MLB Player News
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Spencer Miles RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Spencer Miles: Likely to pitch in bulk relief
Miles is expected to be used in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Braydon Fisher in Wednesday's game against the Rays, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
While serving as a traditional starter the last time his turn in the rotation came up Friday, Miles was lit up for six earned runs on six hits over four innings in a loss to the White Sox. The Blue Jays will hope to coax better results from Miles by deploying him behind Fisher, who will likely cover the first inning or two of Wednesday's contest.
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Chris Martin RP | TEX
Rangers' Chris Martin: Ready for rehab assignment
The Rangers sent Martin (shoulder) to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment.
Martin landed on the 15-day injured list just before the All-Star break with a right shoulder impingement. He is eligible for activation Monday and should be ready to go on that date after a rehab appearance or two.
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Garrett Crochet RP | BOS
Red Sox's Garrett Crochet: Lacks timeline for throwing program
Crochet (lat/shoulder) said Tuesday that he and the Red Sox training staff have no timeline in mind for when he'll be cleared to restart his throwing program, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Initially placed on the injured list April 29 due to left shoulder inflammation, Crochet was cleared to face hitters in a one-inning simulated game May 26 but felt lat tightness a couple days following that workout and has been shut down from throwing baseballs ever since. Crochet was able to do some light throwing with weighted plyometric balls in mid-June, but he paused that activity at the beginning of July after he hadn't progressed as well as the Red Sox hoped. For now, Crochet's main focus will be doing strengthening exercises for his rotator cuff, though he acknowledged that he doesn't know what the training staff needs to see from him before he resumes throwing again. The lack of a clearer target date for Crochet's return at this point in the calendar makes it tough for managers in redraft leagues with limited IL or bench spots to justify holding him.
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Alex Lange RP | KC
Royals' Alex Lange: Records ninth save
Lange recorded the season Tuesday against the Giants, striking out two and walking one over a scoreless ninth inning.
Lange was deployed in the ninth inning, tasked with protecting a one-run lead, and he worked around a Jung Hoo Lee walk by striking out two to secure his ninth save. While the clean outing helped quiet some recent concerns, he's likely not out of the woods. The right-hander blew the save in both of his first two appearances following the All-Star break, which came on the heels of a pair of five-run meltdowns to close the first half. Lange now owns a 6.15 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 41:23 K:BB across 41 innings this season.
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Jack Perkins RP | ATH
Athletics' Jack Perkins: Settles in after early homer
Perkins allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings in a no-decision versus the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Perkins gave up a three-run home run to Max Kepler in the first inning. After that Perkins settled in for a decent start, though the Athletics didn't catch up until the ninth inning. This was his longest outing in July -- he's allowed 13 runs over 11.2 innings in three appearances this month. Overall, Perkins has a 6.75 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 76:24 K:BB through 62.2 innings across 25 games (seven starts). He's tentatively projected for a home start versus the Red Sox early next week.
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Tyler Alexander RP | TEX
Rangers' Tyler Alexander: Working as opener Wednesday
Alexander will serve as the Rangers' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.
Alexander has given up three earned runs across his last 1.1 innings, but the Rangers will use him as their opener Wednesday to combat the top half of Chicago's batting order, which is often stacked with lefties. Cal Quantrill is expected to handle bulk-relief duties once Alexander exits the game.
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Josh Hader RP | HOU
Astros' Josh Hader: Posts 11th save
Hader notched a save against the Marlins on Tuesday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in one scoreless inning.
Hader unsurprisingly got the call in the ninth inning with Houston up two runs. He surrendered a ground-rule double to the first batter he faced but responded by retiring the next three hitters in order. Hader had uncharacteristically given up a run in two of his prior three outings entering Tuesday, so this was a strong bounce-back effort. He's a perfect 11-for-11 in save opportunities this season while registering a 1.47 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB through 18.1 innings spanning 20 appearances.
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Braydon Fisher RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Braydon Fisher: Opening Wednesday
Fisher will serve as Blue Jays' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Rays, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Fisher has given up a run in three of his last four appearances, but the Blue Jays will trust him to cover the first inning or two Wednesday in what will be his seventh start of the season. Spencer Miles is expected to work in bulk relief once Fisher leaves the game.
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Ty Madden RP | DET
Tigers' Ty Madden: Returns to majors
The Tigers recalled Madden from Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.
With Jack Flaherty landing on the injured list with right flexor inflammation, Madden will join the Tigers' bullpen to give the team another multi-inning relief option. The 26-year-old righty owns a 4.71 ERA in 42 innings at Toledo but has been far more successful in the majors, posting a 3.15 ERA and 1.05 WHIP alongside a 23:5 K:BB across 20 innings.