MLB Player News

Barlow walked one during a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Thursday's 4-1 victory against the Athletics.

Barlow entered after the Rangers scored four in the top of the ninth to take the lead and surrendered a leadoff walk but induced a double play and pop-out to end the game. He appears healthy after a nine-game hiatus due to a blister and should see regular closer duties for the foreseeable future with a dominant 1.76 ERA and 0.91 WHIP.

Barlow earned the save against the Twins on Thursday, pitching two scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and struck out two batters.

After the Royals took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning, Minnesota responded by beginning the bottom of the frame with three straight singles. Barlow was brought in to minimize the damage, and he ended up keeping the Twins off the scoreboard entirely, striking out the first two batters he faced before inducing a groundout. The right-hander remained in the game for the ninth frame and allowed a pair of hits, but he again navigated around trouble to notch the save. This was Barlow's first save since May 15 and team-leading fifth on the campaign. Josh Staumont has three saves and may continue to cut into Barlow's ninth-inning opportunities, though the latter's 1.71 ERA and 1.05 WHIP are superior.

Pilkington allowed three earned runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out four Thursday against the Tigers. He did not factor into the decision.

Pilkington has bounced between Cleveland and Triple-A Columbus for much of the season, but he wasn't sharp Thursday. He struggled with his command and has now walked eight batters across 12 big-league innings. Pilkington avoided a truly disastrous outing only because he managed to keep the ball in the yard. Despite the discouraging effort, Pilkington could take another turn through the rotation while Aaron Civale (thigh) is sidelined, particularly because Cleveland has only one day off in the next two weeks.

Soto (2-2) pitched a scoreless ninth inning and earned the win Thursday against the Guardians. He allowed a hit and struck out one.

Soto needed 21 pitches to get through the top of the ninth inning but he kept Cleveland off the board in a 3-3 game, and the Tigers walked it off in the bottom half of the frame. The lefty doesn't always make things pretty, though he does have a solid 2.45 ERA and has recorded seven saves in eight chances. He's the top Detroit reliever at the moment for fantasy purposes, and that likely won't change anytime soon unless Soto truly implodes.

Pearson (illness) threw 30 pitches in a rehab appearance with Single-A Dunedin on Thursday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Pearson completed 1.2 innings and allowed one earned run on one hit and a walk while striking out one. He sat at 95 mph with his fastball and hit 97, which is down from the last two seasons. That's not a major reason for concern yet, as Pearson is ramping up after being sidelined for the entire season by mononucleosis. It's unclear how many more rehab appearances he may need, as he is projected to fill a long-relief role once activated.

Vest (illness) cleared the league's health and safety protocols and rejoined the team Thursday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Although Vest is no longer isolating from the team, he remains on the COVID-19 injured list ahead of the Tigers' four-game series against Cleveland. The right-hander is expected to ramp up his workload and pitch in a rehab game prior to rejoining Detroit's bullpen, but it seems likely he'll be activated at some point next week.

Alcala (elbow) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Alcala hasn't thrown since April 10, and he was transferred to the 60-day injured list April 23. While the right-hander isn't eligible to be activated until at least June 10, he'll take a significant step in his recovery Saturday, when he's scheduled to throw live batting practice. Whether Alcala is able to return when he's first eligible isn't yet clear, but he's certainly trending in the right direction.

Alexander (elbow) is expected to make a rehab start at Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Alexander had been limited to throwing off flat ground recently, but he's made good progress over the last week and threw two innings against live hitters Tuesday. The southpaw has been on the injured list since May 2, and it's not yet clear how many rehab starts he'll require prior to rejoining the Tigers.

Mayers was designated for assignment by the Angels on Thursday.

Mayers made the Angels' Opening Day roster this season, and he earned a win and a hold while posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 16.2 innings over 15 relief appearances to begin the year. However, he'll lose his spot on the 40-man roster after Juan Lagares' contract was selected by the Angels on Thursday.

Coleman was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

The 25-year-old was sent to the minors on Sunday but will quickly rejoin the big-league club with Amir Garrett (undisclosed) headed to the injured list. Coleman has appeared in 17 games for Kansas City this season and has a 4.02 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 21:15 K:BB across 15.2 innings.