MLB Player News

McHugh (fingernail) threw a light bullpen session Wednesday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's surprising to see McHugh throw off a mound, no matter how lightly, as the Astros discussed having him play catch a few more days before hitting a mound. At any rate, it's a positive sign. The next available turn in the rotation comes next week against the White Sox, however, he could pitch an inning of relief this weekend against Seattle.

Zych (elbow) didn't make the current road trip with the Mariners but is still working to return at some point before season's end, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old right-hander has been sidelined by a strained flexor bundle in his right elbow since Aug. 19, but the extended absence hasn't dimmed Zych's hope of returning at some point during what's left of 2017. Manager Scott Servais has confirmed that Zych's MRI haven't shown any structural damage, meaning that it will all come down to whether the reliever can throw without discomfort. Zych was an effective member of the bullpen before getting injured, generating a 6-3 record, 2.66 ERA, 12 holds and one save in 45 appearances.

Shaw pitched the eighth inning Wednesday, allowing a hit and striking out one Tiger en route to his 22nd hold of the season.

The setup man seemed well on his way to a career-worst campaign when August opened, but Shaw has turned things around over the past month and a half. Through his last 19 appearances (18.2 innings), the 29-year-old owns a 2.41 ERA and 24:3 BB:K while converting all 10 of his hold opportunities.

Alexander (4-4) landed in the loss column after allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while recording just two outs Wednesday against the White Sox.

The Royals were planning to rest Alexander due to a heavy workload recently, but he was thrust into action after Eric Skoglund -- who lasted just three innings as the starter -- forced manager Ned Yost to burn through his bullpen. Alexander hadn't allowed a run in 17 straight appearances leading up to Wednesday, and he still owns a shiny 2.26 ERA through 63.2 innings this season, so the 28-year-old should continue to hold down the ninth inning for Kansas City down the stretch.

Farmer (4-3) gave up four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out seven over four innings in a losing effort against the Indians on Wednesday.

Farmer was on the wrong side of history in this one -- Cleveland set a new American League record with its 21st straight win. The right-hander served up a three-run homer to Jay Bruce in the second and has now allowed 26 earned runs in his last six starts (22.1 innings) after beginning his time with Detroit with back-to-back scoreless outings. It looks like he will make two home starts next week, including one against the A's, but Farmer is not worth the risk unless you're desperate.

Chapman gave up a hit and two walks while striking out four over 1.1 scoreless innings against the Rays on Wednesday en route to his 18th save of the season.

The lefty did allow a base-scoring hit in the eighth, but that run was charged to Dellin Betances. Chapman has seemingly reestablishing himself as the preferred closer for the Yankees with back-to-back successful save conversions. He has allowed just one earned run in his last eight appearances with a 12:3 K:BB over that span.

Martinez is listed as the Rangers' probable starter for Friday's game against the Angels, MLB.com reports.

Manager Jeff Banister acknowledged earlier this week that A.J. Griffin was at risk of losing his rotation spot after four poor outings in a row, and it appears the Rangers skipper has decided to bite the bullet and turn to a new fifth starter in Martinez. The right-hander has shuttled between starting and relief duties all season to poor results, with his 5.40 ERA and 5.4 K/9 rate over 95 innings limiting his fantasy appeal. While he'll have more value in a starting role, Martinez's shaky track record won't make him an enticing streamer in most deeper mixed leagues.

Leclerc worked around two hits and two walks to toss 1.2 scoreless innings in Tuesday's 10-3 loss to the Mariners. He struck out two batters in the relief appearance.

While LeClerc was able to deliver his second straight scoreless appearance, he wasn't particularly sharp in long relief, as he also threw a wild pitch in addition to the two walks. With a horrendous 16:23 K:BB in 17.2 innings since the All-Star break, Leclerc has squandered most of the goodwill from his strong first half and looks like he'll be used primarily in low-leverage situations the rest of the season.

McHugh (fingernail) will play catch for a couple of days before the Astros test him throwing off a mound, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh played catch Tuesday, his first bit of baseball activity since he exited last Friday's start prematurely because of a right middle fingernail avulsion. The right-hander said the session went well. The Astros are hopeful he can make a start next week against the White Sox.

Yarbrough fired seven shutout innings for Triple-A Durham against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the opening game of its best-of-five playoff series Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Yarbrough allowed just three hits and recorded four strikeouts while not issuing any walks during what ultimately was a 6-0 victory. The 25-year-old southpaw provided provided plenty of reason for optimism in his first Triple-A campaign in 2017, posting a 13-6 record, 3.43 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 159:39 K:BB over 157.1 innings.