MLB Player News

Giles pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts to record his 27th save of the season during Thursday's win over Texas.

There have been some peaks and valleys along the way, but Giles sports a 2.44 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 11.9 K/9 to go along with his 27 saves. Those are rock-solid numbers in all fantasy settings, and there's no reason to expect the 26-year-old righty to slow down moving forward.

Belisle (1-2) was the pitcher of record when the Twins completed a come-from-behind victory over the White Sox on Thursday.

Belisle had allowed a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth frame, so his offense bailed him out in the bottom half of the inning. It's also worth noting that he struck out three batters to improve his K/9 to 8.7 for the campaign. The 37-year-old righty has converted five of six save opportunities since taking over the closer job earlier this month, and remains a valuable fantasy asset as long as he's handling the ninth inning for Minnesota.

McHugh allowed a single unearned run on four hits and two walks while striking out three batters through 4.2 innings during Thursday's win over Texas. He didn't factor into the decision.

It was a little surprising that McHugh wasn't left in the game to face Adrian Beltre with runners on second and third in the top of the fifth inning. However, he was already at 91 pitches and had just allowed a double to Nomar Mazara. It was the first time he failed to pitch into the sixth frame since his return outing from the disabled list July 22, and the 30-year-old righty now sports a 3.25 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 8.5 K/9 for the campaign. Even with Thursday's brief outing in mind, McHugh remains a strong option in the majority of fantasy settings. He projects to face the Mariners at Safeco Field in his next start.

Martinez (3-6) allowed two runs on five hits while striking out six batters through five innings during Thursday's loss to Houston.

Martinez has been bouncing between the bullpen and rotation since June, but this was his fourth consecutive start, and it was also the best of the four outings. He entered Thursday's game with a 5.51 ERA and 1.29 WHIP through his prior 14 starts, so while this was a better showing, Martinez is still far from a go-to fantasy option in most settings. If he sticks in the rotation for another turn, Martinez lines up to face Atlanta at SunTrust Park in his next start.

Gallegos was promoted by the Yankees prior to Thursday's game against Boston.

Gallegos will likely remain on New York's active roster for the rest of the regular season. He last appeared on the mound with the club against the Red Sox on Aug. 12, giving up just one hit in 2.2 innings while striking out four. The right-hander has made 10 appearances with the Yankees this season, posting a 5.79 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 14 innings out of the bullpen. He figures to serve in low-leverage situations as a reliever moving forward.

Lopez (back) will take the mound for Friday's start against the Rays.

Lopez was able to toss a 30-to-35 pitch bullpen Tuesday, which marked his third session on the mound since landing on the DL on Aug. 19. The right-hander didn't need to embark upon a rehab assignment, as manager Rick Renteria is confident that Lopez is near full health and ready to face major-league hitting. During two starts with the club this season, Lopez has allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and seven walks while striking out 12 over 10.1 innings.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister said that Diekman (abdomen) is expected to be activated from the 60-day disabled list Friday, Connor Mount of MLB.com reports.

Diekman passed the final hurdle in his recovery from three surgeries within the past year to repair and rebuild his colon by making appearances in back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday for Double-A Frisco, marking the fifth and six appearances in total of his rehab assignment. The lefty has looked utterly dominant in those outings, giving up just one run over 6.1 innings while striking out eight batters and walking none. Given the dearth of quality relief options for the Rangers, Diekman will have a decent chance at settling into a key setup role right away upon returning from the DL. He accrued a 3.40 ERA and 59:26 K:BB across 53 innings with the Rangers in 2016.

Martinez will start Thursday's game against the Astros, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Heading into the week, it appeared Cole Hamels would be in line to pick up the start for the series finale, but after the staff ace struggled in his last outing Aug. 26 against the Athletics, the Rangers elected to bump him back a day in the rotation, allowing Martinez to pick up the Thursday start. Martinez has submitted an unimpressive 5.26 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 87.1 innings with the big club this season, but turned in one of his more impressive performances of the campaign while replacing Tyson Ross in the rotation last weekend. The right-hander covered seven innings against the Athletics in a losing effort, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks while tying his season high with seven strikeouts.

Graveman allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters in five innings Wednesday against the Angels. He didn't factor into the decision.

Wednesday's outing was a step backwards for Graveman, who had allowed just five runs in 20 innings over his previous three starts, all of which were quality outings. He struggled mightily to keep the ball in the yard, as all five of the Angels' runs came off of a trio of homers. It marked the first time in 14 starts this season that he's conceded multiple homers in a game, and it was the first long ball he's given up since Aug. 3 (five starts). While outings like this make him tough to trust from a fantasy perspective, Graveman's 2.70 ERA in seven starts at home this season make him a decent streaming option when he's pitching at the Coliseum, as is the case for his next start against the Angels on Tuesday.

Colome allowed a hit but struck out the side for his league-leading 40th save Wednesday against the Royals.

He's now opened up a four-save lead over the Rockies' Greg Holland, and Colome's finally started piling up some strikeouts lately. The righty's last four appearances have seen him put up eight strikeouts without a walk over four innings, marking quite the change of pace from the 7.4 K/9 he was sitting on before this stretch. If he can keep missing bats down the stretch, Colome should be able to improve upon his ratios -- with a 3.02 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, he's well short of elite by bullpen standards.