MLB Player News

Graveman (3-3) gave up eight hits but only two earned runs Sunday in a 9-3 win over the Orioles. He also struck out eight and walked one.

The victory is the first for Graveman since way back on April 8, as he spent nearly three months sidelined with a shoulder injury. Since returning from the disabled list on Aug. 3, he's allowed a whopping 23 hits (and 12 earned runs) over just 14.1 innings (three starts), so those desperate for pitching in deeper leagues would be wise to look elsewhere while Graveman is failing to miss bats.

Hildenberger struck out three and allowed just one hit in 1.1 innings to earn his first save of the season Sunday against the Tigers.

Hildenberger earned his first career save in fashion, striking out three of five batters he faced and recording the final four outs of the contest. The 26-year-old has been solid since earning a promotion near the end of June, compiling a 3.13 ERA and 26:3 K:BB through 23 innings of relief. Matt Belisle, who is ahead of Hildenberger in line for saves at the moment, blew a save in Saturday's game against Detroit, so an opportunity could arise should the two continue to trend in opposite directions.

Pruitt allowed three runs on four hits and a walk through six innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Indians. He struck out three.

Pruitt has now hurled three consecutive quality starts, and he appears to be settling into his place in the Rays' rotation. Since joining the big-league rotation at the end of July, the 27-year-old owns a solid 3.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in four starts. He'll look to keep things rolling Friday against the Mariners.

Alvarado was optioned to Triple-A Durham following Sunday's loss to the Indians, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Alvarado will head back to the minors after an impressive, albeit brief, stint with the big club. Since being recalled earlier in the month, the southpaw has tossed 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out nine batters. A corresponding roster move is expected to be announced prior to Monday's series opener against the Blue Jays. He should be back with the Rays at some point before the end of the season.

Zych (5-3) allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks over an inning in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Angels. He also recorded two strikeouts.

Asked to preserve a 3-3 tie entering the eighth, Zych issued a pair of free passes to open the frame before getting touched up for a two-run double by Albert Pujols. He subsequently allowed a third run on a sacrifice fly, leading to his poorest outing in an otherwise impressive season. Saturday's stumble marked the first time this year that the right-handed reliever had given up multiple runs in an appearance, and his solid 2.79 ERA and 11 holds keep him a viable fantasy asset in AL-only and deep formats.

Gallegos was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

Gallegos tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in Saturday loss to the Red Sox, so the Yankees decided to swap him out for a fresh arm. The 25-year-old heads back to the minors with a 5.79 ERA through 14 big-league innings this season. Caleb Smith, who is an option to fill in for Masahiro Tanaka (shoulder) in the rotation, was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said VerHagen would be available in long relief Sunday against the Twins, indicating that the right-hander won't stick around in the rotation, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

VerHagen has made two spot starts in place of Michael Fulmer (elbow), conceding eight runs on 13 hits and three walks over 8.2 innings in those outings. With Fulmer in line to come off the disabled list to start Monday's series opener against the Rangers, the Tigers aren't likely to deploy a six-man rotation in the upcoming week, so VerHagen should stick in the bullpen for the short term. He could be demoted to Triple-A Toledo on Monday in a corresponding move to Fulmer's activation.

Norris (groin) will report to Triple-A Toledo to restart his rehab assignment Wednesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers are expected to have Norris make three rehab starts with Toledo before being activated from the 10-day disabled list, likely in early September. After tossing 35 and 40 pitches in a recent simulated game and bullpen session, respectively, Norris will up his count to 45 on Wednesday. He'll likely increase his pitch count in the subsequent two starts as he attempts to stake his claim to a rotation spot with the Tigers once he's activated.

Manager Ned Yost said Junis would be recalled from Triple-A Omaha to start Monday's game against the Athletics, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

Junis rejoins the Royals after delivering a brilliant performance in a spot start Aug. 6 against the Mariners, during which he gave up one run on four hits over eight innings. He'll take the place of Trevor Cahill (shoulder) on Monday, but whether Junis sticks around beyond that remains to be seen. The Athletics are one of the poorer offenses in baseball, and with the game at the pitcher-friendly Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Junis makes for an intriguing streaming option.

Leone (personal) was placed on the bereavement list Sunday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Leone has temporarily left the Blue Jays to tend to a personal matter and is without a definitive timetable to rejoin the club, though his absence isn't expected to be an extended one. Toronto recalled Matt Dermody from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move to offer another option out of the bullpen while Leone is away.