MLB Player News

Leclerc (calf) said the injury that prompted his removal from Monday's game was due to commemorative cleats worn for Memorial Day, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc said the new spikes were too tight and caused cramping in his legs, telling reporters that he was not dehydrated as the Rangers had first speculated. He returned to normal spikes for Tuesday's game and said he was fine, although he went unused in a win over the Mariners.

Robles pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing just a walk to earn the save in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Athletics.

Robles has gone 6-for-7 in saves this season, with Tuesday's outing representing a strong bounce-back performance after Saturday's blown save. Robles owns a 3.70 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 25 strikeouts in 24.1 innings this year.

Hand allowed one hit and a walk but struck out the side to nail down his 14th save in a 7-5 victory against the Red Sox on Tuesday.

This was the fourth time this season Hand struck out at least three batters in an outing. He's experienced a very strong season but an even better May, posting a 1.08 ERA in the month. Overall, Hand is 14-for-14 in save chances with a 1.23 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 22 innings.

Martin didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 9-6 win over the Cubs, giving up three solo home runs among five hits over 3.2 innings. He struck out four and walked three.

The rookie was shaky once again, failing to get past the fourth inning for the third straight start and doubling the number of long balls he's served up in the majors. Martin now carries a 5.51 ERA and 16:9 K:BB through his first 16.1 innings with the Astros, but with fellow top prospects Forrest Whitley and J.B. Bukauskas also struggling in the minors, the club may have to consider looking outside the organization if they want to replace Martin in the rotation.

Colome struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his 10th save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Royals.

The White Sox closer was busy Tuesday -- after picking up the win earlier in the afternoon when the two teams completed Monday's suspended contest, Colome looked strong in his second stint of the day. The veteran reliever now has a 1.66 ERA and 20:5 K:BB through 21.2 innings on the year, and he has yet to blow a save.

Stanek allowed one hit and a walk while striking out one batter across two innings as an opener against the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

Once again, Stanek recorded an impressive outing as an opener, and in 15 "starts" this season, he owns a 1.50 ERA. Curiously, he's been far worse as a reliever, and unfortunately, Stanek doesn't last long enough as an opener to have any significant fantasy value. He is 0-1 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 30.1 innings this season.

Smeltzer didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Brewers, allowing only three hits over six scoreless innings while striking out seven.

Making his major-league debut, the left-hander did give up some hard contact -- including a Yasmani Grandal triple in the second inning that took Byron Buxton (knee) out of the game after he crashed into the center-field wall trying to chase it down -- but otherwise Smeltzer was impressive, firing 53 of 69 pitches for strikes before exiting. The Twins have a couple off days coming up which could have allowed them to roll with a four-man rotation, but Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that manager Rocco Baldelli indicated after the game Smeltzer will make another start on the club's current road trip.

Flores was removed from Tuesday's game at Double-A Birmingham with an undisclosed injury.

Flores left Tuesday's game after apparently sustaining the injury during the third inning. The specifics of the injury are not known.

Jimenez pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a walk and two strikeouts to record the hold in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Orioles.

Jimenez worked as an effective bridge between starter Matthew Boyd and closer Shane Greene. The righty reliever now has 11 holds this season to go with a 3.86 ERA and 35:10 K:BB through 23.1 innings.

Fulmer was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte following Tuesday night's win over the Royals.

Fulmer joined the team as the 26th man with Monday's suspended game being completed Tuesday afternoon, though he did not make an appearance. The 25-year-old has struggled in the majors this season with a 6.97 ERA, 2.13 WHIP and 11:11 K:BB through 10.1 innings.