MLB Player News

Kontos was sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday.

Kontos was designated for assignment Wednesday, and after clearing waivers, he'll report to the RailRiders. He's accrued a 4.39 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 15 strikeouts over 26.2 innings this season in the big leagues.

Leclerc worked around a leadoff double and struck out two over an inning to record his third save in Thursday's 8-6 win over the Angels.

Leclerc has recorded all three of the team's saves since Texas traded Keone Kela to the Pirates, signalling he's the primary closer going forward. What could eventually trip up the 24-year-old right-hander is a career-long battle with command. He posted a 7.9 BB/9 last season for Texas, but has cut that to 4.0 in 2018. Since becoming the closer, Leclerc has walked just one in five innings and, going back further, just two in his last 12.1.

Jurado allowed six runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out three over six innings Thursday, taking a no-decision in an 8-6 win over the Angels.

Jurado was lit up for six runs over the first 10 batters faced, then retired 13 of the final 16 batters with the help of an improbable triple play in the fourth inning. He's allowed six runs in each of his last two starts, inflating his ERA from 4.02 to 6.41, which may be an indication the league has caught up to the right-hander, not a surprising development given that he hadn't pitched above Double-A before joining the Rangers' rotation at the end of July. If the Rangers stick with their current six-man rotation, Jurado's next start will come Wednesday at Oakland.

Kolarek struck out two batters in a perfect ninth inning to earn his first career save in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Yankees.

Kolarek was called on to hold a 3-1 lead in the ninth after Sergio Romo loaded the bases with no outs. The lefty reliever was up to the task, needing just nine pitches to close things out. Moving forward, Romo should still see most save opportunities with Kolarek and his 5.63 ERA pretty far down the list.

Robles was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday with a right shoulder impingement.

The move is retroactive to Wednesday, leaving Robles eligible to return Aug. 25 at the earliest. The 28-year-old compiled a solid 3.75 ERA across 24 innings of relief for the Angels before injuring himself. Ty Buttrey was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding transaction.

Bukauskas spun seven shutout innings for High-A Buies Creek in its 5-0 win over Winston-Salem on Wednesday. He allowed one hit and one walk and struck out five.

The right-hander had his development interrupted earlier this season when he was shut down for nearly two months due to injury, but he has been nothing short of spectacular since moving to the Carolina League earlier in August. Through three starts, the North Carolina product has given up just two runs over 18 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .136 average. With a hot finish to the campaign, the 21-year-old could have a shot at opening the 2019 season at Double-A Corpus Christi.

Yarbrough tossed four scoreless innings and picked up the win in relief Wednesday during the Rays' 6-1 triumph over the Yankees. He allowed two hits and no walks and struck out three.

After posting a 7.23 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in his first four outings out of the All-Star break, Yarbrough has righted the ship over past two appearances, throwing six shutout frames while giving up three hits and issuing no free passes. Since he threw 55 pitches Wednesday, Yarbrough will likely be rested for at least three days before manager Kevin Cash turns to the lefty again out of the bullpen.

Kahnle was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Kahnle will take the roster place of Luis Cessa, who was optioned back to the minors following his start against Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Though Kahnle tossed an inning of work versus Boston earlier this month, he's only appeared in nine games for the Yankees this season, as he's spent a majority of the past couple months at the Triple-A level working through some velocity issues.

Pomeranz allowed three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out one over one inning in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to Philadelphia.

This was Pomeranz's third appearance as a reliever and first in what was deemed a high-leverage spot -- he entered with Boston down a run in the seventh inning. "I wanted to see how he, in a close game, put him in a high-leverage situation with a few switch-hitters and a lefty there to see how he reacted," manager Alex Cora told Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. "He threw the ball well in Baltimore, so we trust the guy." Pomeranz got into some good counts, throwing seven of eight first-pitch strikes, but was unable to put batters away. The left-hander said his mechanics have been off all year and feels he's blocking himself while throwing. In pitcher-speak, that means instead of delivering directly toward the plate, he's drifting toward one side of the plate, in this case it's the left side. The outing brought his ERA back up over six (6.34), and one wonders if he's of any value when pitching like this. The Red Sox have a roster decision to make Friday when second baseman Ian Kinsler (hamstring) is expected to be activated off the disabled list. Beyond that, pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (ankle) is closing in on a return. Pomeranz's roster spot may be in jeopardy.

Hand gave up two hits and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning to record his 28th save of the season, and fourth with Cleveland, in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Reds.

The southpaw narrowly escaped blowing the save, as after Billy Hamilton led off the ninth inning with a single, Jose Peraza drove a ball to right field that hopped over the fence for a ground-rule double, keeping Hamilton at third base. Hand then kept the Reds off the board and wriggled off the hook. Cody Allen looked very good in the setup role Wednesday, and the duo will likely continue to share closing duties down the stretch.