MLB Player News

The Red Sox are still discussing where pitcher Matt Barnes fits best into their plans for next season, the Boston Globe reports.

Barnes is currently relieving for Boston, but was selected in the first round of the 2011 draft and developed as a starter. His performance out of the pen has been spotty, but much better lately as he claimed he's learning how to pitch at the major-league level.

The Red Sox could use a power arm in the bullpen - Barnes throws a mid-90s heater - and he'd be an attractive candidate to compete for a relief job in 2016. But Boston also needs depth and talent in its rotation.

Twins reliever Trevor May (back) was available to pitch, but he did not appear in Wednesday's doubleheader, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

May has struggled with a sore back the past month, and it looks like he could appear in a game or two the rest of the season. However, he'll likely be shut down if the Twins are eliminated from the wild-card race.

Astros pitcher Collin McHugh will have his next scheduled start pushed back to Saturday, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh will take the mound for a road matchup against the Diamondbacks one day later than originally planned. He'll switch spots with Dallas Keuchel, who will be moved up a day in an effort to stick to his regular routine.

Mariners pitcher Tony Zych will start Wednesday against the Astros. With James Paxton (finger) unable to go, the Mariners will turn to Zych, a fourth-round pick by the Cubs in the 2011 first-year player draft.

It will be Zych's first start at any level as a professional. The right-hander turned in a 2.98 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 55:9 K:BB between Double-A and Triple-A this season, and has fared reasonably well in 11 appearances so far with the big club, but he hasn't thrown more than 32 pitches in an outing since his September callup.

Twins pitcher Trevor May (back) hopes to return before the season ends, but has yet to play catch, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

May would work out of the bullpen when healthy, but that window to return continues to close. The fact that he still can't play catch decreases his chances further, but he hasn't been ruled out for the season yet.

Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris allowed six runs, but just two earned on five hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings in a no-decision Tuesday against Texas.

He didn't strike out a batter. Norris threw 71 pitches and needed over 50 to get out of the first inning. That first inning also included two infield errors by the Tigers, as Norris's defense forced him to get five outs in the inning. Thanks to the comedic defense, Norris's ERA only rose to 4.09.

Rays pitcher Brad Boxberger notched his 39th save with a scoreless ninth inning to secure a 4-2 victory over the Marlins on Tuesday. He also struck out a batter.

It was the fifth consecutive save for the hard-throwing Boxberger, who had started September by faltering in two of his first three save opportunities.

Boxberger has now posted four consecutive scoreless outings and has enjoyed a breakout season in the closer role, generating an impressive 10.77 K/9 rate in the process. While he has had his share of hiccups out of the bullpen over the course of the year, the 27-year-old appears to have the ability to take his game up another notch with some offseason refinements.

Rays reliever Alex Colome (7-5) surrendered a hit and struck out two in two-thirds of an inning in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Marlins.

Colome technically also blew his fifth save of the season after his eighth-inning wild pitch moved Christian Yelich to second, and the single he subsequently yielded to Martin Prado plated him to tie the score at 2-2. The 26-year-old did record back-to-back whiffs to close out the inning, and then was bailed out by Asdrubal Cabrera's two-run blast in the bottom half of the frame.

Colome has provided generally solid relief work for the Rays since moving to the bullpen in early July, lowering his ERA from 4.79 to the current figure of 3.98 in the process. He has been particularly stingy with the long ball, with the last homer he gave up having come in a starting role on June 16 versus the Nationals.

Rays starter Matt Moore pitched seven strong innings on Tuesday against the Marlins, surrendering seven hits, an earned run and a walk. He struck out three but did not factor into the decision.

It was a third straight quality start for Moore, who had posted a robust 8.42 ERA over his first eight appearances of the season after returning from Tommy John surgery. Moore has now given up only three earned runs over 20 2/3 innings in his last three trips to the mound, good for a sparking 1.34 ERA. He has also completely stayed away from the long ball during that span, and has lowered his ERA from an unsightly 8.04 to 5.84 during the month of September. Moore appears to be capping off 2015 with some much-needed positive momentum that he can hopefully carry over into next season.

Angels pitcher Hector Santiago allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision Monday against Oakland. He also struck out four. 

Santiago continues to hang on for dear life, as he has just two quality starts in his past eight outings and has a brutal 26:26 K:BB in that span. He has now allowed 27 runs (25 earned) in just 35 innings in those eight starts, but after a walk-off victory Monday night, the Angels are somehow 5-3 in those starts.