MLB Player News

Mata (shoulder) was activated from the minor-league injured list Sunday at Triple-A Worcester, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Mata is finally ready to return to the mound after missing about four months because of right shoulder inflammation. The 24-year-old had posted a 5.61 ERA through 25.2 innings (seven starts) for Worcester prior to the lengthy IL stint.

Martinez will serve as the Padres' opening pitcher for Sunday's game at Oakland.

Martinez has already made six starts this season, but he hasn't recorded more than nine outs in any appearance since April 19 and most recently pitched Wednesday, when he tossed an inning out of the bullpen. The Padres aren't likely to ask Martinez to work more than 1-to-3 innings before he turns the game over to Pedro Avila, who is expected to operate as a bulk reliever after starting in his last four appearances.

Schreiber allowed one run on two hits over one inning and blew the save in Saturday's 4-3 extra-innings loss to Toronto.

For Boston's first save opportunity since closer Kenley Jansen (illness) landed on the COVID-19-related injured list, Red Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Schreiber to close. The right-hander should have survived with a save, but center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela misplayed a Daulton Varsho liner, turning a potential game-ending out into a triple, which plated the tying run. Schreiber entered the game following Chris Martin, who is also in the mix for saves while Jansen works his way back.

Hoeing did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk over 4.1 innings against Atlanta while striking out two.

Hoeing struggled right out of the gate, allowing hits to each of the first three batters he faced -- two of which went for home runs as Atlanta jumped out an early 3-0 lead. However, the right-hander would actually go on to retire 10 of the next 11 batters he faced before being relieved by Steven Okert with one out in the top of the fifth. It marked Hoeing's longest outing since Aug. 21, and he's now surrendered at least one run in three of his last four appearances, posting a 6:3 K:BB over that stretch.

Chapman was not used in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Guardians.

Texas held a 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning, and manager Bruce Bochy let setup reliever Will Smith, who finished out the seventh, open the frame. He was pulled with one out after giving up a double and a walk. At that point, instead of using Chapman in a high-leverage spot for a save opportunity, Bochy brought in Jose Leclerc, who gave up two hits that allowed the inherited runners to score. Chapman was well-rested, last having pitched Tuesday, and could have been used for a five-out save. However, he's been erratic of late, allowing seven runs (five earned) on five hits (including two home runs) and seven walks over the last 5.2 innings.

Smith (2-6) was tagged with Saturday's loss, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk over two-thirds of an inning against Cleveland.

The Rangers clung to a 1-0 lead when Smith, who finished up the bottom of the seventh inning, opened eighth. He allowed two baserunners that eventually scored off Jose Leclerc. Smith has pitched well in a setup role since Aroldis Chapman became the primary closer; Saturday's outing halted a streak of seven consecutive scoreless appearances.

Bradford will serve as Texas' opening pitcher in Sunday's game against the Guardians, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Bradford threw 42 pitches over 2.2 innings of relief Thursday at Toronto and will probably be asked to cover only the first two or three frames Sunday at Cleveland. The 25-year-old left-hander has posted an overall 3.80 ERA and 44:12 K:BB across 47.1 major-league innings this season with the Rangers.

Speier (2-2) took the extra-innings loss against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on a hit and a walk over one-third of an inning. He struck out one.

Speier got seven of his nine pitches into the strike zone, but he allowed a go-ahead RBI single to Max Muncy that snapped a 1-1 tie and was subsequently charged with an additional run when Chris Taylor singled Muncy in following Speier's exit. The outing marked Speier's second straight allowing a run after a brief four-appearance scoreless streak, but he's still been serviceable for fantasy managers with 17 holds and a 10.3 K/9 across his 64 appearances.

Atlanta selected Rodriguez's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

The 31-year-old was outrighted to Triple-A in late July after he delivered a scoreless two-thirds of an inning during his lone appearance with Atlanta, but he'll receive another look in the majors down the stretch. Rodgriguez has pitched to a 6.45 ERA across 44.2 innings (23 appearances) at Gwinnett, so he's likely to have a low-leverage role while up in the big leagues.

Hader picked up the save in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Athletics, allowing one hit while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

Hader entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with a three-run lead and proceeded to give up a leadoff single to Carlos Perez before retiring the next three batters in order. It marked the lefty's first save since Aug. 28 and only the second time in his last four appearances that he didn't allow a run. His 29 saves on the season currently have him tied with Raisel Iglesias for fifth in the National League.