MLB Player News

Turnbull will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Turnbull and fellow minor-league pitcher Matt Hall will join the Tigers for the stretch run after impressing on the farm. The 25-year-old righty posted a 3.92 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 133:46 K:BB across 23 starts across multiple minor-league levels. The Tigers are expected to transition to a six-man rotation for the final few weeks of the season, with either Turnbull or Hall entering the rotation.

Valdez will start Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch indicated early in the weekend that he may take a series-by-series approach when it comes to deciding his fifth starter, but for now, Valdez will retain a rotation spot over Josh James. While Valdez has shown some control issues of late with three walks allowed in each of his last three outings, he has submitted a tidy 1.37 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across 19.2 innings in the majors. Valdez should have a good chance at coming away with his fourth win Tuesday while opposing Jordan Zimmermann and a Tigers squad on pace for a season of 90-plus losses.

Chirinos (4-5) allowed three earned runs on seven hits over 6.1 innings in a win over the Orioles on Sunday. He struck out six.

Chirinos was utilized in his usual "bullpen day" long-relief capacity and turned in the equivalent of a quality start, getting through his six-plus frames on an efficient 94 pitches. The 24-year-old right-hander has generated mixed results since assuming his current role, but he's been sharper of late -- factoring in Sunday's line, Chirinos has allowed four earned runs over 13.1 innings while generating an 11:3 K:BB over his last two trips to the mound.

Nicasio is in the early stages of recovering from a clean-up procedure on his knee and is expected to be ready for spring training, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The veteran reliever battled bone chips and swelling in his right knee on two separate occasions this season, finally opting for surgery to address the issue in late August. Nicasio flashed excellent strikeout upside and control in 2018 on his way to a 53:5 K:BB, but a trio of relief outings in which he allowed at least three earned runs helped lead to a 6.00 ERA.

Springs could get a start before the end of the season, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Springs served as the "opener" for Sunday's game, tossing 44 pitches over three scoreless innings before turning the game over to Ariel Jurado. The left-hander has experience as a starter in the minor leagues and has pitched well since his promotion to the majors. With the Rangers desperately in need of starters for 2019, Springs has manager Jeff Banister considering him for a start over the final few weeks. "The decision today was whether or not to send him out for a fourth inning," Banister said. "He has done a lot of good things since he has been here and we have talked about that during this process. We'll have more of those discussions toward the end of the season. Obviously, the young man hasn't done anything to keep him from doing that, but we also have to think about his number of pitches and innings." Jurado's spot in the rotation will come up another three times, which gives the Rangers an opportunity to stretch out Springs before giving him a starter's workload.

Keuchel allowed five earned runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out two across six innings Sunday against the Red Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

Keuchel stumbled a few times in the early innings, but the decisive blow came when J.D. Martinez launched a three-run home run in the fifth inning. Poor starts have been a rarity for Keuchel of late, as he has surrendered more than three earned runs only twice in his last 10 starts. That said, he should put this tough matchup behind him and look to bounce back in his next start, likely to come Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

Heaney (9-9) threw seven shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out 12 while picking up the win against the White Sox on Sunday.

Heaney displayed excellent command throughout his outing, tossing 70 of 96 pitches for strikes and recording his season high in punchouts. He managed to bounce back from a loss his last time out, when he surrendered four runs over six innings to the Rangers on Tuesday. Heaney owns a 3.98 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with a 161:40 K:BB over 165 frames this season.

Springs took a no-decision despite tossing three shutout innings Sunday, allowing just one hit and striking out two in the 7-3 loss to Oakland.

Springs was fantastic in an "opener" role before Ariel Jurado took over in the fourth inning and promptly gave up five runs. The 25-year-old hasn't allowed a run since Aug. 20 and now owns a strong 1.99 ERA in 22.2 innings on the year.

Clevinger (11-8) took the loss Sunday despite a quality start, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out nine in six innings against the Blue Jays.

Clevinger needed 108 pitches to complete six frames, settling down after a one-out walk in front of allowing Justin Smoak's 24th home run of the season in the first inning. The outing was Clevinger's fifth consecutive quality start, and he is now 4-1 over his last six outings. His next start should come Saturday against Detroit.

Cobb (hand) was announced as Tuesday's probable starter, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Cobb wasn't able to make his original scheduled start Sunday due to a blister on his throwing hand, but the team seems to expect the issue to be resolved quickly. If everything goes as planned, he'll take on Athletics right-hander Mike Fiers in the series opener Tuesday.