MLB Player News

Hendriks will remain the closer for the A's for the time being, even with Blake Treinen back from the IL, Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports. "At this point, Liam deserves to be there right now," manager Bob Melvin said.

This runs counter to the A's initial assertion, but it's not a surprise following Hendriks' continued strong work and Treinen's rough outing after returning from the IL.

Soto is no longer listed as the starter for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Soto had previously been reported as the starter for both Friday and Saturday's contests. Ryan Carpenter will start Friday, with the Tigers not listing a projected pitcher for Saturday and Sunday, one of which will likely go to Soto.

Trivino, who logged his 14th hold in a win over the Twins on Thursday by firing a scoreless inning in which he allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts, owns a 1.69 ERA across his last six appearances.

There are still a couple of troublesome indicators -- Trivino's 5.76 xFIP and 3.4 BB/9 during that modest sample are two prominent examples -- but the right-hander is at least limiting the damage much more consistently of late. Trivino hasn't allowed an earned run in four straight appearances, and he's yielded just two runs overall since suffering his fifth loss and fourth blown save against the Mariners on June 16. His ERA, which was as high as 5.00 as recently as June 21, has begun a slow descent, but his current 4.50 figure and 1.53 WHIP are still both significantly higher than his respective 3.47 and 1.27 career metrics.

Soto is listed as the starting pitcher for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Soto originally lined up to start Saturday but the Tigers shuffled their rotation a bit in advance of the All-Star break. The 24-year-old has a 8.44 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 15:12 K:BB over 21.1 innings and has yet to complete five frames in any of his six starts.

Fernandez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo on Friday.

Fernandez was designated for assignment earlier this week but will remain with the Tigers after going unclaimed on waivers. The 26-year-old has a 3.90 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 18:13 K:BB over 27.2 innings at Triple-A, but he struggled in the majors with seven runs allowed across 3.2 innings.

Martin (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Martin went for a second opinion on his injured right elbow this week but was unable to avoid the dreaded surgery. The 23-year-old will be out the remainder of this season and will likely miss the bulk of the 2020 season, as well. Martin received his first taste of the majors earlier this year and had a 5.59 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 19:12 K:BB in five starts.

Ottavino retired two of the three batters he faced in Thursday's 8-4 win over the Rays, securing his 21st hold of the season in the process. He walked and struck out a batter in the 15-pitch appearance.

Ottavino is now tied with Houston's Ryan Pressly for the MLB holds lead. After inking a three-year, $27 million deal with the Yankees in January, Ottavino has been the setup ace the club envisioned in front of closer Aroldis Chapman. Though his 1.33 WHIP and 6.3 BB/9 suggest he could struggle to maintain a sub-2.00 ERA, Ottavino's high strikeout rate (12.7 K/9) and ability to keep the ball in the yard (0.94 HR/9) should translate to success more often than not.

Kahnle picked up his 17th hold of the season while notching a strikeout as part of a perfect seventh inning Thursday in the Yankees' 8-4 win over the Rays.

After a rough 2018 campaign in the Bronx, Kahnle has regained more than a full tick on his fastball and has seen his performance bounce back accordingly. Along with free-agent pickups Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton, Kahnle has firmly established himself as one of the top setup options for closer Aroldis Chapman. In addition to his lofty holds total, Kahnle has submitted a 3.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 49 strikeouts over 34 frames.

Alvarado, who's allowed seven runs (six earned) across three appearances since returning from an extended absence due to personal reasons, may be used in lower-leverage situations in the short term, Marc Topkin of the Tamp Bay Times reports. "In all fairness to him, us, probably try to find a softer spot for him,'' manager Kevin Cash said. "Unfortunately we don't have many soft spots, and there's not a soft spot when you face the New York Yankees."

Alvarado was clearly out of his element in the outing where the majority of the aforementioned damage against him was done, a forgettable appearance against the Orioles on Wednesday. The left-hander allowed six runs (five earned) on four hits, a walk and a wild pitch over just two-thirds of an inning versus Baltimore, and the meltdown was apparently enough to warrant a bit of a role shift for the time being. With Diego Castillo (shoulder) on the injured list until after the All-Star break, Emilio Pagan, who boasts a 1.10 ERA and 0.80 WHIP, is presumably the next man up for any save chances during the current four-game series against the Yankees, although Cash added that the Rays "can't run from" Alvarado for too long based on how important he is to the team's success.

Giles took the loss against the Red Sox on Thursday, pitching one inning and giving up one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter.

Giles came on in the ninth inning with the score tied 7-7 and served up a one-out solo home run to Marco Hernandez to suffer the loss. Despite the disappointing outing, the 28-year-old has been among the most steady closers in baseball this season, converting 13 of 14 save opportunities while maintaining a 1.45 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 53:9 K:BB in 31 innings.