MLB Player News

Loaisiga (shoulder) had his rehab assignment shifted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will start Tuesday.

Loaisiga will make another rehab appearance Tuesday, starting for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in what could be his final outing prior to returning to the big leagues. The right-hander could return prior to the All-Star break, though it may make more sense to wait until after the festivities to activate him.

The Guardians plan to call Pilkington up from Triple-A Columbus to start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the White Sox, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Cleveland is expected to designate Pilkington as its 27th man for the twin bill, meaning that he'll presumably be optioned back to Columbus following the doubleheader. Pilkington has previously made 10 appearances (seven starts) for Cleveland this season, going 1-1 with a 4.08 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 34:20 K:BB across 35.1 innings.

Diaz struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning Monday to record his 19th save of the season in a 4-1 win over Atlanta.

Ten of Diaz's 11 pitches were pumped into the strike zone as the right-hander topped out at 99.1 mph with his fastball in another thoroughly dominant performance. Diaz has reeled off 10 straight scoreless appearances, posting a ridiculous 20:1 K:BB through nine innings over that stretch, and on the season he boasts a 1.73 ERA with a stunning 51.4 percent strikeout rate.

The Royals returned Zerpa to Double-A Northwest Arkansas following Monday's doubleheader with the Tigers.

Zerpa had been designated as the Royals' 27th man for the twin bill, so he was never expected to stick around with the big club beyond Monday. He appeared in relief in the second game of the doubleheader, tossing two scoreless frames en route to securing his first MLB win.

Leclerc did not allow a hit or walk while striking out one over two scoreless innings in Monday's 10-8 win over Oakland.

Leclerc threw multiple innings for the third time in his last four outings. After a rough patch following his reinstatement from the 60-day injured list in mid-June, the right-hander has settled in nicely, pitching seven scoreless innings during the month of July. The former closer has been used to pitching single innings to this point, but manager Chris Woodward may have found a new role for Leclerc.

Mantiply allowed one run on two hits and one walk over a third of an inning in Monday's 4-3 win over the Giants.

Mantiply, Arizona's lone representative at the All-Star Game, appears to be the high-leverage reliever of choice for manager Torey Lovullo after Ian Kennedy (calf) landed on the injured list. Since Kennedy's addition to the IL, Mantiply has been called upon to work the eighth inning of a close game on three occasions. It hasn't gone well for the left-hander, who picked up a hold Monday but has allowed four runs on five hits and a walk over 2.2 innings. He was charged with a loss, letting an inherited runner score a game-winning run while being unable to finish the inning Monday. The walk was just the second Mantiply has allowed and first since Opening Day.

Melancon allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Monday's 4-3 win over the Giants.

Melancon hadn't logged a save since June 3, though that's been more a product of a lack of opportunities. Only Ian Kennedy (calf) has logged a save since Melancon's last conversion, and that came back on June 9. In his last 13 innings, Melancon has allowed six runs (five earned) with a 10:3 K:BB, two saves, a 2-2 record and a blown save. The veteran right-hander has trimmed his ERA to 5.04 with a 1.48 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB across 30.1 innings, and it appears he'll continue to maintain the closer job for the Diamondbacks, though save chances could remain sparse for the struggling team.

Rogers allowed two runs on three hits and struck out one in one inning to pick up the save in Monday's 6-5 win over the Rockies.

Rogers entered with a three-run lead, but he allowed a leadoff single to Randal Grichuk and a pair of two-out doubles to Connor Joe and Charlie Blackmon, which trimmed the lead to one. Rogers was able to get C.J. Cron to ground out, but it was another shaky outing from the Padres' closer. He's given up at least one run in five straight outings, blowing two of four save chances in that span. Rogers has yielded seven runs in his last 5.2 innings, inflating his season ERA to 4.04 with a 1.04 WHIP and 41:7 K:BB through 35.2 innings. Manager Bob Melvin appears willing to let Rogers pitch through his struggles -- Nick Martinez has three saves since mid-June, but all of those have been of the three-inning variety, so he's not expected to be a threat for the closer role.

Manaea (4-4) earned the win Monday over the Rockies. He allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five in 6.1 innings.

Manaea gave up a sacrifice fly to C.J. Cron and a solo home run to Randal Grichuk. That was all the damage on Manaea's line, making this an encouraging bounce-back effort after he lasted just 3.1 innings in a loss to the Mariners last Monday. The southpaw has 12 quality starts in 16 outings, and he owns a 4.09 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 97:36 K:BB across 94.2 innings this season. He's projected for one more start before the All-Star break, which would be a home date against the Diamondbacks this weekend.

Martinez (2-2) allowed six runs (four earned) on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 4.1 innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Rangers.

Since rejoining the Athletics in late June, Martinez has two bad starts and one good one. Monday was a struggle, as he had two wild pitches and a balk lead to two runs in the second inning. The Rangers' got to him for three more runs in the fourth and another in the fifth before he exited the contest. With only a tenuous grasp on a rotation spot, Martinez can't afford much inconsistency. He's posted a 6.52 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB across 19.1 innings this year. If Frankie Montas (shoulder) returns during the upcoming three-game series versus the Astros, it's unclear if Martinez will make another start before the All-Star break. His turn would come up Sunday if he stays in the rotation.