MLB Player News

Mengden was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

Mengden made two turns in the rotation during his stay with the big club, covering eight innings and surrendering nine runs on 13 hits and three walks. The right-hander's pair of poor outings may have left the Athletics reluctant to give him additional starts in the majors anyway until he showed improvement at Triple-A, but Mengden's demotion also signals that the team might be anticipating Jesse Hahn's (triceps) return from the disabled list later this week.

Barnes (personal) is expected to be back with Boston for Sunday's series finale against the Orioles, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

Barnes had been away from the team, missing games Friday and Saturday while attending to a family matter. While he's been away, Joe Kelly has replaced him as the designated setup man.

Kimbrel allowed a run on two hits and a walk while striking out three over 1.1 innings to notch is 16th save of the season in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Orioles.

Kimbrel was brought on in the eighth inning to get out of a jam and did that with aplomb, striking out Adam Jones on four pitches with two men on base. He then ran into trouble in the ninth, allowing his first two hits to right-handed hitters all season; righties had been 0-for-47 against Kimbrel. The ninth inning also marked a return of the poor-control version of Kimbrel that popped up so often in 2016. He threw balls on 39 percent of his offerings Saturday compared to his 31 percent rate overall this season. He needed 33 pitches to get his four outs, putting his availability for Sunday's series finale in question.

Andriese (groin) felt good after playing catch Saturday and is aiming to return for Saturday's doubleheader, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander appears to be making brisk progress from his groin strain, and his stated goal therefore appears realistic absent any setbacks. Andriese's injury was termed as relatively mild from the start, so his stay on the disabled list will likely be limited to the minimum 10 days.

Giles pitched one inning, allowing one run on one hit with a walk and two strikeouts to pick up the save in Saturday's 6-5 win over Texas.

Giles allowed an RBI single to Adrian Beltre, but struck out Rougned Odor to preserve the one-run victory. Giles is now 15-for-16 in saves this year, ranking second in the American League. While his 3.63 ERA isn't the prettiest, Giles has an 11.0 K/9 and is firmly entrenched as the closer on the team with the best record in baseball.

Johnson exited his start with Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday due to a hamstring cramp and will be reevaluated Sunday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Initial reports were that he had left the game with a calf strain, but it's concerning news for the Red Sox nonetheless. Johnson was poised to be a prime candidate for a start against the Tigers next Saturday -- the next time a fifth starter is needed -- but those plans will be put on hold until he can be reevaluated by trainers. The southpaw has a solid 2.57 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over two big-league starts this season.

Mengden (0-1) allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two across 4.2 innings, but didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Nationals.

Mengden was provided with seven runs of support, but ran into trouble in the fifth inning and was removed one out before qualifying for the win. This was his second start in the rotation while Kendall Graveman (shoulder) and Jesse Hahn (triceps) have been on the disabled list, and with Hahn scheduled to make the start on June 9, Mengden likely saw his last start for the time being.

Johnson was forced to leave his start with Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday after injuring his right calf, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports.

The southpaw had cruised through 1.2 innings, recording five strikeouts and allowing two hits, before he suffered an untimely pop in his calf. Johnson was a potential candidate to start in the big leagues next Friday -- when the Red Sox will need a fifth starter to replace the injured Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) -- but the team may need to look elsewhere for replacements. Expect a firm reevaluation sometime within the next week to determine the extent of his injury.

Magnifico was recalled by the Angels on Saturday.

A post-DFA trade sent Magnifico from the Orioles to the Angels in early May. He has mostly struggled during his time with Triple-A Salt Lake, giving up eight earned runs on 13 hits and five walks in just nine innings, but the Angels were in desperate need of a fresh arm after JC Ramirez was chased early Friday.

Martinez will be available out of the bullpen Saturday and Sunday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers are in need of some length after Dillon Gee worked four innings Friday, and Martinez will be the one ticketed for relief duty, at least temporarily. There's still a chance Martinez could start Tuesday if he is not needed out of the bullpen in the coming days, but otherwise, the team will likely be forced to dip into the minor-league system for an arm. Martinez was knocked around for five runs on six hits (including three homers) over 4.1 innings in his last start.