MLB Player News

Hand struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning Monday to record his 12th save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Royals.

The southpaw fired 13 of his 15 pitches for strikes in the impressive performance, although his fastball topped out at 92.2 mph. Hand has found a way to be effective despite his reduced velocity -- he has yet to blow a save this season, and he hasn't allowed an earned run since the end of July, giving him a 2.45 ERA and 19:4 K:BB through 14.2 innings.

Ramirez walked one in two-thirds of an inning to record his third save of the season in Monday's 8-4 win over the Rangers.

After Aaron Fletcher gave up a run and left the bases loaded with one out in the top of the ninth, Ramirez was called in to protect an 8-3 lead with the potential tying run on deck and allowed an inherited run to score on a sac fly before getting Elvis Andrus to pop out to end the Texas rally. Ramirez has now gotten the save in his last three appearances, and he seems to be manager Scott Servais' top choice as closer at the moment.

Fulmer was activated by the Orioles on Tuesday.

Fulmer was claimed by the team on Sept. 5 and is now officially active on the roster. The Orioles are his fourth team this season, as he's also appeared on the roster of the Tigers, White Sox and Pirates. He's likely to serve as bullpen depth in Baltimore.

Richards was optioned to the Rays' alternate site Monday to make room on the active roster for Ryan Yarbrough (groin), Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Yarbrough will be activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game in Washington, replacing Richards in the rotation. Though Richards will lose out on his roster and rotation spot, he could rejoin the Rays in a starting role as soon as Sept. 17, when he would likely pitch one half of a doubleheader with the Orioles.

Taylor landed on the injured list with elbow discomfort Monday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Taylor owns a strong 2.12 ERA in 17 innings of relief this season, though his 15:11 K:BB isn't particularly promising. He'll have time to return for over a week at the end of the season if he requires just a minimum-length stay, though it's not yet clear if that's the case.

Devenski returned to the injured list Monday, this time with elbow discomfort, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Devenski missed more than a month with arm soreness and returned for just two appearances before heading right back to the injured list. He's allowed six earned runs in 3.2 innings this season.

Puk's shoulder issues are bothering him again, as he didn't throw as scheduled Sunday and has been shut down again, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Puk hasn't been officially ruled out for the season, though a setback so close to the end of the regular season certainly seems to hint that way. Puk has been dealing with shoulder woes since spring training, though he's been close to being cleared twice, both during summer camp and as recently as last week. He appeared to be nearly ready to rejoin his teammates in a relief role after pitching in an intrasquad game Friday, but he now looks to be at risk of missing the entire season.

Junis (biceps/triceps) is listed as the Royals' probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Indians.

Junis' inclusion on the Royals' pitching schedule for the series in Cleveland suggests he's feeling fine after he was removed early as a precaution in his last start Sept. 2, when he was struck in the right arm by a line drive. Since making his 2020 debut Aug. 2, Junis hasn't worked more than five innings in any start, which has played a factor in him settling for a no-decisions in three of his four outings.

Fulmer (0-1) allowed four runs on four hits and a walk across 2.1 innings to take the loss Monday against the Twins.

Fulmer looked pretty good through the first two innings but ran into trouble in the third, when he allowed a solo home run to Ryan Jeffers, followed by a double, a walk and a single before getting the hook. Daniel Norris then allowed all three inherited runners to score on a double by Eddie Rosario. Fulmer has still yet to last more than three innings in a start this season, and he threw just 47 pitches Monday, down from the season-high 65 he recorded in his previous outing. The Tigers are clearly being cautious with the 27-year-old in his first season back after Tommy John surgery, which limits his fantasy appeal. Fulmer lines up to face the White Sox in his next start Saturday, and he'll likely have a limited workload once again.

Giles (forearm) will throw another live batting practice session Tuesday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Giles will be eligible to return from the 45-day injured list as soon as Thursday. The Blue Jays have yet to officially announce when he'll be back, but given that he's been throwing live batting practice for nearly a week, it doesn't seem as though he's very far off.