MLB Player News

Kontos signed a minor-league contract with the Indians on Sunday.

Kontos was let go by the Pirates last week after submitting a 5.03 ERA and striking out just nine batters in 19.2 innings on the season. The right-hander's significant decline in average velocity was likely at the root of his struggles, so it's difficult to envision him rediscovering the strong form he exhibited in the past few seasons unless he regains a couple ticks on his fastball.

Covey allowed one unearned run on four hits and three walks across five innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Brewers. He struck out seven.

Covey allowed a run on an error in the fifth inning, which gave the visitors the lead. His side rallied to a comfortable victory later in the game, but he was already out of the game and didn't earn a win. Still, Covey delivered a useful outing, keeping his team in the game and giving it a chance to win. He's alternated good and bad outings of late, but his 4.0 BB/9 remains an area he needs to improve on if he's to hover anywhere near his current 2.82 ERA. He'll look to do just that in his next scheduled start Friday against the Red Sox.

Junis (5-5) allowed three runs on six hits and one walk across 7.1 innings while taking the loss against the Athletics on Sunday. He struck out nine.

Junis cruised through the first seven innings, allowing just one run while scattering baserunners. Things got away from him just a bit in the eighth, when he allowed a run prior to his removal and watched as the bullpen allowed another one of his men to cross. He still threw the ball quite well, setting a new season high in strikeouts while inducing 17 swinging strikes. Junis has now posted back-to-back quality starts and will take a solid 3.62 ERA into his next start against this same Oakland team.

Fulmer (2-5) took the loss Sunday against the Blue Jays, as he gave up four earned runs over six innings of work. He allowed five hits and three walks while striking out three.

Fulmer was better than he was in his last effort, when he allowed five runs over just 3.1 innings, but the righty still took his second straight loss. After beginning the year with a 2.80 ERA across his first six starts, Fulmer has posted a 6.90 ERA across his subsequent six. He'll look to get back on track in his next assignment, which is scheduled for Friday against the Indians.

The Tigers will select VerHagen's contract from Triple-A Toledo on Monday and have him start Game 1 of their doubleheader with the Yankees, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

It was expected that Sandy Baez would enter the rotation Monday with the doubleheader necessitating a temporary sixth starter, but that assignment will instead fall to VerHagen, who opened the season in a bullpen role for the big club before being outrighted off the 40-man roster. Since heading back to the minors, VerHagen has transitioned to a starting role and has been utterly dominant, supplying a 1.32 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 41:8 K:BB in 27.1 innings. If he fares well during Monday's start, VerHagen could earn another turn in the rotation later in the week with neither Jordan Zimmermann (shoulder) nor Francisco Liriano (hamstring) likely on track to return from the disabled list until at least the middle of the month.

Banda was placed on the 7-day disabled list at Triple-A Durham on Sunday due to a left forearm strain, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The injury will almost certainly keep Banda out beyond the minimum amount of time, but the lefty will head to Tampa to receive an evaluation from the Rays' team doctors before a formal timetable for his return is established. It's unfortunate timing for Banda, who may have been in line for a promotion back to the big club this week with Chris Archer's (groin) status in question for his next scheduled start.

Coleman (3-0) was the winning pitcher in Saturday's game against the Blue Jays, tossing a clean inning of relief with a strikeout.

Coleman has been with the Tigers for less than a month, but he has already scooped up an impressive three victories out of the bullpen. Notable on Saturday was the fact that the team turned to the 32-year-old in the eighth inning of a tied game, suggesting he has earned some degree of trust. However, regular closer Shane Greene was also unavailable in this one, so bullpen roles had to adjust accordingly. Nonetheless, Coleman, who now has a 1.38 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in 13 innings of work, seems to have secured himself a spot in Detroit's bullpen.

Diekman (1-0) was credited with the win after he allowed a hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning Saturday against the Angels.

Jose Leclerc and Diekman threw blanks over the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, giving the Rangers' quiet bats an opportunity to scratch out two late runs and send the game into extra innings. They plated another run in the 10th to turn what was nearly a loss into a win. Diekman has a 2.08 ERA with 16 strikeouts over his last 13 innings.

Diaz threw a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout against the Rays on Saturday en route to his 20th save of the season.

Diaz retired the side on 11 pitches, bouncing back from a couple poor performances in his last two outings, including a blown save Friday. With the year he's having (2.93 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 51:12 K:BB), Diaz can be forgiven for the occasional hiccup.

Littell is expected to start one of the Twins' doubleheader games against the White Sox on Tuesday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Littell, a 22-year-old who was acquired from the Yankees last season in the deal that sent Jaime Garcia to New York, will be summoned from the minors to make a spot start for the big club next week. He owns a solid 2.57 ERA and 30:10 K:BB across 28 innings (four starts, one relief appearance) with Triple-A Rochester since earning a promotion at the start of May. There's a good chance Littell will head back to the minors after Tuesday's spot start, but a strong showing could earn him another opportunity with the big club sooner than later.