MLB Player News

Martinez retired two batters and was charged with four runs on five hits in Sunday's 16-7 loss to the Yankees.

Rangers skipper Jeff Banister pulled starter A.J. Griffin from the contest with two runners on and no outs in the fourth inning with the team trailing 3-1, hoping that Martinez, who hadn't pitched since Sept. 4, would be able to snuff out any Yankees rally. That wouldn't be the case, however, as Martinez allowed four consecutive hits before generating a double play, and then served up an Aaron Judge solo shot before Banister pulled him from the contest with the Rangers down eight runs. Martinez had typically fared well in his previous relief outings with the big club, but the right-hander's ugly showing Sunday may relegate his usage to lower-leverage mop-up situations through the end of the season.

Fulmer will remain in the rotation so that the White Sox can assess him for the 2018 season, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Fulmer's 5.79 ERA at Triple-A Charlotte and disastrous first start with the White Sox on Aug. 21 had him pitching out of the bullpen. That was before he shined in a spot start Sunday, when he struck out nine and allowed one run over six innings in a win over the Giants. There are better pitching prospects in the organization already in Chicago or scheduled to reach the bigs by 2019, so Fulmer may not be a long-term starter, but there will be available rotation slots in 2018.

McHugh (fingernail) plans to try throwing before Tuesday's series opener against the Angels, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh, who is being replaced by Brad Peacock during this current iteration of the rotation, will test out the detached fingernail on his right middle finger. If all goes well, McHugh is expected to rejoin the rotation next week at home against the White Sox.

Graveman (5-4) got the win Sunday after holding Houston to one run on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts over six innings.

Graveman and Dallas Keuchel were involved in a pitchers' duel through five until the Houston ace inexplicably fell apart in the sixth. This quality start against the league's highest-scoring offense came as a pleasant surprise after Graveman had been shelled for nine earned runs in 10 innings over his previous two outings. He'll look to build off this effort Saturday in Philadelphia.

Colome struck out one in a clean inning of work to earn his 43rd save of the season Sunday against the Red Sox.

Colome had a full five days of rest under his belt and looked sharp in putting the side down in order. He has been scored upon just twice in his last 16 innings and has converted 14 straight save opportunities overall. Colome endured a bit of a rough patch in August but has lowered his ERA back down to 3.02 after his recent run of form.

Fulmer (2-1) allowed just a single run on three hits and three walks while striking out nine batters through six innings during Sunday's win over San Francisco.

This was just the second start of the season for Fulmer, so it checks out as an even more impressive showing. However, the 23-year-old righty didn't pitch well for Triple-A Charlotte (5.79 ERA through 126 innings), so he's probably still best viewed as a risky fantasy option moving forward. Fulmer lines up to face the Tigers at Comerica Park in his next start.

Norris pitched a perfect inning of relief in Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Norris was shifted to the bullpen at the beginning of September, and he struggled in his first relief outing last Sunday, giving up two earned runs without recording an out. The Tigers still view the 24-year-old as a starter long-term, but it would benefit Norris to pitch well in relief the rest of this season as he looks to earn a rotation spot in 2018.

Santos pitched three scoreless innings Sunday to record the save in the Blue Jays' 8-2 victory over the Tigers.

Roberto Osuna has been unavailable due to neck issues, so the Jays used top backup plan Ryan Tepera on Saturday and assigned Santos to eat innings in the series finale to protect a big lead. Though Santos has a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 frames in the first two games of his MLB career, this line and Sunday's work do not hint at Santos suddenly leapfrogging the closer hierarchy. Osuna's status will be updated heading into Monday action.

McHugh (finger) will miss his scheduled Thursday start against the Angels, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

McHugh will be forced to miss his upcoming start after suffering a detached fingernail during his shortened Friday start against the Athletics. Brad Peacock will take the mound in his place Thursday, but the plan is for McHugh to rejoin the rotation against the White Sox on Sept. 20, assuming his finger is fully healed.

Devenski (8-4) surrendered two hits and two runs in one inning in Houston's 11-4 loss in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader against the Athletics.

Oakland Coliseum has been a house of horrors for Houston, particularly its bullpen. The Astros lost Friday's game on a walkoff hit, then were swept in Saturday's twin bill by a total score of 22-5. Over the first three games of the series, Houston's bullpen has allowed 23 earned runs over 10.1 innings (20.03 ERA). That ineptitude spread to Devenski, arguably Houston's most indispensable reliever.