MLB Player News

Stanek will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the White Sox.

It's the second "start" of the week for Stanek, who pitched one inning as the opener in the Rays' 10-6 win over the Angels on Tuesday. Stanek hasn't covered more than two innings in any of his 35 appearances this season, so that will likely represent the upper bound of his workload Friday. Austin Pruitt and Jaime Schultz seem likely to be deployed as the Rays' primary long relievers once Stanek exits the contest.

Jurado will remain part of the Rangers' five-man rotation, Dic Humphrey of MLB.com reports.

Manager Jeff Banister declared he's "pretty well set" with the rotation he currently has, which is good news for Jurado. The right-hander was summoned from Double-A Frisco to make a spot start last Saturday for the recently traded Cole Hamels. "Right now, we'll stay in order. That's always subject to change, but right now we're pretty well set," said the manager. Jurado was the winning pitcher in his first start and is scheduled to start Friday against the Orioles.

Gearrin was mentioned by manager Jeff Banister as a reliever that may get save opportunities going forward, Dic Humphrey of MLB.com reports.

The conventional thought was that Jose Leclerc would fill in as the closer after Texas traded Keone Kela, but Banister said Thursday he will not name a specific closer. He intends to retain the flexibility to utilize any one of a trio that includes Gearrin, Leclerc and Chris Martin. Those are the three relievers he considers his one-inning pitchers. The Rangers have not had a save opportunity since trading Kela.

Martin is one of three pitchers that manager Jeff Banister indicated could get save opportunities, Dic Humphrey of MLB.com reports.

The working assumption after closer Keone Kela was traded was that Jose Leclerc would be the primary closer, but the manager sent a different message Thursday. Banister said he feels he has three one-inning pitchers -- Martin, Leclerc and Cory Gearrin -- and refused to name a specific closer. He wants to retain the flexibility to utilize any of the trio when save opportunities are presented. The Rangers have not had a save situation since trading away Kela.

Hauschild (1-0) allowed four hits and one walk across six scoreless innings to record the win Thursday against the Mariners.

Hauschild had a busy Thursday, joining the Blue Jays and earning his first major league win in one day. After one inning from Tyler Clippard, Hauschild entered the game and held the Mariners scoreless on the strength of seven groundballs and six strikeouts. His role with the big-league club is unclear going forward, though he posted a 4.88 ERA and 1.55 WHIP across 97 innings at Triple-A Fresno as a member of the Astros organization this season.

Johnson (2-3) tossed five innings Thursday, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks in the 15-7 win over the Yankees. He struck out 11 and yielded three homers while earning the win.

The rookie southpaw's 11 strikeouts are a new career-high despite lasting just five innings against the rival Yankees. Johnson was taken deep by Didi Gregorius twice in the outing, once for a three-run shot in the first inning and later for a solo blast in the fifth. He also allowed a solo homer to Aaron Hicks in the second inning. Luckily, Boston poured on eight runs in the fourth inning and lined up Johnson for the win. The 27-year-old should return to the bullpen with Chris Sale (shoulder) expected back soon.

Jays manager John Gibbons plans to eventually use Giles as the team's closer, but only after he first pitches in a lower-leverage spot first, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.CA reports.

Giles believes his brief demotion to Triple-A allowed him to regain his slider as an effective out pitch. "I got a great feel for my slider when I got demoted to triple-A, I got my slider back, now it's about me establishing my fastball better to make me more successful," he said. "Knowing that guys are going to ambush me early, I've got to be more prepared."

Lopez allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings in a no-decision against the Royals on Thursday.

It was nice to see the 24-year-old shake off a miserable end to July (18 runs, eight homers allowed in his final three starts) and start August with one of his best performances in months. He left in line for the win, but the bullpen ultimately allowed the Royals to tie it late. Lopez blamed his recent struggles on a lack of focus, with manager Rick Renteria adding that "it has nothing to do with the physical depletion of his ability to do things." While this was a step forward for Lopez, he draws the Yankees next and that's a matchup most in mixed leagues will want to avoid.

Hauschild was signed by the Blue Jays on Thursday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Hauschild was let go by the Astros on Monday, but he latched on with a new team just days later. He'll head right to the major-league level, and he'll be available out of the bullpen for Thursday's game against Seattle. Hauschild started 19 games at Triple-A Fresno in 2018, posting a 4.88 ERA and 1.55 WHIP with a 93:38 K:BB over 97 frames.

Giles was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Giles was traded from Houston to Toronto on Monday alongside Hector Perez and David Paulino in exchange for Roberto Osuna (suspension). Giles was demoted to the minor leagues with the Astros after posting a 4.99 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 31 strikeouts over 30.2 frames. Expect the 27-year-old right-hander to be deployed in mid-to-high leverage situations as he looks to turn his 2018 campaign around.