MLB Player News

Robles struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 10th save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Rays.

The righty converted his 10th save in 12 opportunities and has not given up a run in seven appearances in June. The 28-year-old has a fine 3.24 ERA and 1.05 WHIP along with a 32:8 K:BB.

Brasier is expected to return from the bereavement list Monday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Brasier has been on the list since Tuesday. Players are allowed to spend between three and seven days on the list, so he appears to be tracking toward the back end of that timeframe.

Merryweather (elbow) threw a live batting practice session Saturday and is almost ready for game action, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Merryweather is nearly back from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent in March of 2018. He's expected to pitch in a game next week, though it's unclear if that will be at Triple-A Buffalo or a rehab assignment at a lower affiliate.

Axford (elbow) has advanced his throwing progression and is throwing from 90 feet without issues, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Axford hasn't pitched all season due to a stress reaction in his elbow. He's progressing toward a return to action, though it's not clear when the Blue Jays expect him to begin a rehab assignment.

Borucki (elbow) threw a live batting practice Saturday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Borucki has continued to progress in his recovery from elbow inflammation, but he's still weeks away from being ready to return to Toronto. Injuries have kept him off the field all season to this point.

Johnson is expected to start Sunday against Baltimore and every fifth day beyond that until Nathan Eovaldi is ready to return from an elbow injury, Christoper Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Johnson was activated off the injured list Friday after his own ordeal with an elbow injury. The Red Sox hope he can stabilize Eovaldi's spot in the rotation after a string of starts that went to Ryan Weber, Hector Velazquez, Josh A. Smith and Darwinzon Hernandez. "Most likely he'll be the guy," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said about Johnson. "Hopefully now all the way to the end of the All-Star break it's a regular schedule. We have our guys lined up every five days and it's going to benefit everybody, I believe." The left-hander last pitched June 9 for Triple-A Pawtucket, throwing 62 pitches over four innings, so he's stretched out enough to potentially throw five innings Sunday. Eovaldi suffered a setback during his rehab but is set to resume throwing shortly, and it looks like the Red Sox will keep him on rehab through the All-Star break.

Yacabonis was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

He has a 4.74 ERA at Triple-A and a 6.11 ERA in the majors this season. Look for him to work in low-leverage spots.

Farmer allowed three runs (one earned) over two innings in Friday's 13-4 loss to Cleveland. He struck out two and gave up four hits and a walk.

After Detroit starter Ryan Carpenter was blasted for eight runs in three innings of work, Farmer didn't fare much better. A fielding error by second baseman Harold Castro spared Farmer's ERA a bit, but the righty was still hittable in this one. Farmer has a 4.94 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 27.1 innings this season.

Manager Chris Woodward acknowledged Palumbo is a candidate to start Wednesday against the Indians, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

This is the rotation spot that was once held by Drew Smyly, who pitched himself out of the mix for the time being. Woodward said earlier that Shelby Miller will not be moving back to the rotation and that the Rangers are not expected to fill the slot with a bullpen start, as they did Friday. That leaves Palumbo, who made a start for the Rangers on June 8, as the most likely option. The left-hander returned to the minors after that start and, by rule, is unable to return to MLB for 10 days. That's why he wasn't on the mound for Texas on Friday. Instead, he started for Double-A Frisco, an outing that looked remarkably like a tune-up designed to keep him fresh. He threw three scoreless innings and was pulled after just 48 pitches.

McHugh (elbow) allowed two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning for Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

McHugh kicked off a rehab assignment by giving up a two-run homer and was pulled mid-inning after 19 pitches. According to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, McHugh will require more than one outing of multiple innings before returning to the Astros. The possibility exists he could be back by next weekend's four-game series against the Yankees.