MLB Player News

Hand struck out three in 1.1 perfect innings Wednesday to record his 25th save of the season, and first with Cleveland, in a 4-0 win over the Pirates.

Cody Allen threw an inning Tuesday but hadn't pitched since July 21 before that, so seeing him get bypassed in favor of Cleveland's newest bullpen acquisition is bound raise some eyebrows. For the moment, Hand shouldn't be considered the team's closer, but if Allen's July struggles continue, the left-hander is more than capable of stepping into the role on a more permanent basis.

Leclerc (2-3) took the blown save and loss Wednesday, allowing two runs on one hit and a walk while striking out one over one inning against the Athletics.

With the Texas bullpen spent following Tuesday's 13-10 defeat, manager Jeff Banister turned to Leclerc for the save opportunity Wednesday night. After retiring two batters and issuing a walk, Leclerc yielded the game-winning, two-run homer to Khris Davis. Though he won't be turned to in save situations often, the 24-year-old owns a 2.45 ERA and should continue seeing action in high-leverage situations.

Trivino (8-1) was credited with the win Wednesday, pitching a scoreless inning with a strikeout against the Rangers.

Trivino sent the Rangers down in order in the eighth inning, then was the beneficiary of Oakland's ninth-inning comeback to nab the win. The recent acquisition of Jeurys Familia means fewer innings will be available out of the back end of the bullpen going forward, but Trivino has worked to a 1.33 ERA and has certainly earned his keep as a reliable high-leverage option.

Diaz picked up his 38th save of the year Wednesday against the Giants, striking out the side.

Diaz sent Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford and Pablo Sandoval down swinging. He now has six more saves than any other reliever and hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 12 appearances, posting a 22:1 K:BB over that span.

Johnson will transition to the bullpen following his start against Minnesota on Thursday, Sean McAdam of the BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

Through four turns in the rotation dating back to June 28, Johnson has posted an impressive 2.45 ERA and 1.36 WHIP to go along with a 14:7 K:BB across 18.1 innings, but the addition of Nathan Eovaldi on Wednesday will bump him from the starting staff for the time being. It wouldn't come as a surprise to see Johnson eventually grab hold of Drew Pomeranz's spot if the latter can't revert to from, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stated that Pomeranz will "stay in the rotation for now."

After being dealt to the Rays on Wednesday, Beeks could be slated to make a start sometime over the weekend, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Beeks was knocked around in his lone start for the Red Sox earlier in the season, but he'll look to bounce back in the first start for his new team. The Rays are scheduled to begin a four-game showdown with the Orioles starting Thursday, so he could take the hill anytime between July 26-29.

Pruitt was promoted from Triple-A Durham ahead of Wednesday's matchup with the Yankees, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Pruitt was shipped to the minors July 4, but he'll return to the big leagues following the trade of Nathan Eovaldi to Boston. Pruitt has appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen for Tampa Bay this season, and he sits with a 4.18 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 32 strikeouts over 56 innings. He'll likely be deployed in mid-to-high leverage innings during his next stint with the big club.

Stanek will serve as the opener for Wednesday's series finale against the Yankees, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Nathan Eovaldi was the scheduled starter, but after he was dealt to the Red Sox, the Rays will call upon Stanek to take the hill for his 14th start of the 2018 campaign. He sports a stellar 1.91 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 47 strikeouts over 37.2 innings this season.

Beeks was traded from the Red Sox to the Rays on Wednesday in exchange for Nathan Eovaldi, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Rays figure to utilize Beeks as a starter or multi-inning relief pitcher at the big-league level, per Rosenthal. He's put up decent numbers for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2017, posting a 2.89 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with a 117:25 K:BB over 87.1 innings. Beeks appeared in his first two major-league games earlier this season, though he was shelled for nine runs over 6.1 innings.

The Rays optioned Hu to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

A corresponding transaction hasn't been announced, but it's expected that Hu's spot on the active roster will be filled by Jonny Venters (hamstring), who is on track to return from the 10-day disabled list. Hu's latest stint with the Rays lasted just two days, with the right-hander making a relief appearance in Tuesday's 4-0 loss. He gave up a run on two hits and struck out four over 2.1 innings in the outing.