MLB Player News

Kolarek gave up an earned run on a solo home run over two-thirds of an inning in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Angels.

Kolarek gave up a 359-foot shot to C.J. Cron in the eighth that gave the Angels what turned out to be an indispensable insurance run. It was the 28-year-old's second homer surrendered in his last three appearances and the third time overall that he's given up at least one earned run. Factoring in Sunday's outing, Kolarek's ERA has ballooned up to 5.40 after he opened his Rays career with a pair of scoreless efforts.

Saupold (2-1) picked up the win Sunday against Toronto by pitching a spotless 11th inning.

Saupold was the seventh Detroit pitcher of the game, and he retired the Blue Jays in order in the top of the 11th. He then won when the Tigers scored on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the inning. The Australian right-hander now has a 2.14 ERA and 1.01 WHIP while serving as a strong long-relief option in a generally shaky Detroit bullpen.

Abreu, who has been out since June 6, is dealing with a muscle issue in his right shoulder, Mark Sanchez of the New York Post reports.

It was unclear initially what forced the hard-throwing 21-year-old to the DL, and a shoulder ailment is not the most encouraging news. Abreu had a sparkling 1.84 ERA at Low-A this year before moving up to High-A, where he worked to a 5.09 ERA in six starts. He remains without a firm timetable for a return and will likely be treated with extreme caution.

Robertson, who threw a scoreless inning in a non-save situation Sunday, had scouts from the Red Sox and Yankees on hand watching him pitch, Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The rumors of Robertson being traded to the Nationals were popular during the first half of the season, but Washington made its long speculated move to acquire bullpen help elsewhere Sunday. Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle were sent from Oakland to Washington, presumably to address the team's closer problems. Other clubs are interested in Robertson, but the Nationals are (or were) in need of a closer, while the Red Sox and Yankees are looking at him as a setup man. The obvious implication of Sunday's development is that Robertson's value will be reduced if he's not closing games, and the potential haul he could get in fantasy circles will be diminished.

Manaea allowed two earned runs over seven innings and picked up the win in Sunday's victory over the Indians. He allowed five hits and posted an 8:3 K:BB in the game.

Manaea continues to throw the ball well for the Athletics and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of 11 starts, a span over which he has lowered his ERA from 5.52 to 3.68. He will look to keep things going in his next start later this week against the Mets.

De Leon (back) could begin pitching with the Gulf Coast League Rays this week and eventually move his rehab to High-A Charlotte and Triple-A Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 24-year-old right-hander has been sidelined since June 8, but it appears his return to game action is imminent. De Leon has compiled a 1-2 record, 4.87 ERA, .244 BAA, 1.33 WHIP and 26:8 K:BB over 20.1 innings in five appearances with High-A Charlotte and Triple-A Durham this season.

Kimbrel tossed a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 24th save in Sunday night's victory over the Yankees.

Kimbrel blew his first save at Fenway Park on Saturday night, but he bounced back Sunday and kept the Yankees off the scoreboard despite allowing two runners to reach base. Though Sunday's save was his first of July, he did notch at least seven in each of the three prior months and will continue seeing ample opportunities to close out games for the first-place Red Sox.

McHugh (elbow) pitched six innings at Double-A Corpus Christi on Sunday in what is expected to be his final rehab appearance, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

An elbow issue has kept McHugh on the shelf since the start of the season, but he's made significant progress in recent weeks and is expected to rejoin the Astros in Baltimore over the coming weekend. Given McHugh's impending return, the Astros will need to open up a rotation spot, and Joe Mosgrove -- 6.04 ERA in 14 starts -- would appear to be the most likely candidate for a reassignment or move to the bullpen.

Diaz struck out the side in a perfect 10th inning to secure a 7-6 victory over the White Sox for his 16th save Sunday.

Diaz shut the door emphatically after Nelson Cruz broke a 6-6 tie with a home run in the top of the frame, needing just 12 pitches to punch out the heart of Chicago's order. The 23-year-old righty has electric stuff, as evidenced by his 12.80 K/9.

Wilson tossed a perfect ninth inning against the Blue Jays on Sunday.

Wilson continues to pitch well in Detroit's ninth-inning role, earning his eighth straight appearance without allowing a run after shutting down the side during the series finale. The southpaw hasn't lost a game since June 20 and has been able to record a strikeout during every game in this span. Throughout the season, Wilson has posted a 2.29 ERA with a WHIP below 1.00 and a remarkable 12.8 K/9 during high-leverage opportunities.