MLB Player News

Alvarez was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

Alvarez was sent back to Round Rock to make room for Jurickson Profar, who was recalled to offer infield depth while Adrian Beltre (ankle) is sidelined. He compiled a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings with the Rangers, though he struggled keeping runners off the bases, posting a 12:9 K:BB and 1.82 WHIP as well. He'll likely return to a middle relief role with the big club when another bullpen arm is needed.

Johnson was promoted to the Red Sox for his start Friday.

In a corresponding move, Boston optioned Brandon Workman back down to Triple-A Pawtucket. This marks the third start of the year for the left-hander after tossing a complete game shutout in his last appearance against the Mariners. The 26-year-old last saw the mound June 3 for Pawtucket, striking out five and allowing two hits in under two innings against Durham.

Colome notched his 17th save in Thursday's 7-5 win over the White Sox, allowing one hit and recording two strikeouts over a scoreless inning.

Colome was called on for the second straight night after not making any appearances over the first six days of June. He's thrown a total of 40 pitches over that pair of outings, so he'll likely be unavailable for at least Friday's series opener against the A's. Colome has successfully converted 12 consecutive save opportunities dating back to May 1.

Burdi, 22, has a 5.24 ERA and 33:12 K:BB in 22.1 relief innings for Triple-A Charlotte.

The 6-foot-3 righty has converted five of seven save opportunities, but he's been battered recently, allowing nine earned runs in his last four appearances. With David Robertson firmly entrenched as the White Sox closer and the big club sitting in last place, there does not appear to be a reason to rush Burdi to the show, although he could get a look after the trade deadline if Robertson and/or Nate Jones are sent elsewhere.

Chapman (shoulder) could begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as the weekend, George A. King of the New York Post reports.

Chapman is slated to toss a simulated game Friday, after which he'll travel to Tampa. The lefty had previously stated that he was hoping to return in time for the club's series next weekend in Oakland, so it would appear that timeline remains in place. He's already missed about a month of action, so Chapman may require a bit longer of a rehab stint, but it still sounds like he remains on track to regain his role at the back of the bullpen in fairly short order.

De Leon suffered a right lat strain in his outing at Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports.

Norris noted a dip in velocity from De Leon before he was pulled from his outing and left the field with the training staff. De Leon's fastball was sitting in the 86-90 mile-per-hour range after being closer to 92 in his previous outing. Fortunately, there's no mention of a shoulder issue for De Leon, but the lat strain will still cause him to miss some time.

Goldberg was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

The right-handed reliever was lit up in his lone relief appearance during his stint with the White Sox, surrendering four earned runs while recording just one out against the Tigers. Goldberg will now head back to Triple-A, where he owns a 1.99 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 22.2 innings. The White Sox will announce a corresponding move prior to Friday's series opener against the Indians.

Thursday's MRI revealed a muscle strain in Santiago's pitching shoulder, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The southpaw is already on the disabled list due to a left shoulder injury, and Thursday's MRI confirmed the team's expectation that he is dealing with a strain. Miller adds that the muscle strain is located on the back of Santiago's shoulder. There's still no firm timetable for Santiago's return at this point, which makes the recently claimed Chris Heston a possible rotation stop-gap for the time being.

Fulmer (6-4) lasted just 4.1 innings in a loss to the Angels Thursday. He allowed nine hits and five runs (all earned), while striking out only one batter.

Fulmer started the season with 10 straight quality starts, but he's now failed to record a quality start in his last two outings, giving up 10 earned runs in 11.1 innings during that span. Still, the young right-hander has generally looked very good since his debut last season, so fantasy owners should consider this rough patch a blip on the radar. Fulmer is slated to take the hill again on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks at home.

VerHagen may get the nod for Saturday's game against the Red Sox if Justin Verlander (groin) is unable to throw, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

At this point the Tigers are optimistic that Verlander will be able to make his scheduled start, but signs are pointing to VerHagen taking his place if the ace is unable to pitch. Daniel Norris could also be a candidate to start Saturday's game and move up a day instead of going for the series finale Sunday. VerHagen has yet to make an appearance at the big league level for Detroit this season, but has compiled a 4.29 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP with a 38:28 K:BB in 56.2 innings at Triple-A Toledo this year.