MLB Player News

Smith threw a clean 11th inning to earn his first save of the season Monday against the Orioles.

The club cycled through most of its relievers, as Doug Fister lasted just two innings before the game went into extra innings, leaving Smith to close things out after they scored a pair of runs in the 11th. He's delivered four scoreless outings since being activated from the disabled list, but Carson isn't expected to be in the mix for saves moving forward.

Farmer (4-4) allowed five runs -- four earned -- on six hits while striking out three batters through just 2.2 innings to take the loss against Oakland on Monday.

This checked out as a favorable matchup, so Farmer's early exit was disappointing. He's now allowed 32 runs through 25 innings over his past seven starts, so with his final two starts projected to be against Minnesota, Farmer is probably best viewed as a desperation fantasy option in most settings.

Chapman pitched 1.2 perfect innings with two strikeouts to earn his 19th save of the season Monday against the Twins.

Chapman came on with the bases load and a one-run lead in the eighth inning, retiring the next two men to escape the jam. He retired the side in order in the ninth to close out what was a precious win for the Yanks. Chapman seems to have regained his form after being briefly removed from the closer's role and has now pitched seven consecutive scoreless outings with a 12:2 K:BB during that span.

Ferrell was forced to leave Monday's game after he was struck in the head by a line drive, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Ferrell was able to stay standing after taking the blow, somehow, but it would still be a surprise if he didn't suffer a concussion. The line drive off the bat of Ryon Healy had a 102.6 mph exit velocity, so it's a good bet that Ferrell won't be able to make his next start. Expect the club to monitor Ferrell's status overnight and provide updates as the week progresses.

Almonte (shoulder) ended 2017 minor-league season with a 1.72 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 16 games (47 innings) with Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha.

The prospect appeared in two games for the Royals before his season ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury. During his time at Double-A, Almonte managed a career-high 10.9 K/9 while displaying much better control (1.9 BB/9) than in previous years. The sample size was small, though, and the 24-year-old's numbers regressed upon reaching Triple-A, suggesting Almonte might need more polishing than once thought.

Hendriks notched his 14th hold in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Phillies, pitching a clean sixth inning in which he notched a pair of strikeouts.

Hendriks got through his outing on a quick eight pitches and has been outstanding since early August, as he's allowed just one earned run over his last 15 appearances. The stretch has lowered his ERA over a full run from 5.67 to 4.55 and cemented Hendriks as a trusted right-handed option out of the bullpen for manager Bob Melvin. The 28-year-old has also compiled a stellar 73 strikeouts over 59.1 innings this season, keeping him viable in AL-only and deep mixed formats that count holds.

Pagan allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits over an inning in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Astros. He also recorded two strikeouts.

Pagan fell victim to the long ball, allowing a solo shot to George Springer and a two-run blast to Carlos Correa. The 26-year-old righty had seemingly settled down after allowing an earned run in four consecutive outings between late August and early September, as he'd strung together four straight scoreless appearances heading into Sunday. However, his stumble bumped his ERA for the month up to 7.20, and Pagan's now allowed three round trippers over the five innings encompassing his last seven appearances.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister confirmed that Martinez will remain in the rotation this week and start Friday against the Athletics, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Martinez has jostled among the Rangers' rotation, their bullpen, and Triple-A Round Rock throughout the season, but at least while the team remains in contention for a wild-card spot, it appears the right-hander will stick in a starting role with the big club. With a 5.47 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 5.3 K/9 rate in the majors this season, Martinez offers limited upside in the fantasy realm, but so long as he's able to eat some innings, that should be enough to keep him in the rotation over the struggling A.J. Griffin.

Lee posted a 5.11 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 27 games (20 starts) during his first season at Triple-A Norfolk.

Entering 2017, the hype surrounding the 6-foot-3 southpaw was loud. Lee pitched well in spring training and almost snagged a temporary Opening Day rotation spot while Chris Tillman recovered from a shoulder injury. Most figured Lee would make his MLB debut at some point during the year, but as fate would have it, the pitcher wound up finishing the campaign with his worst marks since playing at the rookie levels. International League hitters, most of whom have big-league experience, tallied a .302 BAA over 116.1 innings. In fairness, Lee was victimized by an unlucky .352 BABIP and career-low 70.6 percent strand rate. He'll likely still be regarded as an MLB candidate when camp opens in February, but it's hard to believe he'll make the jump without having to show improvements at Triple-A first.

Diekman didn't allow a hit or run over 1.2 innings of a 4-2 win against the Angels on Sunday. He walked one and recorded the save.

This is the first save of the season for Diekman and fifth of his career. Apart from a two-hit, three-run hiccup in his last appearance against the visiting Mariners, Diekman has been solid in his other six outings since returning from the 60-day disabled list (no runs, no hits, eight strikeouts over 6.7 innings). Given his solid performance, look for the Rangers to continue to use the big southpaw in high-leverage situations for the remainder of the season.