MLB Player News

Robertson signed a major-league contract with the Rays on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Robertson has a long and excellent track record, saving 137 games at the highest level while producing a 2.90 ERA in 663.2 innings of work. He's now 36 years old and has made just seven MLB appearances since the start of the 2019 season, however, missing almost the entirety of his two years in the Phillies' organization due to Tommy John surgery. He failed to find a deal with a big-league club over the winter and wound up making just two appearances in the Atlantic League and three more for Team USA in Tokyo during the Summer Olympics, where he recorded a pair of saves despite allowing two runs in three innings. He'll go to Triple-A Durham for now but should be in the big-league bullpen before too long, though the fact that he went unsigned until mid-August seemingly indicates that a high-leverage role down the stretch is unlikely.

Patino took a no-decision in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Twins after working three innings and giving up two runs on two hits and five walks while striking out two.

Patino didn't face a hard cap on his workload in his ninth start of the season, but thanks in large part to the season-high five walks, the Rays elected to pull him early after he needed 69 pitches to record nine outs. The rookie southpaw had been more efficient over his prior five outings -- he worked no fewer than five innings in any of those starts -- so fantasy managers shouldn't be too discouraged by the poor showing in Minnesota. That said, Patino doesn't make for a particularly comfortable lineup option in weekly leagues with his next start expected to come Friday versus the powerful White Sox offense.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Chapman (elbow) may not need to go on a rehab assignment before rejoining the Yankees, Justin Shackil of SiriusXM reports.

Chapman threw long toss Saturday with positive results, and a recent MLB.com report indicated that the team is hopeful he can return as soon as this week. The veteran closer last pitched Aug. 5, but he isn't likely to need much time to ramp back up given that he hasn't thrown more than one inning in an outing this season. His return should be a boon to a Yankees bullpen that has lost a ninth-inning lead multiple times during Chapman's absence.

Howard's next start in scheduled for Thursday against the Mariners, Chris Halicke of SI.com reports.

Howard was initially on track to get the ball for Tuesday's series opener and appeared positioned for a two-start week, but that's off the table with the Rangers electing to break Taylor Hearn into the rotation. Hearn -- who had worked four innings behind Howard in both of his last two outings as part of a "tandem starter" arrangement -- will get the nod Tuesday, while Howard returns to the hill Thursday on seven days' rest. Howard hasn't covered more than three innings in any of his starts with Texas as the organization looks to manage the young right-hander's workload, so it's unclear if he'll be allowed to work deeper into Thursday's contest even with Hearn no longer set to follow him.

Hearn is scheduled to start Tuesday's series opener versus the Mariners, Chris Halicke of SI.com reports.

Hearn has previously made three starts for the Rangers this season, but his most recent appearances have come in long relief of Spencer Howard. Rather than deploying the two in tandem, the Rangers will have both Hearn and Howard start games during the series against Seattle, with Howard taking the hill Thursday. Since Hearn worked four innings behind Howard in both of his past two outings, the former should be decently stretched out for starting duty as he steps back into the rotation. Drew Anderson lingers as a long-relief option if neither Hearn nor Howard are able to work deep into their respective starts this week.

Colome threw a scoreless ninth inning to earn a win (moving to 3-4) in Sunday's victory over Tampa Bay.

Colome has turned his season around since inheriting the closer role after the trade deadline. He's thrown 6.1 scoreless innings with just two walks and no home runs since Aug. 3, amassing five saves and a win. He only has two strikeouts over that stretch, but he's improved his command from earlier in the season.

Iglesias picked up the save Sunday against the Astros after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and fanning three.

Iglesias had to retire the final four outs of the contest, but he was extremely sharp since he only needed 28 pitches (19 strikes) to get the job done. Iglesias now has 26 saves on the season and has allowed just one earned run over his last 10 appearances.

Peralta worked around one hit to earn a two-out save against the White Sox on Sunday.

Peralta inherited a one-out, two-on threat and allowed one run to score on a Tim Anderson base hit. He then induced a game-ending double play, escaping with his fourth save of the year after just five pitches. He's tossed 7.1 innings with seven strikeouts, one unearned run and a pair of saves over his last six appearances.

Alcala (biceps) played catch in the outfield Sunday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

He's making progress, but there's not yet a timetable for Alcala's return. His right biceps tendinitis has at least been described as "mild," which suggests that Alcala should make it back from the 10-day injured list before the end of the season.

White (hand) has made two starts for Low-A Down East since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list Aug. 10, working 4.1 innings and striking out seven while giving up one earned run on four hits and three walks between the outings.

White was on the IL for nearly three months with a fractured bone in his hand. Since joining the Rangers as a second-round pick in the 2018 first-year player draft, White has tossed only 6.2 innings in affiliated ball after spending most of 2019 and 2020 recovering from Tommy John surgery.