MLB Player News

The Rays optioned Grove to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

The right-hander was called up from Durham on Thursday and made his Rays debut Saturday, when he fired three scoreless frames to pick up the victory. Grove is now being sent down in favor of a fresh arm, but his strong first impression should help him to get another look in Tampa Bay later this summer.

The Rays recalled Martin from Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

The rookie right-hander will be up with the big club for the fourth time this season after giving up five earned runs with a 6:4 K:BB across 10.1 frames in his first five MLB appearances. Martin should fill a low-leverage relief role while he's with the Rays.

The Tigers optioned De Jesus to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

De Jesus hasn't given up a run in his past eight appearances (13 innings), but he'll still end up being the odd man out for a roster spot with Jack Flaherty (ankle) coming off the IL on Sunday. De Jesus should get another look in the majors before long given his recent form.

Martin (shoulder) was sent to Double-A Frisco on Sunday to begin a rehab assignment.

Martin landed on the 15-day injured list June 1 due to a right shoulder impingement. The 40-year-old right-hander may need more than one appearance in the minors to knock off his rust, but he shouldn't be in line for an extended stay on the farm before slotting back into the Texas bullpen. Martin has two wins and one hold this season in 12 appearances to go along with a 7.84 ERA, 1.94 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB over 10.1 innings.

Whitlock earned a hold Saturday, retiring all three batters faced on seven pitches (five strikes) in the eighth inning of a 4-1 win over the Yankees.

Whitlock was the bridge to Aroldis Chapman, recording his third hold in his last four appearances and 12th of the season. Since returning from the injured list June 9, Whitlock has allowed one run on six hits with zero walks while striking out five over seven innings. If the Red Sox eventually trade Chapman, which is looking increasingly likely, Whitlock could be the favorite to take over as Boston's closer.

The Astros recalled Ullola from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old right-hander has yet to make his big-league debut, but he'll provide the Astros with a fresh bullpen arm ahead of Sunday's series finale in Detroit. Since signing with the Astros out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, Ullola has largely served as a starter during his time on the minors, but he was moved to the bullpen at Sugar Land in late May and has produced a 2.70 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB in 10 innings across 10 relief appearances.

Perkins allowed two runs on four hits, one walk and one hit batsman while striking out five over five innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Saturday.

Perkins came away with a fourth straight no-decision. This was his best outing of the span -- he's allowed 12 runs over 19 innings over those games, and he's added a 23:8 K:BB. Overall, Perkins is at a 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 62:17 K:BB across 51 innings through 22 games (five starts). He's tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Marlins.

Yates struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Athletics.

This was just the second save of the year for Yates. He has improved lately, allowing just one unearned run with a 12:2 K:BB over his last 7.1 frames. Overall, he's at a 3.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 25:7 K:BB through 17.2 innings. Yates is part of a closing committee for the Angels, though the team's overall poor performance leaves little value to gain from chasing saves in this bullpen.

Smith earned a save against the Mariners on Saturday, allowing one hit and and no walks while striking out one batter over one scoreless inning.

Smith was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning. He made things interesting, yielding a one-out single and then hitting a batter with two outs, but he was able to escape with the save by getting Josh Naylor on a game-ending groundout. Though the outing wasn't smooth, it was a needed rebound for Smith after he took a blown save and a loss while surrendering four runs across 2.1 frames over his previous two appearances. Even with those hiccups, Smith's season ERA is still fine at 3.13, and he leads the majors with 25 saves in 28 chances.

Teng was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Teng made the start Saturday against Detroit and gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk over 3.2 innings. That continued a rough June for the right-hander, who has given up at least four earned runs in four of his five starts this month. Teng's demotion to the minors makes room on the 26-man roster for reliever Miguel Ullola, who was recalled from Sugar Land on Saturday. However, Teng's spot in the rotation could soon be taken by Cristian Javier (shoulder), who tossed 75 pitches in his most recent rehab start Sunday and appears to be closing in on returning from the IL.