MLB Player News

Barnes and the Red Sox must wait for the inflammation in his hip to die down before he can begin throwing again, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Barnes hasn't pitched in nearly a week. "There's the discomfort of pitching with it a little bit," he said. "The biggest thing is you kind of subconsciously compensate. We don't want to do that."

Littell, who had been used as the Twins' primary pitcher in his last appearance Sept. 2, won't be used in that capacity Sunday versus the Royals, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Littell still might work out of the bullpen in the series finale, but the Twins have at least temporarily abandoned using an opener for the sixth spot in the rotation, creating no need for a primary pitcher. Instead, Chase De Jong will make the start in his Twins debut and isn't expected to face any restrictions with his pitch count after logging 26 starts in the minors this season. With 10 runs (nine earned) allowed over 7.1 innings in the big leagues, Littell probably hasn't performed well yet enough to warrant handling a meaningful workload for Minnesota.

Fulmer (shin) will start Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Fulmer was struck on the right leg by a line drive during his start Monday against the White Sox, but he sustained only a minor shin bruise and will be cleared to take the hill for the 23rd time this season after completing a between-starts bullpen session without incident. The right-hander has made three turns since missing more than a month with an oblique injury, surrendering eight runs on 11 hits and five walks over 14 innings during those outings.

Yarbrough (14-5) picked up the win Saturday against the Orioles, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks across 3.2 innings. He struck out three.

Yarbrough took over for opener Diego Castillo and handled the majority of Saturday's game for the Rays. The 26-year-old allowed a run-scoring single to Jonathan Villar in the third inning and a two-run homer to Renato Nunez in the fourth, but a healthy amount of run support from Tampa Bay's offense propelled the southpaw to his 14th win of the season, which is second on the team to Blake Snell. Yarbrough now owns a 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 115:44 K:BB across 133.1 innings (34 appearances, six starts) this season.

Betances allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three in a scoreless ninth inning to record his third save of the season Saturday against the Mariners.

Betances allowed the potential winning run to reach base but managed to end the game with two strikeouts with the bases loaded. While it wasn't his sharpest effort, he has been solid in the closer role outside of one poor outing in which he allowed two home runs and three earned runs. As a result, he should continue to see the majority of the save opportunities while Aroldis Chapman (knee) is sidelined.

Treinen struck out two across a perfect ninth inning to secure his 37th save of the season Saturday against the Rangers.

It was business as usual for Treinen, who has now allowed just one baserunner across his last eight appearances, going 5-for-5 on save chances over that stretch. The right-hander has been one of the best endgamers in the league this season, going 37-for-41 on save chances while posting a 0.88 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 94:21 K:BB across 71.1 innings.

Lopez (2-3) picked up the win in Saturday's 4-1 victory over the Twins, allowing one run on one hit and one walk through eight innings while striking out four.

The right-hander had a perfect game going through eight innings, but once Max Kepler walked and Robbie Grossman singled to begin the ninth, Lopez hit the showers after throwing 110 pitches (68 strikes). It's his second straight quality start, and he'll carry a 3.72 ERA over 48.1 innings split between the Royals and Brewers into his next outing Friday, a home rematch against the Twins.

Stanek will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Sunday's series finale against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Stanek will pitch around one inning before giving way to a long reliever, likely Jalen Beeks. The right-hander owns a 2.60 ERA and 45:13 K:BB across 34.2 innings in 24 starts this season.

Chapman (knee) played catch from 90 feet Friday with no issues, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

It's a significant step for Chapman as he rehabs from left knee tendinitis, which included three PRP injections during the last week of August. The Yankees have previously expressed some doubt the 30-year-old would be able to return in 2018, but Friday's throwing session is certainly a step in the right direction.

Jurado will be the primary pitcher for Sunday's series finale in Oakland, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Jeffrey Springs will serve as the team's opener once again, as Jurado will attempt to replicate his four scoreless innings from last Monday's appearance. The 22-year-old struggled as a traditional starter with the Rangers this season, posting a 6.69 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over 35 innings.