MLB Player News

Norris (groin) was pulled in the first inning of his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Toledo due to an apparent injury, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Norris was targeting 90 pitches for his second rehab outing with Toledo, but that plan never came to fruition after he faced just six batters and tossed 32 pitches before a team trainer visited the lefty on the mound and the decision was made to remove him from the contest. It's unclear if Norris' setback has any relation to his existing groin injury, but the Tigers should provide more clarity on the situation in the coming days. While Norris has been sidelined since July 5, the Tigers have been using Matt Boyd as their fifth starter, and he's thus far pitched adequately enough to stake his claim to a rotation spot even after Norris is activated from the 10-day disabled list.

Diaz gave up a run on one hit and a walk Saturday against the Yankees, suffering his fourth blown save of the season.

This was on Diaz, as he had the advantage on Ronald Torreyes in a 1-2 count and got a lot of the plate on a pitch that ended up driving in Jacoby Ellsbury from second base. That said, prior to this blown save Diaz had been pitching at an elite level, giving up one run while striking out 17 over his last 9.2 innings, so the ninth-inning role should remain his going forward.

Manaea allowed four runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out just two batters over 5.2 innings in a no-decision against the Mets on Saturday.

This wasn't Manaea's sharpest showing, and the two punchouts were his fewest in a start since returning from the disabled list May 15. It was a rare off outing, though. The lefty has been a decent fantasy asset this season with a 3.82 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.8 K/9 for the campaign, and his eight wins are a solid total considering he's pitching for a basement-dwelling club. Manaea projects to face Toronto at the Rogers Centre in his next start.

McHugh (0-0) allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four over 4.2 innings in a no-decision Saturday against the Orioles.

In his season debut after missing over three months of the year with an elbow injury, McHugh was far from sharp, but the Houston offense provided plenty of support, keeping him from picking up a loss. He'll likely need to string together a few good outings before he begins to regain the confidence of fantasy managers. He'll make his next start Friday against the Tigers.

Alexander (2-3) picked up Saturday's win over the White Sox after stranding two inherited runners in his only inning of work.

With Chicago threatening to push their lead to 4-0, Alexander stepped in and delivered a motivating effort in relief of starter Jason Vargas. The Royals went on to score five runs in the bottom of the sixth, giving Alexander his second win this month. Now in his third MLB season, the southpaw has logged a career-high 27 appearances and 39 innings while posting an impressive 2.08 ERA.

Shaw (3-4) retired a single batter to collect his third win of the season during Saturday's victory over the Blue Jays.

Shaw entered the game and retired Kevin Pillar in the top of the 10th inning, and then Francisco Lindor hit a solo homer in the bottom of the frame to seal the win. With a 2.76 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 7.5 K/9, Shaw is a serviceable fantasy asset in deep leagues, but if closer Cody Allen were ever bumped from his job, Andrew Miller would likely be next in line for saves and not Shaw.

Belisle is likely unavailable out of the bullpen until Monday's game with the Dodgers, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Belisle tossed 2.2 innings in Friday's contest, so it seems like the Twins are content not using one of their better relievers for a bit in an effort to keep him healthy for the stretch run. After a rough start to the season, the right-hander has settled down and hasn't allowed a run over his last 9.1 innings.

Santiago's (back) rehab assignment is expected to be three starts long with Triple-A Rochester, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Given this timeline, it would seem that Santiago is on pace to return to the Twins in early August, although no firm date has been revealed at this time. There's still some question as to whether he'll return as a starter or as a reliever given his recent struggles in the rotation, but things should clear up as he progresses in his rehab assignment.

Valdez is expected to start Tuesday's game against the Athletics, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

There was some speculation that the veteran would move in to start if Aaron Sanchez (finger) landed on the disabled list, and with the latter condition coming true, Valdez will likely take his spot. This designation hinges on Valdez not appearing in relief in the meantime, but if all holds true, he would line up to face Oakland ace Sonny Gray in the second game of the series.

McHugh (elbow) was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list and will start Saturday's game against the Orioles.

As anticipated, the right-hander will make his 2017 debut Saturday night. McHugh has been a serviceable rotation member the past few years, and he'll look to give the Astros a boost as they take on right-hander Chris Tillman and the Orioles.