MLB Player News

Leclerc (finger) will not be activated from the disabled list Thursday, the first day he is eligible, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc is still experiencing some discomfort while throwing, so he has yet to throw off a mound since landing on the disabled list May 8 with a bruised right index finger. The 23-year-old should reclaim a high-leverage role in the Rangers' bullpen upon his return, as Leclerc held an impressive 2.31 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB through 11.2 innings (10 appearances) before injuring his finger. A return date should become clearer once he is able to toss off a mound.

Diaz is likely to be deployed in a multi-inning, low-leverage scenario the next time he takes the mound, Bob Dutton of The News Tribune reports. "I'd like to get him out there and let him go a couple of innings," manager Scott Servais said. "As a pitcher, that's when you have a chance to work on things. You can go out there for an inning and not get into your pitches or get a feel for what you're doing."

The young reliever was demoted from the closer's role after a disastrous outing Monday, and Servais wants to make sure he's able to get enough throws in to work out any kinks his next time out. Diaz's control has been one of his main problems, as his BB/9 has shot up from last season's 2.61 to 5.87 over 15.2 innings in 2017.

Giles walked one and struck out one in a scoreless inning to register his 11th save in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Marlins.

Giles has converted four straight save opportunities after picking up his first blown save of the season on May 5. Closing games for the team with the best record in the league should afford Giles plenty of save chances this season.

Lawrence was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.

Lawrence will take the roster spot of Chase De Jong, who was sent back to Tacoma after struggling as a starter. Lawrence saw some time in the majors with the Blue Jays earlier in the year, though he stumbled to a 8.78 ERA through four appearances (13.1 innings). Lawrence will be available out of the bullpen for the time being, though he also remains an option to start in place of De Jong on Sunday against the White Sox.

Hart was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

This comes as a bit of a surprise, as Hart was one of the better options in the Orioles' relief corps prior to serving up three runs in their 13-inning loss to the Tigers on Tuesday night. Apparently this debacle turned out to be Hart's demise, as he was sent back to the minors in favor of fresh arms. Miguel Castro will pop up from Double-A Bowie to take his roster spot, although Hart's prior performance should help him climb back up to the big leagues relatively soon.

Castro was recalled from Double-A Bowie on Wednesday.

Castro made his first appearance of the season for Bowie last week, picking up the win after hurling four innings of one-run ball. This, along with his big-league experience during his time with the Rockies, prompted the Orioles to bring him to the majors following their 13-inning marathon with the Tigers on Tuesday night. It's unclear how long Castro will stick with the big-league club, but his live arm could play up if he can show some control over his offerings. To make room for him on the active roster, Donnie Hart was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Wilson blew his first save of the season in Tuesday's 13-inning loss to the Orioles. He allowed an earned run on one hit across 1.1 innings and struck out two.

Wilson came on to get the last out of the eighth inning, then returned for the top of the ninth. He got the first two Baltimore hitters, but then Mark Trumbo took him deep to tie the game. Wilson still has an elite 1.59 ERA, 0.53 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 17 innings, and with Francisco Rodriguez struggling mightily, Wilson should have a pretty firm hold on the closer's role for the time being.

Pomeranz, who left his previous start after developing tightness in his left triceps, will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

An MRI on Monday came back negative and Pomeranz has thrown each of the last two days. The left-hander with a 5.29 ERA appears to be on track for a Saturday start on the road against Oakland.

Kimbrel worked a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one to earn his 12th save of the season in a 6-3 win over St. Louis on Tuesday.

Kimbrel has been nothing short of dominant as Boston's closer in 2017. Control was his bane last season when he walked 5.1 batters per nine innings, but there's been no such issues with wayward pitches this year. Kimbrel's walked just two batters all season, both in the same game, and hasn't issued a free pass over his last 14.2 innings.

Robertson (2-1) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk over 1.1 innings and was tagged with the loss in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Angels in 11 innings.

Robertson entered a tie game in the 10th, so this wasn't a blown save. After a 1-2-3 10th, Robertson was the victim of a couple of bloop hits and an outfielder slipping, all of which eventually led to Albert Pujols' walk-off single. This was the fourth straight non-save situation for Robertson, who has been handed fewer save opportunities as the White Sox have regressed (2-8 in last 10 games) following the team's unexpectedly promising start to the season.