MLB Player News

Giles threw nine pitches to secure two outs and his seventh save of the season in Monday's 6-2 win over the Rangers.

Giles has thrown just 10 pitches on back-to-back days to earn two saves. It doesn't come much easier than that. He's now gone seven straight outings without allowing a run, dropping his ERA to 4.09, and he owns a dominant 11.5 K/9. Finishing off games for a playoff contender like the Astros makes Giles a top-tier fantasy closer.

Devenski (2-1) struck out two in 1.2 perfect innings of relief in Monday's 6-2 victory over the Rangers.

Devenski bounced right back after allowing two runs on a homer and taking the loss in his last outing. In 18.1 innings so far this year, Devenski has dominated, recording 34 strikeouts against just two walks (16.69 K/9), although he's allowed three long balls. Even though he doesn't occupy a closing role, the right-hander has fantasy relevance because of his impeccable control and nasty swing-and-miss stuff.

Garton was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Monday.

The Rays shipped Garton back to the minors in order to make room on the 25-man roster for Monday's starter, Jake Odorizzi (hamstring), who was activated from the 10-day disabled list in a corresponding move. Garton surrendered three runs on five hits and one walk over 2.1 innings in his three appearances with the Rays.

Martinez will remain in the rotation this week and make his next start Wednesday against the Astros, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers were deciding between Martinez and A.J. Griffin (ankle), who's eligible to return from the disabled list, but it appears they'll make room for both pitchers in the rotation this week. Yu Darvish will receive an extra day of rest between starts, likely leaving Griffin in line to take the mound Thursday against the Astros. Martinez may have forced the Rangers' hand with his two solid outings in Griffin's place, during which he turned in a 2.77 ERA and 10:1 K:BB over 13 innings. Griffin struggled in his most recent rehab outing with Triple-A Round Rock, so if he fails to outperform Martinez during their respective starts this week, the 26-year-old could potentially stick in the rotation beyond Wednesday.

Barnes was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Monday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

Barnes was returned to the minors after serving as the Blue Jays' 26th man for a doubleheader last Thursday, but he didn't make any appearances for Buffalo over the weekend. As a result, Barnes should be available out of the bullpen immediately upon rejoining the Blue Jays ahead of Monday's series opener with the Yankees, but don't expect manager John Gibbons to hand him much high-leverage work during his time with the big club. Aaron Sanchez (finger) was placed on the 10-day disabled list to facilitate Barnes' promotion to the 25-man roster.

Colome (0-2) was charged with his second blown save of the season in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays, giving up two earned runs on three hits and a walk over a third of an inning.

The star closer suffered a rare stumble against a Blue Jays squad that's considerably underperformed this season, giving up an RBI double to Jose Bautista as well as run-scoring singles to Russell Martin and Ezequiel Carrera during some rare eighth-inning work. It was the third time in eight days that Colome has been called upon before the ninth, including his last two appearances. The 28-year-old right-hander has yielded four earned runs on five hits and three walks over these two most recent outings, but both pitching coach Jim Hickey and manager Kevin Cash dismissed the notion that Colome can't succeed consistently in those situations over a larger sample, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "This has happened before, where the guy who traditionally gets three outs and you ask him to get more than that has a little bit of a struggle doing it," Hickey said. "But he's done it successfully before."

Leone appeared in 10 games during the season's opening month, managing a 4.76 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.

Although the surface stats don't look all that impressive, Leone has been a success for Toronto in the early going. Outside of an April 28 implosion against Tampa Bay (three runs on four hits over 0.1 innings), the right-hander has been a pleasant surprise. Leone entered spring training as an underdog to make the Opening Day roster, but now he's one of the key cogs on an injury-depleted pitching staff. Relying heavily on his cutter, Leone has posted a strong 13:4 K:BB through his first 11.1 innings of 2017.

Kimbrel retired the side in order in a non-save opportunity in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Cubs.

Kimbrel began warming up in the bottom of the eighth inning of a tie game while the seeds of a Boston rally were planted. As it turned out, the rally produced four runs, obviating the need for a save. Since he was warmed up, manager John Farrell had him close out the game. Kimbrel was not very good in non-save situations in 2016, posting a 5.12 ERA with 14 walks in 22 games, but there have been no such calamities during his two such opportunities in 2017.

Barnes (3-0) completed his four-game suspension Sunday and pitched a scoreless inning to earn the win in Boston's 6-2 victory over the Cubs.

The Red Sox pieced together the eighth inning while Barnes was out of action, but he was back to being the setup guy for closer Craig Kimbrel on Sunday. As it turned out, the Red Sox scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth in what had been a tie game, giving him the win and negating the save opportunity for Kimbrel. The right-hander's return coincides with the Orioles arrival at Fenway Park for a four-game set beginning Monday. As you may recall, it was Barnes' wayward pitch to Baltimore's Manny Machado, in retaliation for a perceived reckless slide, that got him suspended.

Jimenez was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Sunday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Jimenez has struggled mightily in the majors this season. He's thrown 4.1 innings over five games and has given up six runs on two walks and five hits, two of which were home runs. In a corresponding move, Chad Bell was recalled from Fresno.