MLB Player News

Vizcaino (undisclosed) struck out the side in a scoreless inning of relief Sunday in his return from Triple-A Syracuse's 7-day injured list.

After battling elbow soreness in spring training, Vizcaino was cleared to rejoin the Syracuse bullpen early in the 2021 season, but he made just five appearances before being shut down in late May with an unspecified injury. After an absence of nearly three months, the 30-year-old returned to action Sunday in dominant fashion. Since he doesn't possess a spot on the 40-man roster, Vizcaino will likely need to string together several quality performances before the Mets consider promoting him from Triple-A.

Speas (elbow) initiated a rehab assignment with the Rangers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate Aug. 13 and has tossed 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out seven across two outings.

Double-A Frisco placed Speas on its 7-day injured list in late May when he was diagnosed with right elbow inflammation, but he looks to be nearing the finish line in his recovery. Speas worked two innings in his most recent appearance Friday, so he shouldn't need more than another outing or two in the FCL before rejoining the Frisco bullpen.

Karinchak allowed a hit and two walks in one-third of an inning, earning a hold in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

The right-hander has somewhat rebounded from an ugly July, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks in 7.1 innings in August. Karinchak loaded the bases in the eighth inning Sunday, but Bryan Shaw was able to escape the jam on just two pitches. For the year, Karinchak has a 3.74 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 75:31 K:BB across 53 innings. He's added 11 saves, 12 holds, four blown saves and a 7-3 record, but Emmanuel Clase has emerged as a clearer favorite for ninth-inning duties since the All-Star break.

Reyes earned the save Sunday against the Pirates after tossing a scoreless inning, allowing two hits and fanning one.

Reyes found himself with runners on first and second with two outs after allowing back-to-back singles to Ke'Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds, but he closed the door after retiring Colin Moran on a line to right field. The hard-throwing reliever, who tossed 10 of his 13 pitches for strikes in this outing, snapped a short run of two games allowing earned runs, and he now has 28 saves out of 30 opportunities. He owns a 2.43 ERA across 55.2 innings in his first year as the Cardinals' full-time closer.

Hernandez improved to 4-1 after holding the Cubs to one run while striking out eight across seven innings Sunday in the Royals' 9-1 victory. He scattered four hits and three walks in the 107-pitch start.

The seven-inning outing represented a new career high for Hernandez, who brought his ERA under 4.00 for the first time all season. The 24-year-old right-hander has put himself on the mainstream fantasy radar over his last five starts, submitting a 2.05 ERA and 0.98 WHIP while striking out 22 in 30.2 innings over that stretch. He'll get a favorable landing spot in his next projected start in Seattle on Saturday, when he'll face a Mariners offense that ranks in the bottom six in the majors in batting average (.234) and strikeout rate (24.4 percent) in the second half.

Fairbanks (shoulder) allowed an earned run on one hit and recorded a strikeout over one inning in Triple-A Durham's loss to Jacksonville on Sunday.

Fairbanks was making his first rehab appearance alongside several of his recovering fellow Rays relievers, and like teammates J.P. Feyereisen and Nick Anderson, Jacksonville bats broke through against him. Fairbanks was sharp, however, throwing seven of his 10 pitches for strikes, and it remains to be seen if the team will want to see him log at least one more rehab appearance before activation is considered.

Feyereisen (biceps) made rehab appearances with Triple-A Durham both Saturday and Sunday, logging a combined 1.1 innings and surrendering two earned runs on a home run while also issuing a walk and recording two strikeouts.

The trouble came in Sunday's appearance, as Feyereisen worked a perfect inning Saturday in which he recorded the pair of punchouts. Feyereisen threw a total of 19 pitches across the two outings and appears to be steering clear of any physical setbacks, so he could be back with the Rays in relatively short order if he has no residual effects from being called upon on consecutive days.

Puk (0-1) allowed two earned runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one across one inning, taking the loss to the Giants on Sunday.

Puk entered the eighth inning with a one run lead and lost it on a two-run home run by Donovan Solano. He has spent most of the campaign in Triple-A Las Vegas and has pitched just 8.1 innings with the Athletics this season. However, this was his first time giving up any runs across his six appearances.

Leone (3-2) fired a perfect seventh inning while striking out two, earning the win over the Athletics on Sunday.

Leone entered the game with the Giants down a run in the seventh inning and retired the side in order. The Giants took the lead in the next inning, giving him the win. He has allowed just two runs in 13 innings over his last 15 appearances. The 29-year-old has a 1.57 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 36 strikeouts in 34.1 innings this season.

Clase saved Sunday's 3-0 triumph over the Angels, allowing one hit with one strikeout in one inning.

Clase completed Cleveland's shutout by firing 11 of 15 pitches for strikes and cruising to an easy save. The 23-year-old is yet to surrender a run in 8.2 August innings while striking out 10 and permitting just four baserunners this month.