MLB Player News

Jimenez allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to pick up his third save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Rangers.

He's been shaky lately, coughing up five runs over his prior 3.2 innings and four appearances coming into Friday, but Jimenez was able to get the job done and record his first save since Shane Greene (shoulder) hit the disabled list. Greene could be back before the All-Star break, but Jimenez figures to get whatever save chances the Tigers can produce in the meantime.

Stanek allowed a hit and a walk over two scoreless innings while striking out four as the opener in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Mets.

The right-hander continues to post excellent numbers no matter what role the Rays use him in, and Stanek now boasts a 1.84 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 37:15 K:BB through 29.1 innings on the season. Unfortunately, that flexible usage also limits his fantasy value, as he has only one win and two holds in 24 appearances on the year.

Almonte was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

Almonte appeared in one game during his latest stint in the big leagues, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out one across one frame. He'll head back to Triple-A, where he's posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 5.1 innings in 2018.

Kolarek had his contract selected from Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Kolarek has been quite good for the Bulls this season with a 1.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 50:10 K:BB over 42.1 innings. The 29-year-old lefty's only big-league experience came in a 12-appearance stint with the Rays last season, in which he allowed six runs across 8.1 innings.

Kontos was designated for assignment by the Indians on Friday.

Kontos signed a minor-league contract with the Indians in early June after being released by the Pirates, and joined Cleveland's 40-man roster within a few weeks. The 33-year-old allowed two runs over 5.2 innings during his brief stint with the Indians after posting a 5.03 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with the Pirates, and will once again be subjected to waivers.

Gonsalves has posted a 0.42 ERA and 19:14 K:BB across 21.2 innings over his last four starts with Triple-A Rochester.

Aaron Slegers received the call to the big leagues Thursday when the Twins required a new fifth starter, and Gonsalves might be next in line to join Minnesota the next time an opening in the rotation pops up. Though he maintains a solid 3.86 ERA at Rochester for the season, Gonsalves' 6.0 BB/9 and lack of any true plus offerings cast some doubt on his ability to find success once he moves up to the majors.

Rodriguez allowed a hit to the first batter he faced before retiring the final five hitters Thursday, recording 1.2 scoreless innings in a 7-5 win over the Tigers. He struck out two and walked none.

Rodriguez was called up earlier in the day when the Rangers placed Chris Martin (groin) on the disabled list. Rodriguez was effective while in the minors, posting a 2.08 ERA in stops at Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. His previous stint in the majors, however, was not as successful. The right-hander was rocked for a 6.23 ERA in 16 games with the Rangers last season.

Barria allowed two earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one across 5.1 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Mariners.

Barria turned in a strong effort despite recording only one strikeout, instead relying on nine groundball outs. That hasn't been his typical formula -- he has just a 39.8 percent groundball rate this season -- but it was effective as he didn't surrender a home run to the Mariners. That was an important change from his recent starts, as entering Thursday's game he had allowed six home runs in his last 19.1 innings, causing his ERA to jump from 2.48 to 3.40.

Diaz struck out the side to record his 34th save of the season Thursday against the Angels.

Diaz has shown no signs of slowing down on his league-leading saves pace, with Thursday already marking his third save in July. Despite the relatively heavy workload, he has remained dominant, allowing only two earned runs and seven baserunners with 17 strikeouts in his last 10 innings.

Rodney fired a perfect ninth inning to earn his 18th save Thursday, striking out two in the 5-2 win over the Orioles.

Rodney had blown his last two save opportunities, walking two batters and allowing four hits over those two innings. He's now 18-for-23 in save chances this season with a 3.07 ERA and a firm grasp on the closer role in Minnesota. Rodney could be moved to a contender at the trade deadline, which would almost certainly relegate him to a non-closer role for the final two-plus months of the season.