MLB Player News

Boxberger (back) emerged from an impressive one-inning outing for High-A Charlotte on Monday declaring that his arm felt "great," Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The veteran reliever struck out the side on 14 pitches, 11 of which he threw for strikes. It was Boxberger's long-awaited first rehab outing, and he'll report to the trainers Tuesday for confirmation on his next step. The plan remains for Boxberger to see action in multiple games in the minors before his 2017 big-league debut.

Junis will be called up from Triple-A Omaha to start Tuesday against the Astros, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Junis will assume the rotation spot vacated by Danny Duffy, who was diagnosed with an oblique strain last week and will be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks. The right-hander performed capably in his lone other start this season May 21 against the Twins, conceding two runs on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings, but he's been much more impressive at Omaha. In seven outings for the Triple-A squad spanning 42.1 innings, Junis has compiled a 57:8 K:BB to go with a 2.34 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He'll get a tough matchup in his return to the Royals against the AL-leading Astros, but Junis lines up for a more favorable landing spot in his second start of the week Sunday against the Padres at Petco Park.

Johnson (hamstring) threw Sunday and is still a top candidate to take the rotation spot of Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) and start Saturday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Concerns were raised after the pitching prospect left his scheduled start with the PawSox early due to a hamstring cramp, but it seems like the issue was fairly minor. Unless another setback occurs, most signals are pointing toward him being called up to start for the big-league club at home against the Tigers on Saturday.

Alvarado fired a scoreless inning in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Mariners, allowing a walk and recording a strikeout.

The 22-year-old southpaw continues to be a reliable option out of the bullpen, with Sunday's effort serving as his fourth scoreless outing over the last five. After stumbling out of the gate by giving up three earned runs against the Marlins in his first appearance on May 3, Alvarado has posted a 1.54 ERA, .154 wOBA, 0.69 WHIP and .103 BAA in 11.2 innings across 12 subsequent trips to the mound.

Alvarez (elbow) threw a 26-pitch bullpen session Sunday, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez last appeared in a game May 26 before being diagnosed with the strained left elbow, so he would be eligible to come off the disabled list as soon as the Rangers deem him ready to go. The team is expected to decide later this week whether Alvarez will be activated or head out on a minor-league rehab assignment.

Wilson (2-1) picked up the win Sunday against the White Sox. He allowed a single hit in a scoreless inning of work while striking out one.

Wilson pitched a clean top of the ninth inning, then grabbed the win when Justin Upton blasted a walkoff home run in the bottom half. Wilson had a hiccup against these same White Sox on May 27, allowing three earned runs in an inning of work, but he's pitched three scoreless innings across three appearances since then. He's also grabbed two saves and a win during those three appearances, so he remains a solid fantasy option out of the bullpen.

Barnes returned from a personal leave and threw a scoreless ninth inning in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Orioles. He allowed one hit and struck out the game's final batter.

Barnes, who had been away from the team Friday and Saturday while tending to a family matter, was the team's de facto closer Sunday with Craig Kimbrel unavailable after throwing a season-high 33 pitches Saturday. He would have been in position for a save opportunity, but the Red Sox pushed across a run in the top of the ninth, extending their lead to four runs.

Robertson (3-2) allowed three runs on one hit, one walk and one hit batsman over two-thirds of an inning in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Tigers.

Robertson hung a 1-2 curveball to Justin Upton and didn't even have to watch it land as the Tigers walked off with the win. He entered a tied game in the ninth, so this wasn't a blown save, but that's a pretty faint silver lining for fantasy owners. In non-save situations, Robertson has a 4.91 ERA compared to 1.93 when presented with a save opportunity. When the game's been on the line, Robertson has been successful eight of nine times.

Martinez isn't expected to start during the upcoming week after manager Jeff Banister announced Dillon Gee would take the hill Tuesday against the Mets.

After compiling a 5.24 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over his first eight starts of the season, Martinez's spot in the rotation was on thin ice before Banister announced the right-hander would be available out of the bullpen over the weekend. Martinez ended up pitching effectively in mop-up duty during Sunday's loss to the Astros, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings of one-hit ball. Still, it wasn't enough for him to recapture a starting role for the time being. While Gee will likely need to perform well Tuesday to earn future starts, Martinez's chances of reemerging as a rotation option will take a hit with Tyson Ross (shoulder) expected to come off the disabled list during the upcoming weekend. A.J. Griffin (side) and Cole Hamels (oblique) could also be back to full strength by the All-Star break, which would push Martinez even further down in the pecking order for starting duties.

Loup allowed one hit in a scoreless inning Sunday versus the Yankees.

The left-hander needed just six pitches to get through the seventh inning with the score tied 2-2. Loup's allowed a run in just three of his 26 appearances this season, and the 29-year-old currently sports a career-best 2.14 ERA through 21 innings.