MLB Player News

Leclerc (finger) is expected to play catch Wednesday or Thursday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc was shut down for a few days after being diagnosed with right finger tendinitis Saturday, but it seems like he'll be able to get back on track pretty quickly after he received an injection to address the pain. The Rangers will determine if he's ready to throw off a mound following the catch sessions, so more information on a potential return date should come forth later this week.

Barnes believes his success this year is due in part to an emphasis he's put on improving his changeup and slider, Nick Ashbourne of Yahoo Canada Sports reports.

Barnes is a unique reliever in the sense that he uses a mix of three quality pitches. His 92 mph fastball won't blow hitters away, but it's more than sufficient when set up by the right-hander's 79 mph changeup. With Toronto's bullpen in flux, Barnes -- who's bounced between levels over the past two seasons -- may become a mainstay for the foreseeable future. He currently owns a 2.70 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB through 13 appearances (16.2) innings this year.

Leone has managed a 4.00 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over eight appearances (nine innings) this month.

Although his May ERA is better than the mark he posted in the campaign's opening month, Leone hasn't been as effective of late. The right-hander has given up a run in five of his eight games while opposing hitters have upped their OBP by nearly 25 points since April. Leone will continue to see regular work, but his low-leverage role minimizes any potential fantasy relevance.

Puk didn't allow a hit through 5.1 innings in High-A Stockton's win over Lake Elsinore on Monday but gave up an earned run on a fielder's choice, Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports.

The 2016 No. 6 overall pick also racked up seven strikeouts, issued four walks and hit a batter. Puk fired 94 pitches overall, getting 57 into the strike zone. The towering southpaw has compiled 61 strikeouts in just 39.2 innings, while allowing just 28 hits and generating a 3.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and .193 BAA over that span.

Alvardo fired a scoreless inning in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Angels, recording a strikeout.

Alvarado was summoned to the big-league club from Triple-A Durham and has been a solid left-handed option for manager Kevin Cash. The 22-year-old stumbled in his debut against the Marlins on May 3, but he's given up just an earned run in the 7.2 innings across his subsequent eight outings. His progressively dwindling 4.15 ERA is therefore simply a remnant of his rocky first outing, while his 0.58 WHIP is elite.

Fulmer (5-2) allowed just one run on eight hits and a walk while striking out four over seven innings, but he was handed a tough-luck loss Monday in 1-0 defeat in Houston.

Houston's first-inning run was all it needed to capture the victory and hand Fulmer his first loss since April 18. Through his first seven starts, opposing hitters managed a paltry .196 BAA with a 23 percent strikeout rate over 46 innings. However, Fulmer's been a bit off over his last two games, owning a .305 BAA with a 13 percent strikeout rate. Last season's AL Rookie of the Year still maintains phenomenal numbers, ranking in the AL's top-10 for wins, innings (60), ERA (2.55) and WHIP (1.08). Fulmer will toe the rubber next on Saturday versus the White Sox.

Giles picked up his 12th save of the season, striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning in Monday's 1-0 win over the Tigers.

Giles' 3.44 ERA doesn't inspire too much confidence, but not much has gone wrong for him when there's a save opportunity. Of the seven runs he's allowed in 2017, five have come in non-save situations. He's converted 12 of 13 chances, including five straight.

Devenski (3-2) didn't allow a hit or walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Monday's 1-0 win over the Tigers.

When it was learned manager A.J. Hinch was going to use a bunch of relievers to replace Dallas Keuchel (neck, DL), we knew one of those relievers would be the multi-inning monster Devenski. He came on with one out and a man on in the fifth inning and proceeded to eliminate that threat and then hurl two more scoreless innings. Through 15 appearances, the right-hander has a 2.67 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 46 strikeouts over 27 innings. As a volume reliever who strikes out more than 15 batters per nine innings, there's some fantasy value in Devenski.

Betances worked around a hit with one strikeout to record his third save of the season in Monday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

Betances allowed a leadoff single in the ninth inning before sitting down the next three men he faced, needing just 16 total pitches to retire the side. He's only pitched four times over the last 13 days, but each of the big righty's last three appearances have resulted in saves. Betances has looked quite comfortable since moving into the vacancy created by the injury to Aroldis Chapman (shoulder), and he should hold plenty of fantasy value until the latter returns sometime next month.

Pagan was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.

This will be Pagan's second stint with the big club in 2017, as he appeared in two games for the Mariners earlier in the season, allowing five runs through 2.2 innings. Despite his big-league struggles, Pagan does own a 3.24 ERA and 21:7 K:BB through 16.2 innings at Triple-A this season. Pagan replaced Chris Heston on the roster, though his stint could prove to be short with the Mariners in need of another spot starter over the weekend.