MLB Player News

Chafin (1-3) allowed one run on one hit over one-third of an inning, taking the loss in Saturday's 8-6 defeat to the Rangers.

Chafin entered the game in relief of Sergio Romo, who was chased after the Rangers touched him up for three runs to pull within one of the Athletics. Chafin didn't fair much better than his bullpen mate, as he coughed up a two-run homer to the first batter he faced in Jonah Heim that put Texas ahead for good. Despite Romo being charged with four runs on the day, Chafin took the loss, as Heim ended up being the winning run. Even with this latest blemish, the left-hander still carries a 1.27 ERA since joining the Athletics from the Cubs in July.

Martin (4-4) worked a perfect inning en route to his fourth win of the season in Saturday's 8-6 victory over the Athletics.

Martin needed just 10 pitches to retire Josh Harrison, Starling Marte and Matt Olson on groundouts. In nine appearances (nine innings pitched) against Oakland this season, Martin has yet to allow an earned run.

Rodriguez (lat) has been ruled out for the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez landed on the 7-day minor-league injured list with a lat strain Aug. 14, and he wasn't expected to have enough time to return as a starter. Manager Joe Maddon said Saturday that the right-hander won't return in any capacity in 2021. Rodriguez made 15 appearances (two starts) in the majors this year and generated a 3.64 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 29.2 innings.

Payamps was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday.

Scott Blewett was recalled to take his place in the bullpen. Payamps has a 4.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 10.2 innings over his last 10 appearances.

Barnes (COVID-19) could rejoin the Red Sox next weekend against the Orioles, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

He will make a couple rehab appearances for Triple-A Worcester prior to returning to the majors. It's unclear if Barnes will assume the closer role upon his return or whether the Red Sox will go with a committee.

Pivetta (COVID-19) will start Sunday's game against the White Sox, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

He has been sidelined since Aug. 30. Pivetta gave up 12 earned runs in 10.2 innings over his last three starts, and this is a tough matchup for him to return for.

The White Sox are expected to use a six-man rotation over the rest of the season, which will allow Lopez to make a few more starts, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The goal will be to give Carlos Rodon extended rest between starts in advance of the postseason. Lopez, who lines up to start Thursday against the Angels, has a 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 24 innings as a starter this season.

Bachman was promoted to Double-A Rocket City on Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Perhaps no team in baseball prioritizes ETA more in the draft than the Angels, and indeed, Bachman seems to be on the fast track to the majors. He logged a 3.77 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB in 14.1 innings at High-A. It is still unclear if he will have good enough command to start long term, but he has the stuff to be a devastating late-inning arm in the near term if the Angels want to go that route.

King pitched three innings against the Mets on Friday, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and no walks while striking out two.

Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery lasted only 3.1 frames in the contest, and the recently activated King was able to give the team some length by throwing 45 pitches over three innings. He was mostly effective, though the right-hander struggled to finish off his final frame, surrendering a single and hitting consecutive Mets batters to loaded the bases before a fielder's choice and error resulted in a pair of runs. Despite the rocky finish, King's return was encouraging given that he hadn't previously pitched in a big-league game since July 3. He'll likely need a few days to recover given his large workload Friday.

Sulser allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one over two scoreless innings to earn the save in Friday's 6-3 win over Toronto.

The right-hander has been inconsistent lately, but he was able to minimize his mistakes Friday to lock down his seventh save of the year. Sulser owns a 3.15 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 68:22 K:BB through 54.1 innings. He's added a 4-4 record, three blown saves and three holds while filling a high-leverage relief role. Sulser and Tyler Wells appear to be the favorites for save chances for the rest of the season.