MLB Player News

Scribner lasted just 2.2 innings after giving up two runs on four hits to the Athletics on Tuesday. He walked one and struck out two in an eventual 8-2 victory.

Scribner got the early hook after loading the bases in the top of third inning while trying to protect a 5-2 lead. He allowed two homers for the second consecutive start, bringing his season total up to seven in just 20.2 innings. The soft-tossing righty should get another shot at the Athletics next Monday, but his poor combination of being homer-prone (3.0 HR/9) while owning a pedestrian walk rate (3.5 BB/9) makes Scribner a risky play.

Kimbrel struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 31st save Tuesday against Toronto.

It took him 22 pitches (17 strikes), which is a lot for a flawless inning, but it's hard to argue with the results. Kimbrel still looked good in bouncing back from Monday's rare bad outing, turning in his 11th scoreless effort in his last 12 appearances and continuing to polish his stats in what's been one of the most incredible seasons of his illustrious career.

Belisle earned his fifth save Tuesday against the White Sox despite allowing one run on one hit with one walk and one strikeout in the ninth inning.

Belisle came in with a 6-3 lead, but made things interesting by allowing consecutive batters to reach base with two outs. He ultimately struck Avisail Garcia out swinging to nail down his fifth save in six tries this month.

Lopez (back) threw another bullpen session Tuesday, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Everything went well in what was Lopez's second bullpen session since landing on the disabled list Aug. 19, and the White Sox are expected to reevaluate him in the coming days before determining when he'll rejoin the rotation.

Barnes (back) expects to be activated from the 10-day disabled list when first eligible on Friday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Barnes, who has been on the shelf since Aug. 22 with a lower-back strain, is on the cusp of a return to the big-league bullpen. He's set to make a minor-league rehab start for Double-A Portland on Tuesday, and if all goes well, his next appearance should be for the Red Sox. Once he returns, Barnes should resume his role as one of Boston's main setup men for closer Craig Kimbrel.

Hart was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday.

A roster spot was needed for Tuesday's starter, Dylan Bundy (bereavement), and Hart was the corresponding roster casualty. He made just one appearance during his most recent stint with the Orioles, tossing a scoreless frame and lowering his ERA to 3.03 over 35.2 innings this season. He'll likely be back as bullpen depth sometime in September.

Pruitt is expected to move back to the bullpen when next available to pitch Saturday against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though he picked up the win Monday against the Royals after tossing six scoreless innings of one-hit ball, Pruitt has been rather erratic in his last seven turns through the rotation, registering a 4.50 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 40 innings. After former starter Matt Andriese (hip), who was activated from the 60-day disabled list earlier Monday, piggybacked Pruitt with three shutout innings of his own to close out the contest, Rays manager Kevin Cash apparently decided that he saw enough from Andriese to warrant inserting him back into the rotation. Pruitt could very well pick up additional starts this season as injuries and the Rays' schedule present opportunities, but now that he's due to work out of the bullpen for the foreseeable future, he'll lose most of his value in deeper mixed leagues and AL-only formats.

The Rays are planning to have Andriese start Sunday's game against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After bringing Andriese back from the 60-day disabled list Monday, the Rays elected to ease the right-hander back into action as a high-leverage, multi-inning reliever, and he quickly aced his first test in that role. Andriese came on Monday to toss three scoreless innings of one-hit ball in the series opener against the Royals, notching his fourth career save. That impressive outing was apparently all manager Kevin Cash needed to see from Andriese to return him to his normal spot in the rotation. Andriese is expected to replace Austin Pruitt, who should move to the bullpen after compiling a 4.50 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in his seven starts.

Armstrong will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to serve as the 26th man for Wednesday's doubleheader against the Yankees, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Armstrong will join the Indians ahead of Wednesday's twin bill to offer an extra bullpen arm. The 26-year-old owns a 4.76 ERA through 22.2 innings this season. While he's expected to return to the minors following the doubleheader, Armstrong will likely see another shot with the Indians after rosters expand in September.

Merritt will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to start Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Yankees, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Tuesday's game was postponed due to rain, creating a need for Merritt to join the Indians' rotation for a spot start. He'll start the second game of the twin bill, with Trevor Bauer starting Game 1 and Josh Tomlin (hamstring) pushing his return to the rotation back to Sunday in order to accommodate the new schedule. Merritt held his own in his spot start earlier in the month, tossing 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out three batters. Since he's slated to serve as the 26th man for the twin bill, Merritt will likely be returned to Columbus following the start, but he will be back soon enough when rosters expand in September.