MLB Player News

Boxberger (forearm) will start a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Monday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

He has faced hitters in live batting practice and is ready to begin pitching in games. Boxberger has been on the shelf with a forearm strain since mid-May, so he could require a longer rehab stint than the typical reliever, but he will likely make it back before the end of the month if he avoids setbacks.

Duarte is up as the Reds' 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

He has a 4.08 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 17.2 innings in the majors this season. Duarte will likely return to Triple-A Louisville after Sunday's twin bill.

Lange was not used in a save opportunity during Saturday's win over the Red Sox, with the save instead going to Jason Foley.

The Tigers led 6-1 in the eighth inning, but when that dropped to 6-2 and Boston put two runners on, Detroit turned to Jason Foley to record five outs. Lange hasn't pitched since Monday and his last save came back on July 23. Since then, the righty has walked 10 batters in just 4.1 innings, and those control issues could be costing him his grip on the closer role.

Rodriguez has been shut down from throwing due to recurring pain in his right hip, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez has been on the injured list since the end of July, and manager Alex Cora said there's a chance Rodriguez's setback could keep him sidelined for the rest of the season. A clearer return timeline should emerge as Rodriguez recovers, but he will not be pitching in games anytime soon.

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

Marte pitched 2.2 innings over the past three days, so the Phillies will send him down in favor of a fresh arm for the bullpen. He gave up three earned runs while striking out five in five innings over four August appearances. Luis Ortiz was recalled in a corresponding move.

Merryweather (4-0) tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn the win Saturday against the Blue Jays. He walked one and struck out two.

Through his first five appearances of the season, Merryweather had an unsightly 12.71 ERA. Since then, the righty has managed a 2.31 ERA across 46 appearances (46.2 innings). The strong, consistent play has made Merryweather a reliable relief option who typically pitches in front of closer Adbert Alzolay.

Ortiz was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley prior to Sunday's game against the Twins.

The 27-year-old reliever has a 3.94 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 16 innings in the big leagues this season. He has operated as a high-leverage reliever at Triple-A, but Ortiz should be limited to lower-leverage opportunities while up with the big club.

King (3-5) took the loss Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits over two innings against the Marlins. He struck out three.

King got off to a rough start, giving up a leadoff single to Jazz Chisholm on the very first pitch of the game before surrendering a two-run blast to Luis Arraez just two batters later. The right-hander rebounded with a 1-2-3 inning in the second before being relieved Jhony Brito to open the third, but the former would still go on to be charged with his fifth loss of the season. King had not allowed a run over his last seven appearances coming in (spanning eight innings), while the four hits he surrendered Saturday matched his season high.

Clase (1-7) blew the save and took the loss Saturday against the Rays, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.

Clase was called upon in the bottom of the ninth to protect a two-run lead and proceeded to give up a leadoff single to Josh Lowe on the first pitch of the inning. The right-handed reliever then gave up another three hits, all of which led to runs coming across for the Rays as the team pulled off a come-from-behind win. It marked Clase's ninth blown save this season and the second in his last four attempts. He's also allowed at least two hits in three of his last four appearances.

The Red Sox optioned Barraclough to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

With the return of Garrett Whitlock (elbow) from the injured list, Barraclough will head back to Triple-A in order to clear a space in Boston's bullpen. The 33-year-old righty surrendered one run in 3.1 innings across two games in his brief MLB stint and could return to Boston later this season if the team is ever in need of a fresh bullpen arm.