninth inning, Alvarado gave up a double to make things interesting, but he struck out Anthony Santander to nail down the save. The left-hander was used in a save situation for the first time since his return from the restricted list June 29. Alvarado has a 3.20 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in 28 appearances this season.