MLB Player News

Maeda is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind starter Beau Brieske in Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

After Maeda delivered a 7.26 ERA and 1.58 WHiP through his first 16 starts of the season, manager A.J. Hinch announced Thursday that the veteran right-hander will work out of the bullpen "for the foreseeable future." Before being moved to the bullpen Maeda had been lined up to start Sunday's series finale, but the Tigers haven't yet added a formal replacement in the rotation for the 36-year-old. Triple- A Toledo pitcher Matt Manning could eventually step in as the Tigers' new No. 5 starter after the All-Star break, but Detroit will first rely on its bullpen to get through the final game of the first half. Brieske hasn't covered more than three innings in any of his 31 outings between the majors and Triple-A this season, so he'll likely be on a short leash before turning the ball over to Maeda at some point. Maeda hasn't been used since his last start Tuesday versus the Guardians, so he's the freshest arm in the Detroit bullpen.

Sandlin (6-0) allowed a hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning to earn the win Saturday over the Rays.

Sandlin's been a little shaky since returning from a minimum stay on the injured list due to a back injury. This was just his third scoreless appearance in six outings since he was activated. The right-hander is now at a 3.74 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 37:15 K:BB with a save, four holds and two blown saves over 33.2 innings this season. Sandlin will likely remain in a middle-relief role until he can steady his performance.

Martinez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Rays.

Martinez tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth inning with his second homer in the last five games. The 22-year-old prospect has filled a versatile role, but most of his playing time has been in center field, which has led to a smaller role for Tyler Freeman. Martinez is batting .256 with two homers, four RBI, six runs scored, three doubles and no stolen bases over 12 contests.

Noel hit a two-run home run in his only plate appearance in Saturday's 4-2 victory against Tampa Bay.

Noel batted for Will Brennan in the top of the eighth frame and untied the score with a 424-foot, two-run homer. The rookie has gone deep four times while driving in seven runs over his initial 35 at-bats in the majors. He's not an everyday part of the lineup, having started just four times over Cleveland's past eight contests, but he has shown the ability to hit for power when given the chance.

Littell allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters over six innings in a no-decision against the Guardians on Saturday.

Littell got through four scoreless frames before serving up a solo homer to Angel Martinez in the fifth inning. A catcher's interference call on batterymate David Fry led to a second Cleveland run in the frame, which tied the score and took Littell out of line for a victory. The right-hander ended his outing on a high note, retiring the side in order in the sixth to notch his first quality start since June 9. Littell will finish the first half of the campaign with a 4.26 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 94:19 K:BB over 101.1 innings.

Clase earned a save against the Rays on Saturday, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.

Clase entered in the ninth frame and gave up a one-out single but was able to protect Cleveland's two-run lead. The right-handed closer once again didn't notch a strikeout -- he hasn't punched out a batter in any of his past six appearances -- but that hasn't prevented him from being effective, as he's gone 4-for-4 in save chances during that span. Clase's belied the typical closer profile with a modest 7.9 K/9 on the campaign, but he's been almost untouchable with 29 saves (second most in the majors) in 32 opportunities, a 0.81 ERA and 0.68 WHIP over 44.1 innings.

Williams allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out two batters over five innings in a no-decision against Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Cleveland scored twice in the top of the fifth frame to give Williams a 2-1 lead, but the righty hurler surrendered a leadoff triple in the bottom of the inning, which the Rays turned into the tying run on an ensuing Guardians error. Williams completed that frame without further damage but couldn't go any deeper, as he racked up 94 pitches. Among his offerings, only six were swinging strikes, and Williams punched out only two batters, but he was successful in keeping Cleveland in the game. After yielding five runs over four frames in his season debut July 3, Williams has surrendered just one earned run across his ensuing two appearances covering 10.1 innings.

Berrios (8-7) took the loss Saturday versus the Diamondbacks, allowing five runs on seven hits and four walks over four innings. He did not record a strikeout.

Berrios enters the All-Star break on a bit of a skid, having allowing 14 runs over his last 15 innings. The one bright side to his start Saturday was that he didn't give up a home run, the first time he's kept the ball in the yard since May 31. The veteran right-hander is at a 4.01 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 87:33 K:BB over 119 innings through 20 starts this season.

Fulmer will start Sunday against the Mariners in what's expected to be a bullpen game for the Angels, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Fulmer hasn't pitched since Monday -- when he tossed three innings against the Rangers -- and he's covered as many as four innings in an appearance this season. It's unclear exactly how long the Angels plan to keep the 30-year-old on the mound, but Roansy Contreras is the primary candidate to follow Fulmer once he exits the contest.

Clevinger (elbow) will make another rehab start with Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday, MLB.com reports.

The White Sox had considered bringing Clevinger back before he was fully built up, though they'll opt to give him a second start on his most recent rehab assignment. He'll remain on the injured list through the All-Star break at least, and the team has not committed to immediately activating him when games start back up.