MLB Player News

Hancock had X-rays come back negative on his palm and middle finger after leaving Sunday's start against the Giants, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Hancock was struck by a comebacker during the first frame Sunday and was pulled from the contest with two outs in the second inning. It appears as though the right-hander escaped with a bruise and should avoid a trip to the injured list. If the Mariners want to give Hancock some extra time to recover coming out of the All-Star break, they could simply slot him into the back end of the rotation rather than have him pitch in the first series of the second half against the Giants next weekend.

The Tigers placed Valdez on the bereavement list Sunday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Valdez finished the first half with a strong performance Thursday, when he struck out nine and allowed just one run over seven innings against the Athletics. The veteran left-hander will step away from the team for personal reasons just ahead of the All-Star break, and he may not rejoin the active roster until after next weekend's series against the Angels. The Tigers have already listed Troy Melton, Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize as their probable starters for the series versus the Angels.

The Blue Jays selected Van Eyk's contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.

Van Eyk will provide the Blue Jays with some extra coverage in the bullpen heading into Sunday's series finale in San Diego and will be making his MLB debut if/when he gets into a game. The 27-year-old righty has mostly served in a starting role at Buffalo this season, logging a 3.79 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 56:25 K:BB across 78.1 frames.

The Rangers recalled Teodo from Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Teodo will get his first look in the big leagues after producing a 3.76 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 52:35 K:BB across 40.2 innings out of the bullpen at Round Rock this season. He should fill a low-leverage relief role while he's up with the Rangers.

Hancock was removed from Sunday's start against the Rays with an apparent hand injury, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

The right-hander remained in the game after being struck in the hand by a comebacker during the opening frame, but he was lifted after issuing a two-out walk in the second inning. The specifics of the injury aren't yet clear, but for now the 27-year-old should be considered day-to-day.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Schlittler has elected not to pitch Tuesday in the All-Star Game, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

The All-Star nod was well deserved, as Schlittler finished the season's first half with a 2.05 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:25 K:BB across 118.2 innings. However, rather than making his first appearance in the Midsummer Classic, Schlittler doesn't want to exert himself too much Tuesday on what would be his between-starts throw day. The right-hander last pitched Saturday in Washington, so he may not get much extra rest built into his schedule if the Yankees want him to pitch against the Dodgers next weekend.

The Red Sox recalled Bello from Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.

The right-hander was in the mix to be called up for a spot start Saturday, but Boston instead turned to Eduardo Rivera to fill Ranger Suarez's (groin) rotation spot. Bello will still join the big club for the final game before the All-Star break and will be available out of the bullpen, with interim manager Chad Tracy suggesting that the 27-year-old could be called upon to cover multiple innings in relief since starter Payton Tolle will likely be in line for a shorter outing by design Sunday, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. Since being optioned to Worcester in early June, the 27-year-old posted a 4.34 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 22:4 K:BB across 18.2 frames in four starts after struggling to a 6.34 ERA in 12 outings for the Red Sox.

Yesavage allowed four runs on one hit and seven walks while striking out one over 1.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Padres on Saturday.

Yesavage threw just 20 of 59 pitches for strikes. While he did plenty of damage over the first two innings, the Blue Jays were able to initially keep pace with the Padres to spare the right-hander from taking a loss. Even before Saturday's performance, Yesavage had allowed 19 runs (18 earned) over his previous six starts spanning 36.1 innings, and his 29:15 K:BB in that span shows some warning signs. Overall this year, the 22-year-old is at a 3.72 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 69:39 K:BB through 75 innings over 14 starts this season.

Rocker (2-8) took the loss against Houston on Saturday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six batters over 5.2 innings.

Rocker gave up the seven runs on a trio of homers, including a grand slam off the bat of LaMonte Wade. That was out of character for the right-hander this season, as he entered Saturday with a 1.0 HR/9 and having yielded no more than two long balls in any outing. The seven earned runs and eight hits allowed were also season-worst marks for Rocker, who has had a very up-and-down campaign. He heads into the All-Star break with a 4.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 80:34 K:BB over 90 innings spanning 18 appearances (16 starts).

Lambert (8-5) allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings to earn the win over Texas on Saturday.

The only run Lambert allowed came on an Ezequiel Duran home run in the fourth inning. Beyond that, the Rangers collected just two other hits (both singles) against him and struck out seven times. Lambert finished with his sixth quality start of the season and collected his eighth victory -- as many as he recorded over his first four MLB campaigns combined. The right-hander seems to have benefitted from his year in Japan last season, as he's become a vital part of Houston's injury-plagued rotation. Through 15 starts, he holds a strong 3.14 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 81:33 K:BB over 86 innings.