MLB Player News

VerHagen (nose) sustained a broken nose during Tuesday's loss to Cincinnati, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

VerHagen was hit in the face by a relay throw from second base as he covered first base on a potential double play during the seventh inning Tuesday. A trip to the disabled list is likely for the 27-year-old after having his nose re-set, especially with the Tigers already wanting to recall a pitcher from Triple-A Toledo for Wednesday's game.

VerHagen exited Tuesday's game against the Reds after being hit in the face by a throw, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

VerHagen was covering first base on a potential double play in the seventh inning, and was struck in the face as he was unable to field the relay throw from second base. The 27-year-old was diagnosed with a nasal bruise and was undergoing X-rays to determine the severity of the injury.

Norris (groin) will throw off a mound Wednesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Norris has been throwing at the Tigers' spring training facility for the last two weeks, though Wednesday will mark his first time throwing off a mound since undergoing groin surgery near the start of May. Given the length of his absence, Norris will likely need an extended rehab, leaving him a ways away from returning.

Pomeranz (biceps, neck) played catch on flat ground Tuesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Pomeranz played some long toss in the outfield before firing off some pitches from flat ground. While this is an encouraging step for the lefty, he'll remain without a timetable for his return until he's able to resume mound work. In the meantime, Steven Wright will continue to fill in for Pomeranz in the rotation.

Kontos had his contract purchased from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

Kontos will replace the injured Evan Marshall (elbow) on the active roster and in the bullpen. The veteran reliever was let go by the Pirates earlier in the year after diminished velocity resulted in a brutal 5.03 ERA and just nine strikeouts across 19.2 innings. He'll likely start out in a lower-leverage relief role, but if Kontos is able to regain a few ticks on his fastball and return to last year's form (3.39 ERA across 66.1 innings), he could work his way into a more prominent spot in the bullpen.

Stanek opened Monday's "bullpen day" game against the Astros and fired a scoreless 1.2 innings.

Stanek could hardly have been more efficient, needing just 11 pitches to get five outs. The hard-throwing right-hander's ERA remains unblemished through seven June outings, a span during which he also boasts an impressive 11:3 K:BB.

Scott was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Scott will join the big club for the first time all season after excelling with the PawSox, posting a 1.45 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 37:8 K:BB across 24.1 innings. He'll offer an additional left-handed arm out of the bullpen during his time in the majors. In a corresponding roster move, Justin Haley was returned to the minors.

McHugh (2-0) struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning in Houston's come-from-behind 5-4 win over Tampa Bay.

McHugh was the pitcher of record when Alex Bregman delivered a walkoff double and earned his second win of the season. The 31-year-old's transition to the bullpen has been a success thus far. McHugh owns a 1.13 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 43 strikeouts over 32 innings. As a reliever, McHugh has picked up velocity -- his four-seam fastball lived at 93 mph Monday, three ticks higher than its average when McHugh was a starter in 2017 -- and that's resulted in a career-high 12.1 K/9.

Barria (5-3) allowed six runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts through just four innings in a loss Monday against Arizona.

Barria was in a hole quickly, as he allowed homers to Paul Goldschmidt and Ketel Marte to fall behind 3-0 by the third inning. Barria has now allowed seven home runs in his past four starts after giving up just one across his first five outings. It looks like the league is starting to figure out the 21-year-old a bit, but despite the recent struggles, he'll take an impressive 3.57 ERA into his next start Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Covey (3-2) allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and five walks across five innings to take the loss Monday against the Indians. He struck out two.

Covey struggled mightily to find the strike zone at times, issuing as many walks in this one as he had over his previous three starts (18 innings) combined. He allowed three runs on three hits, a walk and an error in the second inning before Jason Kipnis victimized him for an RBI single in the third and a solo home run in the fifth. This was a disappointing effort from Covey, who hadn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last five outings. He still has a shiny 2.90 ERA and will look to bounce back this weekend against the Athletics.