MLB Player News

Palumbo was added to the roster as the 26th man ahead of his start in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Angels.

The fact that Palumbo is up as the 26th man suggests he will head back down after the twin bill, with fellow rookie Brock Burke possibly sticking in the rotation. Palumbo is the Rangers' best pitching prospect, but he has made starts in the majors this season out of necessity (he's on the 40-man roster), not necessarily because it is ideal for his development. He has a 2.67 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in six starts (27 innings) at Triple-A.

Barria was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake ahead of his scheduled start in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Rangers.

Barria will assume the rotation spot of Jose Suarez, who was demoted to Salt Lake following a rough outing against the White Sox over the weekend. After the doubleheader, the Angels' schedule would allow the team to get by without a fifth starter until Sept. 7, so Barria won't be assured any further turns through the rotation. After a strong rookie campaign in 2018, Barria has struggled at the big-league level this season, posting a 6.62 ERA across 51.2 innings in 12 outings (seven starts).

Johnson will rejoin the rotation to start Tuesday against the Phillies, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

A slew of upcoming team off days plus the pending return of David Price (wrist) put Johnson at risk of moving to the bullpen if the Red Sox elected to get by with a four-man rotation, but Chris Sale's season-ending elbow injury will allow Johnson to stick around in a starting role. The lefty has exceeded 80 pitches just once in his five starts with the big club this season, but Boston may be forced to loosen its workload restrictions with him now that the ace of staff is on the shelf. While matching up against a star-studded Phillies offense, Johnson won't make for a comfortable streaming option after posting a 6.45 ERA and 2.01 WHIP across 22.1 innings at the big-league level this season.

Pruitt is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Durham and enter the Tampa Bay rotation when the Rays next require a fifth starter Friday or Saturday against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays have an opening in their rotation once again after demoting the struggling Brendan McKay to Triple-A following another ugly start in Monday's loss to the Mariners. Pruitt is eligible to return from the minors Thursday and could be an option for either of the first two games of the weekend series in Baltimore, depending on how the Rays want to proceed with Trevor Richards, who is easing back into a starter's workload after having recently transitioned from a relief role. Assuming Pruitt does in fact rejoin the big club this weekend, the Rays may choose to deploy him behind an opener, which would probably enhance his chances of finding success. All of Pruitt's nine outings with the big club this season have come out of the bullpen, with the righty turning in a 4.73 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 21:8 K:BB across 26.2 innings.

Beeks will serve as the Rays' bulk reliever behind opener Diego Castillo in Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Beeks has worked behind an opener in most of his outings this season, but with injuries hitting the rotation hard in recent weeks, the Rays deployed the southpaw in a traditional starting role in his last two turns. That decision didn't pay off, as Beeks logged only 8.2 innings between the two starts while surrendering seven runs on 14 hits and four walks. Entering the game behind Castillo should prove more beneficial for Beeks, who should have the luxury of avoiding the top of the batting order once he's summoned from the bullpen. Over 22 appearances out of the bullpen this season, Beeks has posted a 2.97 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 72.2 frames.

Palumbo will be recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday to start the first game of a doubleheader with the Angels.

Texas initially planned to recall Palumbo from Nashville to start the night game, but manager Chris Woodward opted to have the 24-year-old lefty and Brock Burke -- who will also be called up Tuesday -- swap spots in the pitching schedule. The Rangers will need a fifth starter again this weekend versus the White Sox, so the performance of both pitchers in the doubleheader will probably have significant sway in determining which of the two sticks around with the big club.

Burke is slated to start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Angels.

Texas initially planned to recall Burke from Triple-A Nashville to start the afternoon contest, but manager Chris Woodward opted to have the 23-year-old lefty and Joe Palumbo -- who will also be recalled Tuesday -- swap spots in the pitching schedule. Burke could be designated as the Rangers' 26th man for the doubleheader, meaning that he would likely head back to Nashville after the outing while Palumbo would stand a better chance of sticking around with the big club. The performance of the two pitchers Tuesday, however, could also factor into the decision.

Lopez (2-7) picked up the win Monday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over five innings while striking out two in a 5-4 victory over the Orioles.

It's the right-hander's first win in over two months, although he spent most of that time working out of the bullpen. Lopez will take a 6.25 ERA and 84:36 K:BB through 90.2 innings into his next start Sunday in Cleveland.

Peters lasted four innings in a no-decision against the Rangers on Monday, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits, striking out three and walking four as the Angels eventually fell 8-7 in extra innings.

Peters had tossed three quality starts in a row coming into the contest, but he saw that come to an end against the Rangers, as he struggled with his efficiency en route to throwing 106 pitches over just four frames. The left-hander now sports a 3.92 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 36:13 K:BB across 41.1 innings on the season.

Barria will now start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against Texas, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Barria remains set to be recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday to make a spot start, though the plan now calls for him to pitch in Game 2 of the twin bill. Andrew Heaney, originally scheduled to start the second game, will instead get the ball in Game 1.