MLB Player News

Pagan allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits over an inning in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Astros. He also recorded two strikeouts.

Pagan fell victim to the long ball, allowing a solo shot to George Springer and a two-run blast to Carlos Correa. The 26-year-old righty had seemingly settled down after allowing an earned run in four consecutive outings between late August and early September, as he'd strung together four straight scoreless appearances heading into Sunday. However, his stumble bumped his ERA for the month up to 7.20, and Pagan's now allowed three round trippers over the five innings encompassing his last seven appearances.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister confirmed that Martinez will remain in the rotation this week and start Friday against the Athletics, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Martinez has jostled among the Rangers' rotation, their bullpen, and Triple-A Round Rock throughout the season, but at least while the team remains in contention for a wild-card spot, it appears the right-hander will stick in a starting role with the big club. With a 5.47 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 5.3 K/9 rate in the majors this season, Martinez offers limited upside in the fantasy realm, but so long as he's able to eat some innings, that should be enough to keep him in the rotation over the struggling A.J. Griffin.

Lee posted a 5.11 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 27 games (20 starts) during his first season at Triple-A Norfolk.

Entering 2017, the hype surrounding the 6-foot-3 southpaw was loud. Lee pitched well in spring training and almost snagged a temporary Opening Day rotation spot while Chris Tillman recovered from a shoulder injury. Most figured Lee would make his MLB debut at some point during the year, but as fate would have it, the pitcher wound up finishing the campaign with his worst marks since playing at the rookie levels. International League hitters, most of whom have big-league experience, tallied a .302 BAA over 116.1 innings. In fairness, Lee was victimized by an unlucky .352 BABIP and career-low 70.6 percent strand rate. He'll likely still be regarded as an MLB candidate when camp opens in February, but it's hard to believe he'll make the jump without having to show improvements at Triple-A first.

Diekman didn't allow a hit or run over 1.2 innings of a 4-2 win against the Angels on Sunday. He walked one and recorded the save.

This is the first save of the season for Diekman and fifth of his career. Apart from a two-hit, three-run hiccup in his last appearance against the visiting Mariners, Diekman has been solid in his other six outings since returning from the 60-day disabled list (no runs, no hits, eight strikeouts over 6.7 innings). Given his solid performance, look for the Rangers to continue to use the big southpaw in high-leverage situations for the remainder of the season.

Treinen pitched a scoreless ninth inning to collect his 11th save of the season during Sunday's win over Philadelphia.

It had been a rough stretch for Treinen, as he lost three consecutive games to start September and entered Sunday with five runs allowed through six innings for the month. Still, he's the Oakland closer, and saves are at a premium at this stage of the fantasy season. Treinen should be owned in all settings.

Sedlock (forearm) finished 2017 with a 5.90 ERA and 1.72 WHIP over 20 starts for High-A Frederick.

The right-handed prospect ended the campaign a bit early after suffering a strain in his throwing arm, but Sedlock had shown enough by the time he was shut down. It certainly wasn't the sophomore season 2016's first-round pick had hoped for, as opponents ripped Sedlock for a .313 BAA while pounding out 11 home runs over 90 innings. His efforts certainly don't warrant a promotion next year, so look for Sedlock to open 2018 right back in Frederick.

Scott, who's expected to develop into a big-league closer, said being used in a limited starter's role this season at Double-A Bowie allowed him extended time to develop his offspeed pitches, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Scott's fastball typically sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, but he has no problem clocking in at triple digits routinely. Instead of using him as a minor-league reliever, the Orioles opted to start the left-hander in three-inning stints, giving Scott five or six days of rest in between. "Well, with the short starts, you can never win, but it was good. I developed my offspeed more," Scott said. "It was a good experience and I'm glad they did it and I'll see what they want me to do now."

Manaea (11-10) allowed three runs -- just one earned -- on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters through five innings to secure the win against Philadelphia on Sunday.

After allowing seven runs through just 3.2 frames to Boston in his previous start, this was an encouraging bounce-back showing. Manaea sports a respectable 4.12 FIP and 7.9 K/9 for the season, and he's now allowed three runs or fewer in five of his past six outings, so his fantasy value is trending in the right direction. The 25-year-old lefty lines up for consecutive starts against the Rangers to finish the campaign.

Colome worked around a hit in a scoreless inning of work to earn his 45th save of the season Sunday against the Red Sox.

Two days removed from a blown save, Colome didn't show any ill effects and curiously needed just four pitches to retire the side. He continues to rack up saves with regularity and currently leads the next closest competitor in the American League by nine in that category.

Covey (0-6) allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks across 3.2 innings while taking the loss Sunday against the Tigers. He struck out three.

Covey constantly put men aboard and was scored upon at least once in all four innings in which he pitched. He threw just 51 percent of his pitches for strikes, tying the season high in free passes he set in his previous outing. Covey has been given the opportunity to contribute down the stretch, but he has allowed 19 runs over his last 19.1 innings to raise his ERA to an unsightly 8.18 for the year. He is scheduled to remain in the rotation for Saturday's start against the Royals.