MLB Player News

Martinez (3-6) allowed two runs on five hits while striking out six batters through five innings during Thursday's loss to Houston.

Martinez has been bouncing between the bullpen and rotation since June, but this was his fourth consecutive start, and it was also the best of the four outings. He entered Thursday's game with a 5.51 ERA and 1.29 WHIP through his prior 14 starts, so while this was a better showing, Martinez is still far from a go-to fantasy option in most settings. If he sticks in the rotation for another turn, Martinez lines up to face Atlanta at SunTrust Park in his next start.

Gallegos was promoted by the Yankees prior to Thursday's game against Boston.

Gallegos will likely remain on New York's active roster for the rest of the regular season. He last appeared on the mound with the club against the Red Sox on Aug. 12, giving up just one hit in 2.2 innings while striking out four. The right-hander has made 10 appearances with the Yankees this season, posting a 5.79 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 14 innings out of the bullpen. He figures to serve in low-leverage situations as a reliever moving forward.

Lopez (back) will take the mound for Friday's start against the Rays.

Lopez was able to toss a 30-to-35 pitch bullpen Tuesday, which marked his third session on the mound since landing on the DL on Aug. 19. The right-hander didn't need to embark upon a rehab assignment, as manager Rick Renteria is confident that Lopez is near full health and ready to face major-league hitting. During two starts with the club this season, Lopez has allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and seven walks while striking out 12 over 10.1 innings.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister said that Diekman (abdomen) is expected to be activated from the 60-day disabled list Friday, Connor Mount of MLB.com reports.

Diekman passed the final hurdle in his recovery from three surgeries within the past year to repair and rebuild his colon by making appearances in back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday for Double-A Frisco, marking the fifth and six appearances in total of his rehab assignment. The lefty has looked utterly dominant in those outings, giving up just one run over 6.1 innings while striking out eight batters and walking none. Given the dearth of quality relief options for the Rangers, Diekman will have a decent chance at settling into a key setup role right away upon returning from the DL. He accrued a 3.40 ERA and 59:26 K:BB across 53 innings with the Rangers in 2016.

Martinez will start Thursday's game against the Astros, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Heading into the week, it appeared Cole Hamels would be in line to pick up the start for the series finale, but after the staff ace struggled in his last outing Aug. 26 against the Athletics, the Rangers elected to bump him back a day in the rotation, allowing Martinez to pick up the Thursday start. Martinez has submitted an unimpressive 5.26 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 87.1 innings with the big club this season, but turned in one of his more impressive performances of the campaign while replacing Tyson Ross in the rotation last weekend. The right-hander covered seven innings against the Athletics in a losing effort, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks while tying his season high with seven strikeouts.

Graveman allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters in five innings Wednesday against the Angels. He didn't factor into the decision.

Wednesday's outing was a step backwards for Graveman, who had allowed just five runs in 20 innings over his previous three starts, all of which were quality outings. He struggled mightily to keep the ball in the yard, as all five of the Angels' runs came off of a trio of homers. It marked the first time in 14 starts this season that he's conceded multiple homers in a game, and it was the first long ball he's given up since Aug. 3 (five starts). While outings like this make him tough to trust from a fantasy perspective, Graveman's 2.70 ERA in seven starts at home this season make him a decent streaming option when he's pitching at the Coliseum, as is the case for his next start against the Angels on Tuesday.

Colome allowed a hit but struck out the side for his league-leading 40th save Wednesday against the Royals.

He's now opened up a four-save lead over the Rockies' Greg Holland, and Colome's finally started piling up some strikeouts lately. The righty's last four appearances have seen him put up eight strikeouts without a walk over four innings, marking quite the change of pace from the 7.4 K/9 he was sitting on before this stretch. If he can keep missing bats down the stretch, Colome should be able to improve upon his ratios -- with a 3.02 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, he's well short of elite by bullpen standards.

Santiago (back) is scheduled to make another rehab start for Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Santiago struggled with velocity in his last rehab start, topping out at just 86 mph according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, so he'll head back to Rochester for what will be his sixth rehab appearance since July 25 in an attempt to get back on track before rejoining the Twins. Santiago's possible return date remains up in the air at this point, but one will hopefully become clearer following his next rehab outing. Dillon Gee will continue to fill in for Santiago in the rotation.

Merritt (2-0) recorded the win in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Yankees, allowing only one run on five hits and two walks over 5.1 innings while striking out one.

The 25-year-old lefty continues to give Cleveland excellent performances whenever they need to plug him into the rotation, and Merritt now has a 1.74 ERA through 20.2 big-league innings this year. His 7:4 K:BB limits his fantasy value, however, and it's fair to wonder just how long he can keep it up before major-league hitters finally figure him out. If Danny Salazar (elbow) is able to rejoin the team next week, Merritt will likely move to the bullpen for the final weeks of the season.

Smith (elbow) will likely be activated from the 60-day disabled list after the minor-league season ends on Sept. 4, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Smith has been sidelined all season while working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and it appears a return is finally in sight. While the Red Sox are contemplating sending Smith to another affiliate after the minor-league season finishes, he'll likely rejoin the big club and ease his way back into action with lower-leverage work. The 27-year-old posted an impressive 2.31 ERA and 92:22 K:BB through 70 innings of work with the Mariners in 2015, his last full season.