MLB Player News

Manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that the early diagnosis on Fulmer's strained shoulder was positive, and the Tigers are hopeful that the right-hander could return from the 10-day injured list in the minimum amount of time, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Shoulder injuries always bring some level of concern for pitchers, but Fulmer appears fortunate to at least have avoided a significant one. Hinch's hope of Fulmer coming off the IL when first eligible Sunday may be overly optimistic, but the 28-year-old will at least have a shot at returning in the minimum amount of time if he's able to resume throwing off a mound in the next few days. After being moved to a relief role in early May, Fulmer almost immediately factored into the mix at closer for the Tigers, notching four saves in five chances before he was placed on the IL. Gregory Soto and Jose Cisnero are expected to serve as the Tigers' primary late-inning options in the short term sans Fulmer.

Cleavinger (forearm) tossed a scoreless inning Monday for Triple-A Oklahoma City in the first outing of his rehab assignment. He gave up no hits, walked one and struck out one during the 11-pitch appearance.

Cleavinger took part in his first game action since May 15 after left forearm inflammation had sidelined him for the past three weeks. The 27-year-old isn't considered a major piece of the Los Angeles bullpen, so he could make several more appearances for Oklahoma City before being reinstated from the 10-day injured list.

Kowar (0-1) was tagged with the loss Monday against the Angels after allowing four runs on three hits and two walks across two-thirds of an inning.

This wasn't the outing Kowar was expecting, as he couldn't even get out of the first inning and was lifted after giving up four runs and not striking out anyone. He could be lined up for a two-start week since he'd be tentatively up to pitch during the weekend series in Oakland, but that remains to be seen considering how much he struggled in his pro debut.

Alzolay left his start Monday against San Diego with a blister on his right middle finger, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports. He covered three innings before departing and gave up four runs on five hits and five walks while striking out four.

Alzolay's status for his next start is unclear at this point, though blisters don't typically result in extended absences. He'll likely be re-evaluated over the next few days before the Cubs determine if he'll be ready to take the hill this weekend versus St. Louis.

Alzolay left Monday's game against the Padres due to an apparent injury, Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Alzolay was removed with no outs in the bottom of the fourth inning after surrendering four runs on five hits and five walks while fanning four. The extent of the injury is unclear at this point.

Pivetta allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six across 4.2 innings Monday against the Marlins. He didn't factor into the decision.

Pivetta made it through the first three innings unscathed before surrendering one run in the fourth and another in the fifth on a solo blast to center. Had he managed to record one more out, he would have qualified for the victory, but instead, Hirokazu Sawamura was credited with the win. Pivetta struggled in his last two starts to close out May (eight earned runs allowed across 11 innings), but he's back on track in June, holding the opposition to four runs while fanning 15 in 10.2 frames since.

Ottavino picked up the save after allowing one run on three hits while striking out two across 1.1 innings Monday against the Marlins.

Ottavino was called upon with two outs in the top of the eighth inning, and while he was able to escape without issue, he surrendered a run on a pair of doubles and an infield single in the ninth. He ultimately induced a groundball for the final out of a 5-3 victory. Per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, after the game, manager Alex Cora praised Ottavino's effort on a day their usual closer, Matt Barnes, wasn't available after pitching three straight days. "He's in a great place right now," said Cora. "We were short (without Barnes), to have a guy who can do that is huge." Ottavino owns a 2.88 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and a 30:17 K:BB across 25 frames in 2021.

Chargois secured his fifth hold in a win over the Angels on Sunday, firing a perfect sixth inning.

Chargois mowed through his frame on just six pitches, posting his sixth straight scoreless effort and coaxing his ERA under 2.00 in the process. The 30-year-old did not log a majors appearance last season and looks like a completely different pitcher than in his last big-league tenure with the Dodgers in 2019 (6.33 ERA across 14 appearances).

Montero secured his fourth hold in a win over the Angels on Sunday, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk over one inning.

Montero needed 24 pitches to get through his one frame, creating some trouble for himself by allowing the first two hitters he faced to reach safely. The right-hander is still seeing save opportunities -- he's 3-for-3 in such scenarios across his last 10 appearances -- but he's also garnered three holds in that sample.

Diekman, who fired a scoreless seventh inning during which he recorded a strikeout in a loss to the Rockies on Sunday, has a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, one save and one hold across the 7.2 innings covering his last seven appearances.

The left-hander has been much more hittable overall this season than during a career-best 2020, but he set a near-impossible bar with an 0.42 ERA and 0.94 WHIP a year ago. Diekman's current strong stretch of pitching has his 2021 figures in those categories at a solid 3.20 and 1.22, respectively, and he's also benefited fantasy managers by successfully converting six of eight save chances after only logging one such opportunity across 21 appearances last season.