MLB Player News

Rogers will get "a little bit of a break" from closing, per manager Bob Melvin, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. "Our best team is with him closing," Melvin added.

The Rays will go with a closer-by-committee approach to the ninth inning for now in hopes of allowing Rogers to right the ship in lower-leverage situations. He has given up 11 earned runs while going 6-for-10 on save opportunities over his last 11.1 innings. Luis Garcia and Adrian Morejon seem like possible fill-in options for saves in the short term.

VerHagen (hip) threw a side session this week, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

VerHagen recently received a second opinion on his injury, but the evaluation apparently didn't reveal anything concerning as he's been cleared to begin a throwing program. The right-hander has been on the shelf since July 17 due to a right hip impingement, but it's possible that he'll rejoin the Cardinals' bullpen sometime in early August.

Martinez was placed on the paternity list Friday.

He may miss the weekend series against the Twins while he attends to the birth of his child. Michel Baez was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to take Martinez's spot in the bullpen.

Lawrence was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.

Lawrence was called up by the Rockies on Tuesday, but he'll head back to the minors after he gave up two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three against the Dodgers on Thursday. Ryan Feltner was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

Gilbert was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to July 27, due to a left elbow sprain.

Gilbert apparently picked up the injury during Tuesday's start against the Giants, when he surrendered two runs over four frames in a no-decision. The left-hander will miss at least a couple turns through the rotation and will be eligible to be reinstated Aug. 11.

Romero was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Romero was sent down last weekend to make room on the 26-man roster for Bailey Falter, who was called up from Triple-A ahead of his scheduled start against the Cubs. After being activated from the 60-day injured list July 15, Romero made two appearances out of the Philadelphia bullpen prior to his demotion.

Yacabonis (groin) worked around a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning in his rehab appearance Thursday for Triple-A Jacksonville.

The Marlins will likely have him make another appearance or two in the minors before activating him from the 15-day injured list. Yacabonis, who has been on the shelf since July 16 due to a left groin strain, may not have a spot in the Miami bullpen once he's activated, however.

Sulser (lat) made his first rehab appearance Tuesday for Single-A Jupiter, striking out the side over his lone inning of work.

The appearance with the Single-A club marked Sulser's first at any level since June 12. Before he comes off the Marlins' 15-day injured list and rejoins the big-league bullpen, Sulser will likely need to make a few more appearances in the minors.

Pop (2-0) picked up the win in Thursday's victory over the Reds, striking out one over a perfect eighth inning.

The right-hander left Monday's appearance with an undisclosed injury, but it was apparently nothing serious as Pop was back on the mound three days later in a key spot. Both his wins on the season have come since July 13, and aside from Monday's game (four runs in 0.2 innings before exiting), Pop has given up only one earned run since being called back up from Triple-A Jacksonville in late June. Even with that rough outing included, the 25-year-old sports a 3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 9:2 K:BB through his last 15 innings. If the Marlins trade some veteran relievers before the deadline, Pop could find himself seeing consistent late-inning action over the final two months of the season.

Scott picked up the save in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Reds. He allowed one run on one hit and two walks while striking out two over one inning.

Scott came on in the ninth inning with a two-run lead and retired the first two hitters he faced before issuing back-to-back walks to Jonathan India and Brandon Drury. Following a mound visit, the lefty surrendered a two-strike, RBI single to Tommy Pham, but he escaped the jam by striking out Joey Votto. The 27-year-old reliever has made 45 appearances (42.2 innings) this season and sports a 4.43 ERA with a 61:30 K:BB and 14 saves in 18 chances.